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In the best light, naturally



Light is as fundamental to photography as an understanding of aperture and shutter speed. Great lighting is a big factor in creating a great photograph. A photograph of any subject can be improved or worsened by a change in the light in which it is photographed.

“It takes light make an exposure, but the shadows create the dimension. Approach each scene by reading the light source first; explore the space, shift, and watch. If you slow down enough to move through these motions, you’ll begin to see light in a whole new way. Shoot toward or into the light to create breadth and mood. When possible, use color to convey the emotion of the scene or to push your subject forward or backward; cool colors fall back and warm colors jump forward.

Simply because you’re shooting uncontrolled action in natural light does not mean you relinquish the power to move yourself into a better light direction. If a window lights your subject straight on with flat light, move yourself until the light is short or rimming your subject’s face.” A Photojournalists Field Guide, In the Trenches with Stacy Pearsall

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In my opinion, available light isn’t just the sun. It is the light that’s made available to you – it’s natural and artificial. Available light is what exists in the environment your photographing, or exists among the equipment you bring with you. For example, I was documenting a late-night operation and the only ambient light around was that of computer monitors, flashlights and headlights.

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For example, I was documenting a late-night operation and the only ambient light around was that of computer monitors, flashlights and headlights.

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The light source was small, but powerful enough to light my subject’s face, but not beyond. The further the light traveled from its source, the more it “fell off”. That’s why everything around my subject is dark. The light lacked the intensity to travel further, or illuminate, beyond my subject. All light has direction and intensity, which can be modified artificially or naturally. There are special tools, such as reflectors that aid in this.

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However, in some cases, natural light may be abundant and strong enough to bounce around the room and reflect naturally. When this happens, you may take advantage of naturally occurring fill light. Again, the further light travels, the less intense it is. Therefore the exposure difference from the direct light source and the reflective light may vary depending upon the circumstances. Also, some surfaces are more reflective than others. The example image boasts a cream-colored wall. Naturally, brighter colors bounce more light, whereas darker colors absorb it. Light will also pick up the color from which it is reflecting. Therefore, if you have a pink wall, the light reflecting from it will have a hint of pink, and if the wall is turquoise, the light will have a hint of turquoise. This is not a color balance issue with your camera – it’s what happens naturally. Just embrace the beauty of it and try to incorporate it creatively.

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When observing sunlight at noon on a non-cloudy day, you’ll notice highly directional, highly contrasting light. Deep shadows fall over the subject and sometimes-unpleasant highlights glare upon faces too. When shooting controlled subject matter such as portraits, I’ll usually just whip out a diffuser. Apparatuses like these disperse light rays in all directions making the light quality softer and the light contrast much less.

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However, as a photojournalist, these tools aren’t something I carried with me to the battlefield. Instead, I had to observe time-of-day for the best possible light. Even then, I wasn’t afforded the luxury of picking the time when news happened. I had to make due with each scenario. If I had no choice but to shoot in full sun conditions, I would try and find large sources of diffusion, such as shade trees. You see the larger the source of diffusion, the more soft your light quality will appear. When lucky, a nice large sand storm or bank of clouds roll over, or both at the same time.

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There’ll be some cases in which you’ve got to contend with a number of light sources of different intensities, directions and color temperatures. It’s really up to you as the photographer to choose how you’ll approach the challenge. As I originally stated, I’ll sit back and observe the light. I take note of each lights direction, and then I’ll move about the room noting how the light changes on my subject as I change position. From there, I’ll establish which light source will be my main and settle on a point-of-view to shoot from. In the example image below, you can see there are three light sources – left, middle, right. The top-left is a bare fluorescent bulb hanging from the ceiling. It’s illuminating the face of my middle subject providing a dramatic split-light effect. The middle light is shooting directly to camera and falling upon the left-hand subject’s face shortly and the right-hand subject’s face at a rim. Lastly, there’s the window light coming in from viewer’s right. It’s the least intense – only providing a slight fill illumination on the right-hand side of the frame. So, which is the main light source?

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