Last night, I conducted a fun experiment with lighting my subject, and I came up with a crazy idea—to overlight the subject to the point where it almost looked like it was glowing. I was shocked to see that it actually worked. The result looked like a unique photo effect, something that photo editing apps can’t replicate. It resembled the "glamour glow" effect in Lightroom, but the version I created looked much more natural.
Maybe that’s what happens when you use real-world elements—natural or even artificial ones like a strong light—instead of relying solely on software, which often produces results that feel awkward or unrealistic.
I also realized that the image resembled the infrared effect found in some editing software I’ve used before, but once again, the photo I created looked more defined and detailed. I could clearly see the veins and intricate patterns on the leaf, almost like an image produced by an X-ray machine.
Because of this discovery, I’m excited to experiment with more subjects and different intensities of light to see what other interesting effects I can achieve.
This experiment opened my eyes to the creative possibilities of working directly with light, beyond what software can simulate. There's something uniquely authentic about capturing effects in-camera using real elements. I'm excited to continue exploring this approach and see where it leads in my photography journey.
”To see in color is a delight for the eye, but to see in black and white is delight for the soul.”
