Look For Light

 

Part of making a good photograph is having an open mind. You have to throw away convention. You have to teach yourself how to think "outside of the box" (an overused phrase). You have to look for things that a casual observer might miss, and try to bring attention to it. 

Lighting, for example, is something we completely take for granted. And yet, light is probably the most important element in a good photograph (composition is a very close second). A casual walk through a heavily wooded park wouldn't necessarily inspire you to take a photo, but if you pay very close attention to the light….the way the sun is peaking through the tree branches late in the day or the shade under a canopy…all of these things can do amazing things with light. It bounces, reflects, accentuates, and de-emphasizes.    

Have your camera ready! You never know what you might capture if you take the time to look.

Natural light

Natural lighting is the best, but only at certain times and in certain places. Most photographers do their outdoor shoots early evening, maybe an hour or so before sunset because the sun is low enough that it won't be too harsh on your subject or look too bright.  Cloudy days can sometimes work because the sunlight is diffused, but I prefer the light to be more directional. If you shoot late enough (or early enough) in the day, that's what you'll get.

Another thing to watch for is catchlight in the eyes. Try to face your subject toward a fairly bright area. The result is a reflection in the eyes that will make the eyes stand out more than if there were no catchlight at all.

If you absolutely must shoot when the sun is high in the sky, try to find an area with some shade.

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Natural Light

This is from last summer.

I noticed right around 7PM our family room was getting some good light from the setting sun. I set up a black background, had my daughter put on a black top and sat her with the windows to her right. I also shot at a really wide angle (18mm) and at f3.5 which is as fast as that lens can go. ISO 200, 1/60 sec. No flash.

I really liked the lighting I was able to get and I found that natural light is a lot easier to work with than artificial light when you're converting an image to black and white.