3 Tips for Moody Photos
Fall and winter are the perfect times to perfect your moody photography skills! Something about the way light falls, the shorter days, and cooler air… it just lends itself well to getting dark and moody!
With November’s #moodychallenge photo challenge in the Archipelago Collective being all about moody photography, we wanted to round up some tips for photographing and editing moody images!
Tip #1: Use directional lighting
Photograph your subject standing next to a window, lamp, flash, or other light source to emphasize the mood! Utilize chiaroscuro, which is the effect contrasted light and shadow creates when light falls unevenly or from a particular direction on a subject.
Directional light gives you deep, dark shadows that contribute to the mood of a scene and adds intensity to your photos.
Image by Michelini Photography
Edited with Legend & Lore
Tip: Play with your highlight and shadow sliders in Lightroom to dial in the perfect balance of light you want for the mood in your image. Try brightening highlights and darkening shadows for more contrast.
Image by Sarah Barton Photography
Edited with Legend & Lore
Image by Sharon Kastelijns
Edited with Quest 31 Mythos
Tip #2: Utilize a muted or limited color palette
As much as we photographers LOVE bright colors, for a moody vibe, try using a muted or limited color palette OR going black and white. Muted colors or black and white edits allow viewers to focus on the subject and their emotions, the story playing out in the image. These color palettes evoke a sense of melancholy and introspection and a somber and contemplative mood.
Image by Bernadeta Kupiec
Edited with Legend & Lore
Image by Katrina Cram
Edited with Quest 31 Mythos
Image by Lucilla Bellini
Edited with Legend & Lore
Tip #3: Obscure details
Obscured details elicit the feeling of the unknown, mystery, and drama. Allow the viewer to finish the story of your photo in their own mind by incorporating shadows, silhouettes, and atmosphere. These elements heighten the mood, and things like mist or fog add extra ethereal qualities to your photos!
Image by Aleksandra Kubik
Edited with Quest 31 Mythos
Image by Victor Floril
Edited with Quest 31 Mythos
Tip: If you don’t have mist or fog in your photos but you want to add those atmospheric weather conditions, use the Low Mist from Quest 31 Mythos or the Mist from Quest 20 Orphic to edit it in!
Image by Matt Pocknell
Edited with Legend & Lore and tools from Quest 31 Mythos
Learn more about moody editing with these tutorials from our YouTube!