How to Photograph with Natural Light

BECOME AN OBSERVER OF LIGHT ....Photographs are really painting with light (which can include movement). There is always enough light but sometimes not enough time!

When working with natural light it is important to understand and be familiar with the 4 main principles - Direction, Size of the Light Source, Intensity and Colour as these factors will heavily influence your photograph and composition.

Natural light can be ....

DIRECT - Sunlight, Sunshine, Daylight and can light the subject from the

Front, Back, Side, Overhead or be Dappled/Spot

INDIRECT - diffused, ambient, reflected, soft, overcast, cloudy or available

OTHER - Fire, lightening, lava, bioluminescence

Knowing when the Sunrise/Sunset times are can be very useful when shooting outdoors as the best light is often before and after these times (Blue Zone and Golden Hour). Sometimes you don't have a lot of choice, for example if you are travelling and only in a place for a short time. You can take photographs at any time of day but you need to work around the 4 principles (Direction, Size of the Light Source, Intensity and Colour) to try to get the most flattering light you can. A Neutral Density or Polarising filter can also be useful to help control the natural light if long exposures, glare reduction and greater colour saturation are desired - but there is knowledge behind these you need to use them effectively.

Having your subject front lit, can be very flat and sometimes very harsh, so it's not always the best choice. Side lighting can be quite dramatic or soft and textured depending on the size and intensity of the light source. Backlighting can be very flattering, especially rim lit edges on the subject or through transparency (such as hair or clothing), but you need to expose for the subject specifically or they will be too dark. You can also use diffusers and reflectors to help bounce light back into the subject (these can be actual equipment or simply from surrounds such as a light coloured wall or floor). When you have to shoot in harsh light with lots of dappled shadows try moving your subject into a shaded area to see the effect. Have them facing their shadow will help. Sometimes if there is a huge dynamic range to cover you may need to consider HDR or Composite shots that can be later merged in the processing and editing stages.

I love working with natural light and I think it brings a uniqueness to images that only Mother Nature can supply.

Soft side window light diffused through a sheer curtain

Happy Shooting!!!!

#naturallight #howto #guide