Author-Jason Row
Jason Row is a British born travel photographer now living in Ukraine. You can follow him on The Odessa Files. He also maintains a blog chronicling his exploits as an Expat in the former Soviet Union.

Moody photographs, we all love them, but how can we take them ourselves? I guess first we need to know what mood means, it’s a pretty abstract concept after all. The dictionary defines it as “Inducing or suggestive of a particular feeling or state of mind” which would suggest that a moody photo is one that creates a feeling in the viewer.

This can be easier said than done. So what do we need to do to add a feeling of mood to our images?

Thinking About Lighting

Well the best place to start is in the camera with the original shot. The most powerful creator of mood we, as photographers have, is light. By using light that is very different from the average, we can create emotion in our images, a sense of place or time. The beginning and end of the day are a great time for this, called the golden hours, the time just before and after sunrise and sunset often provide us with golden, evocative light that can elevate even the most mundane of subjects. The best “golden hour” shots include dramatic skies, where the mixtures of reds and yellows reflecting from the cloud bases can create stunning images. Look to create silhouettes against the sunrise or sunset, you can use this either to block the sun or to balance the shot.


































































A Golden Hour Silhouette, perfect for setting a mood. Photo by The Odessa Files

Just after the second golden hour comes another wonderful time for creating moody images, the “Blue Hour”. This is when the sun has dipped below the horizon and the reds of the sunset have turned to a pre-night dark blue. This is the time for artificial light shots, buildings, streets, traffic, anything that produces artificial light.

You will need to work fast, the inky blueness of the sky does not last long, and getting the right exposure can be challenging. Even more challenging is getting the right color balance, in this situation, RAW is your friend as it allows you to set the color balance in the post production. Using a long exposure during in the Blue Hour will allow you to get those atmospheric car light trails across your image, adding depth and color.


The Moody Blues. Shooting in the Blue Hour. Photo by The Odessa Files


Car light trails in front of the Brandenburg Gate. Photo by The Odessa Files

Using the Environment as a Mood Modifier

Another great mood enhancer for your photos is stormy weather. This can range from the aftermath of a rainstorm where reflections of the wet surfaces can make for wonderfully evocative shots, to full on storms, with big dark clouds. These conditions are ideal for sweeping landscapes, particularly if glimpses of sunlight emerge from the storm clouds. A useful technique here is to slightly under expose, darkening the cloud and sky and punching the shafts of light out.


Stormy weather and silhouettes, a great combination. Photo by The Odessa Files

One fantastic but difficult to master technique for moody shots is to shoot by moonlight. For this you will need a cloudless night and a full or near full moon and a good steady tripod. Landscapes are the best option for moonlit shots. Look for scenes that do not contain artificial light – even better are scenes that contain water. Focusing will not be easy. It may be worth bracketing your focus points. One essential will be a good steady tripod and perhaps a remote release to reduce shake during the inevitable long exposures. This is another area where shooting RAW is going to be a major advantage, allowing you to further enhance the mood by using color balance in the post production.

Don’t Forget Basic Camera Skills

Lastly for today, is depth of field. A shallow depth of field is a great way of adding mood and emotion to your images. By using a shallow focus you can draw your viewers eye to or even away from the subject. A blurred background can be highly suggestive, planting an idea or emotion in a person’s mind, whilst in portraiture, sharply focused eyes can draw you into the subjects personality.


Using Depth of Field to convey emotion. Photo by The Odessa Files

As we said at the top, mood is a highly subjective and sometimes difficult thing to a achieve. The above are just a few of many ways to create atmosphere and emotion in your images but the simplest rule of thumb is if the scene in front of you stirs your emotions, then there is a good chance you are on your way to a moody photograph.

“A long journey” captured by purushotham (click image to see more from purushotham)

1. Expensive gear is NOT a requirement. Start your photography journey with the equipment you can afford and don’t be tempted to spend huge money! The range of point and shoot cameras now available at very reasonable prices are really all you need to start. If you find that you want to go further with photography – then buy equipment as you can afford to advance.

2. Stand firm. Tripods, or monopods are a valuable and often underused accessory, regardless of the type of camera you have. They help you to stay still to take a photograph in tricky light and slow shutter speeds. They can mean the difference between a great day shooting and a mediocre one!

If you do suffer with a shake then definitely try using one. There are other ways to keep a camera still – try a small “bean bag” and rest the camera on it. Hold the camera against a steady door frame or handy pole – assuming there’s one about! With a bit of ingenuity you can usually find something to help keep a steady camera.

3. Keep your camera with you all the time. I’m always saying this (I may not obey my own “rules” sometimes and usually regret it!), picture opportunities are everywhere if you learn to see them. IF you don’t have a camera with you, make a mental note (or a written one is better!) and return to the scene in the hope that the picture is “still there”…

4. Make shooting lists. There are MANY opportunities for pictures. Ok – I’ve said that before, but it’s also a great thing to make a list of shots you would like to get at some time. Maybe make a To Do list of different types of picture you have seen and would like to try to replicate. Better still take your own slant on a topic and set a goal to make the shot.

5. Don’t overlook “the ordinary” for photography. Some of my good pictures have been taken in my garden or very locally to me. Keep your eyes open for odd shapes in things you usually pass by. There is a wealth of material in your own home and garden areas! This is where learning to SEE the pictures is “required”! A different light, a strange shadow….Simple CAN be excellent!

6. Learning is fun. The topic of photography is massive! Inspiration and opportunity is everywhere and it just requires this “Taking Time to See” and you will be surprised what you could discover. Take time to learn the ins and outs of photography as far as you want to go. READ THE INSTRUCTION BOOK to all your gear. You might be surprised how much easier it is to use the equipment once that’s done!

Photo captured by William J. Johnston (Click Image to See More From William J. Johnston)

One basic tip – Just get out there and use the camera!

7. Learn Free! There is so much free information, free software and tools out there on the net. Use them – you do NOT need to spend money to start, apart from the camera and other hardware. You will need a computer but most people / families have them now. Just add free tools and go for it.

8. Test various camera settings. Just read the instruction book and learn what the dials and buttons do. It helps! Many of the point and shoot cameras are pretty sophisticated – much more so than when we started back in the 70s and 80s!! (Oh dear I can hear the violins and mewling starting now! It’s such a shame!) Point and shoot was just that! No (or very few) settings and you got what results you could. Trouble is you also had to pay for the mistakes to be printed! Digital allows a lot more freedom. Play and experiment!

9. Learn the basic rules. Learn what makes a great picture! What the camera sees and records in a picture is really quite different to what we see with our eyes! A few tips from experienced photographers can mean a lot to help your photographic experiences. Online there are innumerable forums and websites that give a wealth of free information. Look for articles on composition and technique; take note of what the “rules” of photography are as suggested by other photographers in the business. Then you can go and break the rules to make your own stamp on your photography….

“It’s Christmas in Kansas City” captured by Deb Buchanan (Click Image to See More From Deb Buchanan)

10. Use the camera. A picture a day. Try it and see how you get on. Make a list of weekly assignments that you set yourself. There are many forums that have Weekly Assignment topics. Try them and keep pushing yourself to do more. Practice, practice works wonders! Keep that camera WITH you!

About the Author:
My name is Mike Finding and I am a very keen and active photographer (http://photographytipsandhints.com/). I have been using a camera for 40+ years and have learnt so much from the earlier days of darkroom processing and I now love the digital format. My website provides some great information to anyone who would like to take advantage of it at.

What is it that creates the interest in a person to become a photographer?