NATURAL LIGHT

Photography is a visual communication. A good photograph should tell a story, evoke emotion and engage the viewer. The purpose of a photograph is to communicate visually.

Communicating Visually

Light is one element to which we must pay particular attention so as to communicate visually effectively. Light and composition are the most important elements of photography. After all the meaning of the word “Photograph” comes from the Greek; photo = light and graph = to draw. So photograph = to draw with light.

Start by observing light in everyday life. Notice how rays of light illuminate everything when you walk down a familiar street. Look at how sunlight pours into a room. Then do it all again at a different time and in different weather.

Look at how light illuminates a subject.

Be obsessed with natural light. Learn how to read light. Look at other photographer’s photos and ask: ‘What does it convey?’, ‘What time of the day is it?’, ‘What direction is it coming from?’, ‘Could it have been shot in a different light?

You don’t need fancy gear just an understanding of how natural light works and how to use it as a tool. You needn’t be far from home to apply your knowledge of light.

The Role of Natural Light

Light is necessary for communication to take place. It doesn’t just light the scene but the way it hits the scene can tell a story or create mood, atmosphere and emotion. It can make the image dynamic and dramatic. The interplay of light and dark tones can sculpture a shape and give it volume and depth. Light can lead our eye to what is important but the most important role is to create mood and atmosphere in other words evoke emotion.

The Power of Natural Light

Natural Light is always changing and so there are many different types of light, Heavy cloud produces a neutral light which gives a melancholic mood where as a clear day at sunset gives a vibrant light which creates an exciting happy mood. This is an example where different light can give the same story but a different mood.

Use Light as a Tool

There is no ‘good’ and ‘bad’ light. Many photographers maintain that early and late hours are best times to shoot but we can learn to use any light situations to our advantage. It is well known that sunset and sunrise is the ‘Magic Hour’ or the ‘Golden Hour’ when the light makes beautiful photos but it can limit the types of photos you take. 

To convey drama, mystique, hardship or sadness you need different types of light. However, we can’t pull out a paint box. We don’t have control over natural light. We need to adapt to what we have been given. Use the ‘Golden Hour’ for beautiful shots and overcast, stormy skies for telling of hardship or struggle.

Characteristics of Light

Quantity or intensity: We have to adjust the camera to the amount of light available just like our eyes do when we enter a dark room or a bright place.

Dark = let in more light =bigger aperture(lower number), slower speed, bigger ISO number.

Bright=let in less light=smaller aperture (bigger number), faster speed, lower ISO number.

Quality of Light: 

Soft Light is non-directional and comes from diffused source like through clouds, in the shade, or inside with light from a window or door.

Hard Light is harsh, directional and casts strong shadows and bright highlights. Midday sun on faces gives dark shadows under eyes and on the neck.

Colour Temperature:

A photo may have a colour cast, either cool or warm. Light isn’t crystal clear it actually has a colour which varies under certain conditions. Deep shade has a cool blue tint, Golden sunlight has a warm gold tint. Colour temperature has a profound impact on photography. Colour is a visual story telling element. Colour can effect the way we feel. from the colour of food and packaging in the supermarket to looking at a photo. It is important for us as photographers to create emotion.

Blue cast.

Sometimes colour cast can spoil a photo like when peoples faces look yellow or orange.. You need to adjust the white balance on your camera or in post processing where you can also adjust colour.

Direction: 

The direction of light changes constantly obviously from the rotation of the earth. This means when taking a building or landscape the time of day will change the scene. If you don’t like it ay first go back at a different time.

Light’s direction also changes because of where your subject is positioned in relation to the light source. Whether it is inside from a window or outside from the sun.

Position the subject between the light source and yourself creates a silhouette.

This can be done outside too when the sun is close to the horizon it creates a semi silhouette with light outlines.

Light outlines the people

Light coming through a window at 45° to the subject creates a progression of light to dark tones referred to as sculpturing the subject.

Sculpturing the subject.

Multiple light sources also creates interesting shots too. Light from more than one window or opening.

Types of Light

Twilight (The time after the sun has set or before the sun has risen)

This light can produce beautiful and mystical shots. It creates a soft image without shadows. The presence of clouds can result in spectacular colours. Pink, red, orange, yellow and purple.

