Same Subject. Different Day
Light is essential to any picture. Whether your picture is telling a story or presenting a portrait, implying motion or isolating a scene, light will be there and you will have to know how to use it in order to bring your pictures to life. Most photographers are not gifted, they just know how to make good use of light.
This article will provide you with some photography lighting ideas, teaching you how to take good photos by making smart use of the light. Now, if you’re an experienced photographer, you probably know that the best light is not at midday, but rather occurs at unusual moments like in the early morning or late afternoon, before a thunderstorm or on a foggy day. You also know that same subject tells another story in a different season. Light changes during the day but also during the year. Spring and autumn are known for the clarity of the light, in which nature appears in delicate hues while winter is monochromatic, allowing you to shoot single subjects or to use high contrasts.
Frontlight
Frontlight photo
Frontlighting is similar to what the sun does on a sunny day: he evenly illuminates the subjects. Frontlight is the easiest type of photography lighting that usually doesn’t pose many exposure challenges. However, the color and quality of the frontlight is important for a good picture and this is why you should keep in mind that the hour right after the sunrise, as well as the last hours of daylight, is the best moment for using the frontlight.
The overcast frontlight is even safer for photographers and describes the illuminating condition in which the subjects are evenly illuminated and the meter reading is easy. The overcast frontlight ensures natural colors and eliminates the contrast problems that a sunny day usually creates. Soft, cloudy days, with low sun, generally offer overcast frontlight.
Sidelight
Sidelight photo
Sidelight is the necessary ingredient for creating the illusion of three-dimensionality in pictures. At the beginning and at the end of the day you can enjoy the sidelight. You can also reduce the exposure when shooting because a sidelit, underexposed scene has a wonderful, three-dimensional effect. The subjects have depth and form. However, sidelighting is very challenging and if you’re not a professional photographer, the right combination between light and shadow might be difficult to determine. But, if you manage to create a sidelit scene, your photo will be greatly appreciated.
Backlight
Backlight photo
Backlighting means that the light is behind the subject, illuminating the back of the subject and the front of the photographer. Backlighting is a great source of either wonderful photos or bitter disappointments. One popular effect that can be accomplished through backlighting is silhouetting. Backligthing is very much enjoyed by experienced landscape shooters. You need to know how to adjust your exposure in order to take good photos of a backlit scene.
What is Exposure?
High Exposure. Low Exposure
The exposure is the amount of light that hits the image-sensor array. The greater the exposure, the brighter the picture. If you have a digital camera, the automatic exposure settings will make all the adjustments for you. You should know that there are four elements connected to exposure: light, aperture, shutter speed, and film sensitivity. Light is the most important and each photograph should learn the difference between good light and bad light. The aperture is the element that controls how much light is allowed into the lens. The aperture can be adjusted to control the intensity of the available light. The aperture works together with the shutter speed to produce correct exposures. The shutter is the device that opens to allow the light entering the lens. The shutter speed is the length of time needed by the light to enter the lens. Another element connected to the concept of photography lighting and to exposure is the film sensitivity (ISO). The sensitivity of the film to light is described by numbers sch as 100, 200, 400 and much more at the newest digital cameras. Different speeds are used by experienced photographers in order to create particular effects.
Photo by courtesy of MiikaS.
