Behind the picture: technical description (Feb. 21/14)

John Stanmeyer photo
The technical breakdown of this photograph helps illuminate why it won a major award.

Quiet, contemplative is how this World Press Photo of the Year feels to me. It's interesting Time Magazine noted how the picture contrasts with the volatile events that occurred in 2013. The photo almost seems removed from those events, as if Stanmeyer found another time in which to take his photograph. 

Of course the rich blue sky caused by the brilliant moon is what really makes this picture so great. It's a good reminder that photography is often about being in the right place at the right time to get that perfect shot. While it's difficult to know what the photographer was thinking when taking this photo, there are some facts available to help paint a picture of how the shot materialized.

First, the film speed for this photograph is set at 10,000, which is really fast. In this instance, the fast ISO is a good choice for two reasons. One: Stanmeyer's using a Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera, which has great ability to reduce noise when shooting at high speeds. Two: it was probably dark enough that any graininess was somewhat concealed.

Stanmeyer shot at a really slow shutter speed, which allows for as much light as possible into the shot. It's possible Stanmeyer even overexposed this shot to try and get the deep rich blues that are present in the sky portion of the photograph. And of course he used a 35 millimetre lens so he could open the aperture to a wide open 1.4, which provides the photograph great depth of view and gets all the moon's light into the frame. 

It's also worth noting the 35 mm lens is considered most similar to how we see, so the lens captures images in the same way we view the world. It also forces the photographer to get close to their subject and interact with the people or animals in their shot, which often helps to produce a better photograph.

The technical aspects of the photo are as follows:

Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Date-Time: Not given
Shutter Speed: 1/41 sec
Exposure: Manual
f-stop: 1.4
ISO: 10,000
Lens: 35 mm

What is photo gazetteer?

The story behind the photograph is just as important as the photograph itself. This is a blog that will look at the stories behind the photographs shaping our world, everything from the small and mundane, to the big and spectacular. Feel free to comment on photos and share your own.

This blog is managed by designer and journalism student John King