Photography means “drawing with light.” Without light, there would be no photographs. We are going to talk about good quality light.
Traditionally, the best time to take landscape photos is either at sunrise, or sunset. It is difficult to see the shape of the landscape when the sun is directly overhead. Our eyes rely on shadows to recognize shapes. Also the sky at this time creates a more interesting photo.
Portrait photographers also like to take photos during the “golden hour.” (an hour after sunrise, or an hour before sunset.) The light is softer & more flattering. If a photo is taken at noon in full sun you will get unattractive shadows on your subject. Using full shade to take portraits is a good option if the sun is out & overhead. Overcast days are perfect for lots of types of photography.
If doing still life photography using artificial light, try getting the light coming in from the side to create interesting shadows. Olive Cotton's "teacup ballet" is a great example of this.
Check out this link for lots more info on light.
ASSIGNMENT – Go out & take photos in good quality light. Recap/tips:
- shoot in the hour before, and two hours after, sunrise, and the two hours before, and the hour after, sunset- shoot on partially cloudy days
- on completely overcast days, shoot up-close subjects; you won’t cast a shadow, and the colors will be nicely saturated, so if you get the right exposure, the colors will really come out
- find shaded areas to take pictures of, like the shaded side of a building; be careful, though: if any unshaded areas get in your frame, they’ll be completely washed out (over exposed)
- if it’s really sunny, I’ve heard that some people will put an umbrella over their subjects (e.g. flowers)
**You don’t have to do this, but a good experiment is to take a photo of the same scene just before sunrise, at mid-day, and just after sunset. Compare the photos & see how the light creates a different look. See which one you like best.**
