Overexposed
Underexposed
After navigating different levels of exposure, I have found that I prefer underexposed photographs as compared to overexposed pictures. Overexposure seems to highlight areas of deep contrast by increasing the intensity at which light reflects off the piece. More of the piece is visible causing the eyes to wander. Underexposure seems to dampen harsh contrast which allows the eyes to explore the piece without the distraction of loud/eye-catching areas. Underexposure can also drown out the background which may or may not work to one’s advantage. In this case my subject was white; and as a result the overexposure took away a lot of the form of the subject. If my subject were of darker tones, the underexposure would have posed a similar issue.
Temperature holds a lot of influence to my interpretation of a picture. I can look at the same photo in different temperatures and have different feelings about subject of the photograph. Certain colors have been found to illicit certain responses from the brain. Cooler colors have more of a calming effect and warmer colors tend to excite. I don’t believe that I have a preference toward warmer or cooler pictures. This picture of Tokyo’s skyline is a very urban, cold, and bright photo. When I look at the warm filter I imagine a city like Las Vegas. When I look at the cooler filter I imagine a city like New York. My personal experiences have influenced these comparisons but the point is without having been to Tokyo, those two pictures are leading me to expect two different realities.
Normal
Warm
Cool