Add Atmosphere to Your Photographs

Gobos, Shadow and Light

How to Add Atmosphere to Your Images

By Katriel

There are few ways to add atmosphere to a photograph and my use of the word atmosphere refers to mood, mystery. This article discusses three.

One way to accomplish this is to use gobos. In photography, you’ll find the word gobo used generously to mean anything that blocks or reduces light in a photo.  Gobos are often used to create patterns or shapes projected into the photo. For instance, think of light streaming through the slats of window blinds. Imagine that rectangular pattern of shade and light projected onto a wall. If you decided to take a picture of an object such as a vase, included that rectangular pattern of light and shade created by the blinds but kept the actual blinds outside of the shot, the blinds would be serving as a gobo.

Of course you don’t need actual window blinds to take that shot and that is what a real gobo is.  Something you created or bought to place over a light source in order to make a certain effect part of your photograph.  If you didn’t have window blinds or even a window you could buy a gobo specifically created to project that effect or make your own.  And gobos come in all shapes and sizes.

To make your own gobo get a piece of cardboard.  (I found articles that suggest cereal boxes work nicely.) Cut it into the shape or pattern you want, then place it in front of your light source.  You may have to do it a couple of times in order to get the size of the shapes right.  Also, the strength of the lighting you use for the gobo may be different than what you want to use on your main subject.  In that case, take the picture twice:  once with the gobo pattern and once with the subject and merge the two in an image editing software such as Adobe Photoshop.

The use of gobos is called subtractive lighting and is often used in low-key photography – another technique for adding atmosphere to a photograph. In low-key photography you shoot an image with minimal light such that the subject is partially in deep shadow and only certain features are exposed in detail.  Common light modifiers used in low-key photography are soft boxes, snoots, dark backgrounds that absorb light, and flags.   Don’t overlook the potential though of keeping things simple when it comes to low-key photography.  Try using one dimmed light source and an interesting camera angle.

The above are good techniques creating mystery or mood to a shot of a still life or portrait but what if you like landscapes. Ever wanted to shoot the fog rolling in but there was too much sunshine? You can buy a lens filter specifically created to add “fog” to an image.  You can also smear petroleum jelly onto your lens, or add the fog effect afterwards using an image editing software that has that option.  I prefer the lens filter option myself.  It often looks more natural then adding the effect in post-production. And smearing your lens with gel to achieve the fog effect means cleaning the lens afterwards and very well.

List of equipment you may need for techniques mentioned

Gobos

Snoots

Fog filters