Twilight also has a tinting effect on colours and the image. The light is directional, it can bounce off clouds and it is stronger where the sun has just disappeared or is about to rise. However, this light lacks power and can cause blur.

Camera shake can cause blur when the shutter speed slows down to let in more light. Try to use a wide aperture f2.8 or more, the highest ISO before it becomes grainy and the fastest shutter speed possible before the exposure is too dark. Use a wide angle lens, less zoom means less camera shake. Stabilize yourself, hold your breath, use continuous shots one should be good. Doing this you should be able to go as slow as ¼ sec without blur but if not use a tripod.

Movement of the subject can cause blur in low light. Slow movement blurs at ¼ second and faster movement blurs at 1/25 second. Try using motion blur as creative tool.

Tones can disappear in twilight. Try to let as much light in as possible with a wide aperture and slow speed. If the subject is still use a tripod with a slow speed. Otherwise use the lack of colours to your advantage and make the focal point a silhouette.

The contrast becomes harsh in failing light. To fix this use post processing programs such as Photo Shop, Lightroom , Aperture etc. Use HDR with still subjects.

Tell a Story with Twilight Light. The moods associated with twilight are mystical, romantic, calmness, tranquility and excitement if the clouds are coloured.  Nature scenes and people finishing or starting their day are good subjects for this time. Its not the best for cheerful happy scenes.

The Golden Hour (The hour before the sun sets or after the sun rises)

This light has beautiful tints of deep orange to yellow. It makes colours more vivid and gives a deep blue sky when you put your back to the sun.

The light can be directed in many ways making silhouettes, semi-silhouettes, a progression from light to dark tones, you can sculpture with light and give images depth and drama. It is a fairly soft light but creates long shadows. This light is very versatile for a variety of shots.

Be aware that shadows can get in the way, including your own. Move if necessary or use them to create a sense of drama.

This light can cause high contrasts. When the sun is near the frame, detail can be lost. Reposition yourself so that the sun comes from the side. Expose for the part getting lost. Use Post processing and HDR.

At this time light changes fast you have little time to shoot so be prepared and plan beforehand. When the sun is low it is good for silhouettes. When the sun is higher use progression of light to dark tones. Learn what to expect and be ready to react.

Tell a Story with Golden Hour Light. This light is very flexible and allows you to communicate in many ways. It accentuates beauty, uplifts mood and it is dramatic. It can be literal when light illuminates the subject or it can be symbolic with silhouettes.

Diffused Light (Light diffused by clouds)

On an overcast day the light is soft and evenly distributed with no shadows. It is good for soft skin tones. It is less exciting but also less challenging. It can be a weak light that will darken subjects or wash out colour.

To avoid flat and boring images shoot in RAW and use post processing to add impact. Contrast can cause exposure problems. When the sky is white it is easy to over expose. Expose for the darker subject and shoot in RAW and use post processing to adjust the sky.

Tell a Story with Diffused Light from Clouds. This light evokes a serious, melancholic, somber mood but you need supporting details for this type of light to have impact. E.g. cloudy, stormy skies, struggle or hardship.

Diffused Light (Light diffused by shade or by being indoors)

When outdoors in the shade of a forest or a mountain shadows are non existent.

When indoors with a narrow light source, shadows can be dramatic. You can sculpture by using light and dark tones.

In darker closed spaces when light is directed onto the subject the colours can appear more vivid because it is surrounded by darkness.

The light is not intense and you can get camera shake and blurred movement. Like in twilight use high ISO, fast shutter speed and wide aperture or a tripod. Indoors get the subject closer to the light source. Embrace the blur and make it part of the image.

Indoors there might be mixed light sources like a light bulb, and a fireplace. If so it is best to turn off the light and get the subject closer to the natural light.

Diffused light produces high contrasts. The subjects near the light are too light those away from the light are too dark. When using light from a window, a gap in the canopy or a hole there will be a complete loss of detail in either the light or the dark parts of the photo.  You can move yourself or the subject. You can accept over exposure of troubled areas. You can use post processing and HDR

Reasons for Using Post Processing by Mitchell Kanashkevich.

“Our eyes are capable of perceiving incredible degrees of tones, colors and details. Strong contrasts between light and dark parts of a scene are no hindrance to our visual perception, which performs effortlessly in all but the most extreme situations.

