Lighting is everything! sun on water - Oregon 2008 ::: The best way to take advantage of natural light is to shoot outdoors or inside by a big window (preferably north facing windows for the softest light). First I will talk about outdoor lighting. All outdoor lighting situations are not created equal. Great photographers love the "golden hours" (sometimes called magic hours) which are the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset. This is when true magic happens and no piece of equipment can ever imitate Mother Nature in this regard. These are not only the times when sunsets and sunrises are captured, but also when the sun casts it's most flattering soft glow. When the sun is not directly overhead of your subject and it can make for some beautiful effects and shadowing. ornamental peppers in August of 2007 In full daylight images are washed out with too much light and harsh shadows are cast on subjects. And it is just plain difficult to get a genuine smile from someone who has the sun in their eyes. a bright sunny day in February 2006 ::: A cloudy day can be a photographer's best friend because the clouds act as a natural filter to reduce glare so you can shoot all day when it's overcast. at the zoo in 2005 ::: So how about indoor photos? It's great if you have lots of big windows to let in natural light but a lot of people aren't that lucky. And then there are rooms without windows and what happens when the sun sets at night? There are plenty of times when you will want or need to take a picture without the benefit of any natural light at all. I try to avoid using a flash at all. I don't like the way flash pictures look, the lighting is always wrong and the subject never looks quite right. cupcakes in a dark room. Most of the time I wouldn't have even bothered to take a picture with those lighting conditions but these were the cupcakes for my twin nieces' 1st birthday so it was more about capturing the memory the best I could under the circumstances. ::: How is it possible to not use a flash you ask? You really don't need one most of the time, even indoors. Most of the time there is enough lighting already in the room. wishing for more pets at the pet store. There were plenty of fluorescent lights in the store so no need for a flash. ::: Sometimes night pictures look better without added light. And some pictures are just more dramatic without a flash. Jellyfish reflection in a dark room at the Oregon Aquarium in Newport. A flash would have ruined this picture and probably would have made the jellyfish angry. (or at least the aquarium workers would have been) ::: Ok, so now you know I'm anti-flash. There are times when a flash is useful though, especially in the bright daylight. Seem strange? This technique is known as "flash fill" and it helps fill in the dark areas of a bright photo. ::: If you are a professional level photographer you are probably about ready to send me an email telling me about all the great lighting equipment and external flashes available. I'm totally with you! They are all on my wish list to buy someday. Right now they are not in the budget so I use what I have and get along just fine. My nightlife is boring enough that I usually don't take a lot of pictures in the dark anyway. LOL! But never fear because I'm going to link like crazy to all the good resources I can find relating to lighting and photography. I've been collecting links for a long time now because lighting truly is my favorite topic when it comes to learning about becoming a better photographer. And there are some other tricks to low light photography that involve settings on your camera - even automatic setting for low light. Be sure to use a tripod when using those settings because they will blur very easily. ::: Here are some links worth a click and save: Strobist - an entire blog devoted to using lighting techniques to take your photos to the next level. Plan on spending a lot of time here! RitzPix - Digital Photography lighting Digital Cameras Help - Techniques of natural light photography Your Photo Tips - Why photographers love magic hour Webshots -Pro Tips: Sunrises and Sunsets Picture Correct - Cloudy day photography Ezine Articles - Great nature photography on a cloudy day Digital Photography School - Twilight Photography Digital Photography School - Use light to create texture in your photos Digital Photography School - Low light digital photography Digital Photography School - Bright ideas for shooting in midday sun Digital Photography School - DIY Flash and Lighting Hacks Scott Kelby Photoshop Insider - Lighting Gear Week (when you are ready to go pro) also see Day 2 post, Day 3 post, Day 4 post, Day 5 post, and the Q&A post. - great series! and finally, if you want to see some amazing lighting and how it is set up, be sure to check out nickwheeleroz's photo stream on flickr. You will be blown away! ::: Related posts : Part 2 – hold still or shake it up Part 3 – lighting is everything
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June 13, 2008
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