If you are interested in photography then learning how to utilize light is very important. Lighting can affect the overall feeling and mood of your photographs. Learning how to use light to emphasize the mood of your photograph is where you will begin to become a great photographer. In this blog, I am going to enhance your understanding of natural lighting by exploring the beauty of natural light through photographic techniques.
Natural lighting is any light that is created from the sun. The sun is a natural and effective way to create different tones, contrasts, moods, and colors. By learning how to manipulate the sun you will ultimately learn the most effective and cheapest lighting source there is in photography.
Benefits of Shooting with natural light
- It’s affordable
- It is a free light source that is powerful making there no need to purchase artificial lighting sources like strobes.
- It works inside and outside
- Whether you are working inside or outside the sun can enter buildings through windows therefore allowing it to help light up anything indoors. The windows actually act as a diffuser creating a more soft lighting scenery than harsh direct sunlight.
- It offers variety
- Depending on the time of day, the sun offers many different lighting temperatures from harsh bright sunlight during noon time or a golden hour hue before sunset.
- Any type of photography can use
- Natural sunlight can be used for any type of photography but specifically works well with landscape or portrait photographs.
The Magic of Natural Light
Learning how to use natural lighting to your benefit will make you a better photographer. It is a great light source for beginner photographers and is used widely by professional photographers. This is because natural light can come in different qualities and characteristics. If you are still in the beginner stages it will be important to understand your exposure triangle found on this blog post.
Intensity
Intensity is the amount of light that falls onto the subject. The more light that is on a subject the higher the intensity. With natural lighting, the intensity varies depending on the day. The most intense light scenario during the day is at noon on a clear day. Weather can also affect the intensity because a cloudy day will create a more subtle light than a harsh sunny day.
Color Temperature
The color temperature, like intensity, changes throughout the day. Warm lighting and golden hues are going to be in the morning after sunrise and in the afternoon before sunset. Since harsh sunlight is at noon the color temperature is also affected and becomes more of a cool light. Again this is also changed with different weather patterns.
Direction
With different times of day also come the different directions the light hits your subject. When using natural lighting indoors your south-facing rooms are going to have consistent lighting throughout the day. Whereas if shooting a portrait shot in the afternoon the downward-facing sun may look extremely unflattering on the individual.
Quality of light
This again differs depending on the style of photography and the mood you are trying to portray. For the most part, I have noticed that soft, more diffused light, will create a warmer and more flattering image (thus created when capturing photos in the morning or right before or right after sunset). Harsh contrast can be created when shooting during the daytime and creates a more dramatic feel to your images.
Harnessing the Power of Golden Hour
For the most part, golden hour will probably be the most lighting scenario that you use, especially if you are a portrait photographer. Golden hour, as stated previously, is going to be the last hour before sunset and the first hour after sunrise. This is an important lighting scenario because the natural light is soft, diffused, and warm. Harnessing the power of the golden hour is a tool every photographer should have in their pocket.
Tips and techniques for capturing the best shots during golden hour
Plan your shoot
Whether the shoot is predetermined by your client or up to your creativity you will want to go a few days in advance to see the way and what direction the light hits during golden hour. It will also help you visualize exactly the shots you want to take and when the golden hour starts.
Take a lot of photos and always shoot in RAW
Taking a lot of photos will help you have a range and variety of photographs to choose from. This will give you many options, as well as, allow you enough photographs to create HDR photos if need be. Plus, the lighting during golden hour changes frequently.
Watch your dynamic range and exposure
During this lighting scenario, it is definitely easy to overexpose or underexpose an image. Creating photos with multiple exposures can allow you to later on piece the photos together later in an HDR format.
Use a fill light
A flash or a simple reflector can help fill parts of the scene that are in shadows creating an overall evenly lit image.
Overcoming Challenges in Natural Light Photography
If you are having to shoot during the midday with harsh lighting conditions there are a few ways to still create great photographs. One thing you can do if shooting portraits is putting yourself between the sun and the subject and having the subject face the sun directly. This will help create an even light on the person’s face. Another option is putting the person back to the sun and adjusting your exposure to the darker scene. Again, this will help with refraining from any harsh shadows. You can also look to find shade whether that be under a tree or behind a building.
Adapting to different weather conditions is another important challenge to overcome because we can’t control the weather. Cloudy days allow you to shoot any time of the day because the clouds create a diffused light. So even during noon, the lighting won’t be hard with high shadows. If the clouds then turn into rain, make the most of it! Sometimes the most beautiful photos are when unexpected rain occurs. If rain is a possibility, definitely bring an umbrella just in case. Stormy clouds may prevent golden hour hues but it also creates a beautifully dramatic sky that can make a beautiful photo.
The beauty of natural lighting scenarios is that it is available to use throughout the day, every day. It is a prevalent and highly reliable source of light that we can use to enhance our images. The techniques shown in this blog post will not only help you create incredible photographs but also help you adjust to different lighting scenarios that Mother Nature may throw at you. I would highly suggest embracing natural light and exploring its endless possibilities because it will make you an even better photographer.