Today’s digital cameras cannot do the tasks our eyesight can, no matter how expensive or advanced they are. In many situations, to even get close to communicating through our photographs what our eyes perceived so easily in life, digital camera users must turn to post-processing (digital manipulation) software. For this simple reason post-processing has come to be considered a vital part of photography for anyone working with the digital medium.

The basic reason for post-processing as it relates to light is to compensate for the camera’s shortcomings in capturing the light’s impact on the subject we frame within the viewfinder. The general description to cover for what we do is to expand the dynamic range of tones and colors beyond what the camera’s capabilities are.”

Tell a Story with Diffused Light from Shade or Indoors. This light outdoors creates a neutral, soft mood so the story needs to be told by subject matter rather than light. Action or details are important to the story. Indoors this light can be directed and create dramatic, dynamic or even mysterious shots. It can give a sense of volume, texture, colour and details to make the subject more interesting. Multiple light sources can open up more possibilities highlighting the face and backlight on hair.

Harsh Daylight (bright sunny days)

In general photographers don’t like it. However, it can be a powerful tool if you become aware of its characteristics, potential and limitations. It has a neutral effect on colours, the sky loses its blue. It causes deep shadows and strong contrasts especially around people’s eyes. It can be directed by moving the subject or yourself. It can cause skin can appear rough. It can create volume and depth but not as well as diffused light or Golden Hour light.

To avoid shadows on faces you can use a natural reflector from below like sand, snow a page of a book or you can use a specially made reflector. You can move the subject, turn them around. You can be creative and use the shadows to your advantage. You can use post processing to soften shadows.

To deal with bleached colours use camera filters or post processing to boost the colours with vibrancy and saturation. Use it to your advantage to portray harsh subject matter.

Bleached colours

Fixed.

To cope with high contrast that loses detail in the light or dark areas use a neutral density or polarizing filter. Shoot on RAW and use post processing and work with layers and masks or fill light/shadows and recover highlights. Use HDR if the subject is still.

Tell a Story with Harsh Light. Harsh light evokes a harsh mood it is good for stories of hardship. It is good for making textures look rough but it is no good for making people look beautiful.

Light in Fog (There are two kinds of fog light. One is heavy cloud and total absence of sun. The other is fog which is close to the ground and with no clouds where the sun can interact with the fog.)

The first kind is non directional with soft contrast. The second kind has stronger contrast and is more directional. Fog causes elements to fade and creates a feeling of layers. It adds to the depth of the photograph. 

Fog gives tints of grey, blue, orange and yellow.

The problems of low light are the same as with diffused light from clouds and twilight. So use the same techniques as mentioned for them. Silhouettes are a good way to deal with fog.

Another problem is exposure. Our eyes see a wider range of contrast than the camera it is easy to assume that what we see will appear in the image. Be careful to get the exposure right. Test exposures and see which looks best. Shoot in RAW and use post processing.

Tell a Story with Light in Fog Fog naturally creates a mood of stillness and quiet. Sun rays can create awe inspiring moods. Focus on shapes not detail. However in thicker fog where there are no shadows it can bring out more detail especially when the subject is close to the camera. 

Sun Rays and Flares

Fog, dust and smoke are good for showing the sunrays. 

Dust.

Flares

Have fun learning to read light and using it as an important tool in photography.

SUNRISE AND SUNSET PHOTOGRAPHY

Planning

Pick a location that is out of the way of road and foot traffic, where you’re unlikely to be disturbed. Go to the location in broad daylight before the shoot, and ensure your view of the horizon will be unobstructed and free of any hazards. Look for interesting forgrounds.

 If you are in a new location, ask around about great locations for sunrise.

The most important part of planning a sunrise shoot is pre-visualization. This is the act of looking at a scene and imagining it at the time of sunrise. There are a number of apps to help with pre-visualization. They can point directly to where the sun will rise and help you decide camera angles and compositions.

The most important factor after the location is time of the day. Obviously, this will vary depending on whether you’re capturing a sunrise or a sunset. Is there a storm coming? If your shooting time coincides with an approaching or recently-ended storm, the results can be staggering. Rain and storm clouds can add a dramatic layer of dimension to the scene.

Being well organized and knowing your bag front to back by touch is valuable when the sun hasn’t yet risen. Depending on your latitude and cloud cover, it may be quite dark until just before sunrise so it is important to not be fumbling with gear or hunting for your flashlight.

