In a series of stories named “One Photo, one story” I will describe the picture and how it was done. Hopefully, this will inspire you when you are out taking photographs.
The picture shown was shot in Paris at the recent workshop I arranged.
The photo was taken with the Leica M9, and Summilux 50mm 1.4 ASPH lens. Shot wide open at f 1.4 so there is a very narrow DOP (depth of field).
200 ISO and shutter speed at 1/125 to have enough speed to capture the moment without any unsharpness from shaking or subject movement. The last was not a big risk, because everyone moved around slowly.
The emotional situation caught my attention, and there is something special about these ceremonies. Of course, the boy and the Priest are a story in themselves.
The colours are chosen instead of black and white because the mood of the downtoned colours are beautiful and they are repeated in the cloth and the building. Without being a monochrome photo it has some of the same qualities.
The little surprise
Pictures having a little surprise hidden can be what makes the piece memorable.
If you study the photo closer, you will find the priest wearing sandals and showing his bare feet. That pops out as a small fun detail. Everybody else is wearing elegant shoes, but the priest maybe thought they wouldn’t be visible underneath his dress. If so, he failed. Maybe he just didn’t care.
Making this picture a bit funnier.
