In light we trust
Complete underexposure, pocketing a little patch of light where the rider was lit up. I created a dark background through underexposure so that he was the only properly exposed subject.
Words and photos by Kona Ambassador Riley Seebeck.
As winter comes to a close, my job as a photographer becomes more difficult. I have developed a style for the dark, dankness of the PNW. Light encompasses all that is photography and becoming a master at capturing light is an eternal journey. Through the human eye, light looks brilliant pretty much any way you look at it however, the lens of the camera sees a much more different picture.
My biggest challenge as a professional photographer has been getting myself to adjust for harsh conditions in the woods, to master this illusive image in my head. Often light looks really great coming through the trees but will cause the camera to darken a lot of the shadows so your subject is black and vice versa. This has been an eternal goal for me to face as I have been trying to figure it out for years now.
Sunset is easily my favorite light to shoot with its rich and powerful glow as if the sun was trying to say goodnight while giving it’s all. Expressing its sheer magnitude of power, piercing through mile thick clouds reminding us whose actually in control.
Sometimes light works in my favor in the middle of day when conditions couldn’t be any worse!
My techniques for capturing light amongst the thick PNW woods has been an artistic process. Often I feel the highlight is the priority which gives the photo a more dramatic look with darker shadows and often leaving the viewer curious for what’s behind the shadows. This I hope leads the viewer to use a bit of their imagination.
As I continue this journey through the light it often guides me while directing my eye to perspectives I normally wouldn’t see. I hope that you as a reader are able to appreciate the light on the same level I see it. It often brings me lots of excitement and joy to see it breaking through the fog in the early morning. I cannot express enough how in love I am with the surrounds here in Washington. Every day this state inspires me, drives me to get out and instills trust that life is a wonderful journey where change is always a constant.
