Simple Lighting for Photographers

We all know that lighting plays a major role in how we photograph a scene or a subject. It is funny to think of things like the sunny 16 rule as a guide to exposure when you factor that we generally prefer to shoot either early morning or late evening. We always hear about the golden hour but the reference to an hour is not set in stone. The golden hour is a reference to the available light between the time that the sun hits the last 6 degrees and the horizon in the evening and the horizon to 6 degrees in the morning. In summer months that "hour" can stretch for far longer than 1 hour while in the winter it can be cut by nearly half. This is not an exact science either so do not put your cameras away just because the sun hit the horizon. Early morning twilight is a beautiful light to be shooting in. The sun reflecting off of the upper atmosphere onto the lower atmosphere produces some light that is perfect for dragging your exposure.

Portrait taken during harsh afternoon light

So you might ask why shoot at the golden hour? Well that answer is simple, soft, warm light. Now before I go any further I want to clarify that I realize that the earth orbits the sun but for the sake of this article, I will reference the sun as the object in motion. If you have ever taken a picture at noon on a bright sunny day you know the light is harsh and any shadow is also very harsh. It gives a sort of bland look to the shot. As the sun gets lower in the sky, the light begins to scatter through the atmosphere defusing it. Anything in the atmosphere can have a direct effect on the color of light as well. For example, here in Florida, if you look away from a sunset and seen a purple hue to the eastward sky I have been told that it is a reflection on dust particles from the Sahara desert and that it happens about once a year for a couple weeks or so.

Lighting with a 1/2 Gold reflector

I have always enjoyed shooting on overcast days. The clouds acting as natural diffusers and allow me to photograph as long as the clouds hang over the sky. There is a negative to this though. Landscapes tend to be unimpressive when the sky is overcast so it is better to have direct subjects to photograph that use little to no sky. One the other hand, if the clouds have any type of texture, including the sky in a composite or an HDR works out nice sometimes. Simply expose for the sky and to add some drama, drop your EV by -1 stop. This will allow the camera to capture the texture and add some flavor. After that, simply shoot another shot or 2 increasing EV by 1or 2 with each shot depending on how much drama you wish to add in post processing. If I am using the bracket function on my camera I will generally bracket at 2 stops each.

Portrait light

If you shoot natural light all of the time then you know how much light can make or break you. It is often the difference between a good, great or horrible shot. Now, if you use flash or other types of light in conjunction to natural light, it is like opening up a new world. Using light modifiers either in reflective form or by adding light can change how you photograph really. You now effectively have 2 exposures to handle at once, your ambient light, and your fill light or flash. I will not get into details here as it would take a lot more time than I have with this blog to explain the how but with fill lighting you can make the light stand up and do tricks that would not be possible other wise. You can use flash to add light details to a subject or completely overpower the ambient light to show off the subject. I am used to using reflective and shoot through umbrellas and off camera flash as well as reflectors in ambient lighting situations, but it has been just recently that I have been exploring the true ability if the flash. I will not profess to know everything about flash but having dived into it, I will say that I have been missing a lot of opportunity, specially in my portrait work.

Creative Lighting using a softbox

Now if you follow The Photographers Challenge you know that this weeks challenge is on Creative Lighting. Get out and see what you can do with the light and what the light can do for you.

Lighting for effect

Lighted with a Softbox