Be it a Portrait, Landscape, Wedding or Table-Top assignment, light is an essential element for all kinds of photography. One cannot make a photograph without light. To be literal, a photograph is just a capture of light available in front of the camera. Earlier, we used films to record the light’s information. Later, the advanced technologies have led us into the digital world of photography. Light being the vital element in photography, solar light is a marvelous gift for photographers. This article describes the essence and beauty of natural light that could be relished along with photography.
Landscapes & natural light
More than others, Landscape photographers will enjoy the beauty of natural light. Unlike other photographers who can start shooting pictures right away, Landscape photographers need to wait for the correct lighting situation, after reaching the locations. Once they appear, these photographers have to act fast because the flow of light changes its direction with time. In general, the landscape photographers will hardly have 10 to 15 minutes to make their picture with the phenomenal natural light. That’s why most of the landscape photographers will arrive at their locations much earlier; they would make their composition first with the camera and then wait for the sunlight to peep into their subject.
Lights, camera and photography
A photographer learns to use the natural light throughout his life. In fact, working on different lighting situations keeps the photographers excited. The color, tone, intensity, quality, and direction of light determine the appearance of the subject. Professional photographers can capture portrait, landscape, product, wedding or any other genre of photographs with the natural light. The professionals know to utilize the available light brilliantly to suit their requirements. Positioning the subject directly towards the sunlight will result in a harsh photograph; or positioning the subject against the sunlight will result in a silhouette. However, both these situations are genres of photography themselves.
Essence of shadows
Shadows are equally important as lights. To mention, a photograph is a 2D representation of a 3D environment. Still, the photographs possess three dimensions because of the presence of shadows. In fact, the shadows are largely responsible for creating the impression of depths in a photograph. You may see the shadows long, when the sun is at the horizon and short, when the sun is straight overhead. Indeed, that’s the beauty of shadows.
Golden hours
You might have heard photographers speaking something about golden hours. When the sun is on the horizon just after the sunrise and before the sunset, it casts a charming warm light. Photographers refer these moments as golden hours because of the beautiful tone they produce during these times. On the other hours, the light becomes very bright and creates a harsh ambiance on the subject. The angle of inclination of the sun rays is very important to bring the required details on the subject. That’s why photographers use diffusers and black cutters to modify the available light on the subject, in case of portrait photography. For landscapes, they can’t modify the available light as the subject’s area is comparatively large.
Natural light being a free source of creative element in photography, advancement in digital technologies allow us to create beautiful pictures and cherish memories that could last throughout our lifetime.
Alia Haley is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on technology and autos. Beside this she is fond of cars and cameras. Recently an article on Samsung Galaxy Tab accessories attracted her attention. These days she is busy in writing an article on Smart cars.