Arrive Early 

Often the best show of colours comes before the sun breaches the horizon if you have decent cloud cover. Arriving 30 minutes before sunrise might mean you miss this colourful show or are scrambling to get set up and shoot before the colours are dashed.

Photo: Sue Whiteman

Being prepared and planning ahead is a great way to enjoy sunrise photography without the rush. Take the time to scout and plan ahead by having your gear ready. 

Clean Your Lens

When we take our photo gear out into the elements, it gets dirty.  Nothing seems to attract dust as much as the front element of a lens.  Just take a look at it after you've been outside shooting for a while.  Point that dirty lens toward the sun and even the tiniest specks of dust will be accentuated in the resulting images.  

 Sunrise, or Sunset?

There is a slight difference in the appearance of light at sunset versus what you’ll see at sunrise. Early morning light tends to be cooler (higher blue) than light in the late evening, which leans toward more warm colour castings consisting of orange and red.

Blue morning

Orange evening

Since we know there are differing colour temperatures at work here, you might need to adjust for this, depending on what feel you’re going for, either through warming or cooling filters, or adjustments in post-production to add or remove warmth into the colour profile of the final photograph.

Gear

Obviously you can’t capture the right shot without the right gear; so make sure you have it all ready to go before you head out. First and foremost, you’ll want to bring your tripod. Sunrises and sunsets are potentially low-light situations (depending on what part of the sunset you’re trying to capture), so you want a steady base for your camera.

Secondly, you’ll want to determine what lens to use for the shot.  Even though beautiful landscapes can be captured using a 35mm or 50mm focal length (for sensors with a 1.6 crop factor – 56 to 80mm on a full frame system), a wide angle lens is preferred, including any zoom lenses that can capture a length of 25mm and below (40mm on a full frame system).  If you have a prime lens at these lengths, you will have a better chance of catching an even sharper image.  Using a wide angle lens will allow you to capture a more vast, sweeping portion of the scene.

wide angle

Although using filters can degrade image quality a bit, due to the addition of another obstacle for light to pass through between your subject and your camera’s sensor, there are some that could be useful here, such as a GND (graduated neutral density) filter, to darken the upper portion of the sky a bit. Filters such as UV (ultraviolet) or polarizing filters may actually be a hindrance in these situations, and should be avoided. These filters reduce the amount of light coming in to the sensor, further increasing the required exposure time, which may not be idea if you’re trying to freeze any motion in the shot.

Use a tripod

Use a tripod because as the sun goes down, especially with sunrises but with sunsets the light will quickly diminish and then a tripod is necessary.  That means your shutter speed could get too slow to hand-hold the camera anyway.  With the camera on the tripod, the shutter speed can be longer without the worry of camera shake. However, be aware of moving foreground objects, such as blowing trees.  A slower shutter speed could introduce motion blur, which may not be the desired effect.

Settings

It’s best not to use automatic settings. Unfortunately, automatic shutter speed can cause shots to be underexposed or overexposed depending on whether the camera is using the dark foreground or the lighter sky to set the speed and aperture.

The aperture will need to be set to a large number, such as f/11, f/13, or f/16.  The lens opening gets smaller as the f-number get larger.  A larger f-number is also what is needed to give the sun the starburst effect.   A lower ISO setting usually means less grain (noise) and results in a cleaner image.  Set the ISO to the lowest setting for your camera, usually either 100 or 200.  Try to keep the ISO at the lowest setting, if possible. 

 If you're shooting in Aperture Priority mode, the shutter speed will be set automatically by the camera.  However, you still need to keep an eye on the shutter speed to make sure it doesn't get too slow for the situation.  You may need to increase the shutter speed to prevent motion blur of foreground subjects or camera shake if you happen to be hand-holding the camera.

After shooting a few images, it's a good idea to review the photos on the camera's LCD and to also look at the histogram.  If the exposure is not what you want, a quick and easy way to make an adjustment is to apply exposure compensation.  If the image looks a little too dark, apply some positive exposure compensation.  Conversely, if it's a bit too bright, a bit of negative exposure compensation should tone down the image.  Experiment with it to see how it works and the amount of exposure compensation you need.

