Walking through the streets of Old Delhi, it’s not unusual to find commercial premises and even private residences that open directly onto the street. In this instance, my attention was drawn to the elderly man, who was content to be photographed where he sat on the bench. It was fortunate that a younger member of the family, perhaps overhearing the interaction between photographer and subject, was curious and looked out from the kitchen. To my mind, this helps to make the picture a satisfying one.
Exposure Bracketing
The contrast range in this scene was quite extreme with the man being partly in strong light and partly in shade, with the rear of the room in deeper shade. Getting the image in one exposure using available light wasn’t going to work and so I took several shots bracketed over about a 4 stop range. Even so, the highlights in the shirt sleeve have lost detail and the surface on which the man is sitting, which was highly reflective, is completely blown out. Regardless of the blown highlights, I feel as though the content of the image still makes it worthwhile.
