Photography records light
What a camera records is, in the end, light reflected from things. That is why the same alley makes completely different photos in the morning, at midday and at dusk. When looking at light, check three things: where it comes from (direction), whether shadow edges are crisp or blurred (quality), and what color it has. A small, strong source like the sun casts hard shadows with sharp edges, while a broad source like an overcast sky or a big window casts soft ones. Remember that the larger and closer a source is relative to the subject, the softer the light.
Front, side and back light
The direction of light changes the feel of a photo dramatically. Front light, with the sun behind you, gives clear colors and few failures, but shadows hide behind the subject so it looks flat, and people squint into the glare. Side light brings out texture and form. Backlight, coming from behind the subject, makes hair edges glow and adds atmosphere, but it is the hardest to handle.
- Front light: vivid and safe but flat
- Side light: texture and depth come alive; good for landscapes and food
- Backlight: glowing outlines and mood, but faces easily turn dark
Handling backlight
Shoot straight into backlight and the camera exposes for the bright background, leaving faces dark. Tap the face on screen to meter there, or raise the brightness slider, and the face comes back, though the sky behind may blow out to white. Bouncing light back with white paper or a bright wall in front of the face makes it easier to keep both, and at close range a little flash also works. You can also go the other way and lower the exposure for a silhouette with just a dark outline. When the sun is in the frame it causes round flare, so shade the lens with your hand or a shadow. Never look at the sun directly through an optical viewfinder or binoculars; it can damage your eyes.
Harsh midday light
When the sun is overhead, light falls straight down and leaves deep shadows in the eye sockets, under the nose and under the chin. The gap between bright and dark is large, so skies blow out and shadows block up. For portraits, step into the shade of a building or tree. Open shade at the edge of a shadow, where plenty of sky is visible, gives even, soft light that flatters faces. Overcast days turn the whole sky into a giant diffuser and are actually good days for portraits and flowers.
Golden hour and blue hour
The time just after sunrise and just before sunset, when the sun is low near the horizon, is commonly called golden hour. Light passes through a long stretch of atmosphere and turns warm and orange, and it comes in at a low angle, lengthening shadows and revealing texture. The short spell after sunset when the sky turns deep blue is called blue hour; the sky and city lights are close in brightness, which makes it a good time for night scenes. How long these periods last depends on season and latitude, so check sunrise and sunset times for the day and arrive a little early.
Color temperature and white balance
Light has color, expressed as color temperature in kelvin. Lower numbers are more orange and higher numbers bluer. Incandescent-style lamps sit around 3,000K and look warm, midday sunlight is around 5,500K, and shade or overcast skies are higher still and look bluish. White balance is the camera function that corrects for this so white looks white. Auto usually does well, but when window daylight and indoor lamps mix, one side of a face can turn blue and the other yellow, so switching one source off is often better.
Indoors, use the window
The best light indoors is usually a window. Window light that is not direct sun is a large, soft source that flatters people, food and objects alike. Placing the subject beside the window gives side light and depth; if the far side is too dark, bounce light back with white paper or a towel. Light falls off quickly as you move away from the window, so bring the subject closer if you can. Ceiling lights shine from above and tend to create shadows like midday sun, so turning them off often helps.
Practice seeing light
The eye for light grows as fast as you pay attention to it. Even when you are not holding a camera, ask yourself these questions.
- Which direction is the light coming from?
- Are shadow edges sharp or soft?
- Is the light warm or cool?
- Is the gap between the brightest and darkest areas too large?
- How does the direction change if you walk a few steps around?
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