Sunset photography, especially when including the sun in the frame, is a very high dynamic range (HDR) in which to shoot.  In other words, there is a huge difference in tonal values between the brightest and darkest parts in the image.  A lot of times, the dynamic range is too high for our cameras to capture everything in a single image.  If you expose for the brightest parts, then the shadows become black.  When exposing to bring out the shadows, the sky will likely be blown out and that detail will be lost.  This is a situation where shooting multiple exposures of the same scene may help.

Shooting bracketed exposures is usually pretty easy to do.   Most all modern DSLRs and mirrorless cameras have automatic exposure bracketing.  Check your manual to see how to do this with your camera.  The default is typically set to shoot 3 exposures.  One will be the correct exposure, one underexposed, and one overexposed.  The amount of under- or over-exposure can be set in-camera.  Some cameras even allow for 5, 7, or even 9 bracketed exposures, but 3 is generally enough.  After the bracketed exposures are captured, they can be combined into a single image using Lightroom's Photo Merge HDR feature or other HDR software.

normal camera setting

over exposed

under exposed

merged three photos

Auto Exposure Lock is another trick to use. It allows you to point the camera at the dark area and return to your composition and the shot will be lighter. I prefer the other way. Point at the light part and press the shutter half way down then move back to the sunset. This will make the sky darker and more colourful.

Don’t use automatic white balance, it makes it too cool looking. Use ‘cloudy’ or ‘shade’ , which will bring out the warm colours.

Use manual focus and set it to infinity. In automatic  focus the camera has difficulty finding something to focus on in the sky.

Use vivid mode for high colour and contrast.

Vary focal lengths

For sunset photography, and landscape images in general, wide, sweeping vistas are typically what you will want to capture.  A focal length range of 14 mm to roughly 24 mm is a good starting point to compose the image and get everything in the photo that you want.  Shooting at a wider angle will also accentuate the starburst effect for more dramatic sunset images. 

After getting that wide angle shot, try switching lenses and zooming in.  Try different focal lengths. The only limitation should be your own creativity. There's no rule about what focal length is right.

zoom

narrow DOF Photo: Karen Larsen

Compose for Interest

A sunrise or sunset can actually be pretty boring. That is when there is a lack of compelling subject matter in a photo of a sunrise or sunset like for example an empty beach with just the setting sun.

“While sitting on a beach and seeing a sunset can seem like a wonderful experience, unfortunately, the camera cannot replicate that. Most successful photos of sunrises or sunsets have a point of interest in them, in that there is a subject that is the main story and the sunrise or sunset is providing the light and the atmosphere.

That story doesn’t necessarily have to be a person or an object in the frame. The story could be the beautiful scenery or the crashing waves against the coast. But the key point is that there is something that gets the viewers’ attention. So, don’t just rely on the sunrise or sunset, try to build your composition using it as an addition rather than the story.” Kav Dadfar

All photos need a point of interest e.g. palms, pier, person, mountain, boat, animal or a crashing wave. 

Once you have identified that, simply compose the shot to include more of the most dramatic scenery. If you have an angry, cloudy sky that accentuates the sunlight, let that occupy the upper 2/3 of the scene. If you have an interesting foreground or landscape below the sun, and a less-intriguing sky, let that occupy the bottom 2/3 of the image. You want to draw the viewer into the horizon, and then let their eyes drift to the most dramatic part of the image.

2/3 sky

2/3 foreground

The most common error in shooting sunsets or sunrises is composing the horizon exactly in the middle of the photo. While this can work in some cases, it normally causes a bit too much symmetry and can make the picture uninteresting.

Use the rule of thirds and place the sun, silhouette, or the point of interest off centre.

Use the LCD to Compose and Shoot

Sunset photography may involve pointing the camera/lens directly at the sun.  You don't want to look through the viewfinder because of the possibility of damaging your eyes.  Therefore, take advantage of the LCD to frame up your shots.  If your camera happens to have a tilting LCD, it is awesome for getting low angle shots without laying on the ground.  All cameras should have that feature!

Be Patient Don’t Leave too Early

After the sun goes down below the horizon, don't leave right away.  Keep watching the light and colours in the sky and keep shooting.  Quite often the best colour will happen well after the sun has set.  This is especially true if there are a few clouds in the sky near the horizon. Also remember to look behind you to see what the sun is hitting.

Don't worry too much about keeping all the info in your head. Just have have a passion and have fun practicing and practicing.