Photography 101 {be a student of the light}

Light.

It's something we might take for granted. Or maybe not when it's 1:46am in the morning, and I trip on a size 13 shoe.  Or golf balls.  Or the dog.  Or a half-eaten banana.  Not that that's ever happened to me mind you.  I'm just throwing out some perfectly random hypothetical examples here.

If you want to take great photos you'll need to look at your surroundings and study them.   And specifically, because photography and light go hand in hand, we need to observe the light and know it's characteristics to set up a great photograph.

I have a friend who I am currently mentoring on her DSLR journey, and when showing me a photo she took of her daughter, she said, See, I just don't know where to put her?  Or put me?  Does that make sense?
Oh yessiree it does!  And it's all about the light.  We all know that we need light to get a good photo, but I SO understand that translating that as we're taking a photograph is the hardest part.

So let's get down to brass tacks.
There are so many things to think about when thinking about how light effects a photo.  But let's keep it simple, and here are my 3 biggies to take into consideration when I set up a photograph.

First, you should consider which way the light is traveling.  If you're only going to take away one thing from this post, this is the one that will have the most impact on your photos.  If the light is coming in a window, face your subject towards the window so that that light hits your subjects face, and/or move your body between your subject the the light source.  When you're in the situation, you may not notice a big difference, but your camera WILL see the light differently than your eye and will "catch" light that you may not see.  If you're on a porch or in an open garage, face your subject to the opening so that natural light can "hit them."  If you're outside under shade, look to see where the sun is in the sky and face your subject's face in the direction of the sun.  It may be a very subtle difference to your naked eye.  But your camera will magnify that lighting difference, so make sure they light coming into the space is hitting the surface of the subject your photographing.

This photo is taken on our front porch.  The kiddos are sitting on the edge of our porch facing the open side of the porch, and the direction the light is coming from.  You can even see the light on their faces, as compared to less light/shadowing on the sides of their faces, where less light is hitting them.  

Next, consider if your surroundings have direct or indirect sunlight.  Indirect light just means that the light is diffused compared to direct sunlight.  For the sake of our photography 101 lessons, let's just say no direct sunlight on your subject or even the background.  To start off I recommend taking photos in all shade conditions.  Yes, it is possible to take wonderful photos in direct sunlight, but it's an advanced maneuver, and I promised you I'd keep this simple and easy!  You'll need to look very carefully and not shoot photos in splotchy light either, the type that is often found filtering under trees.  Splotchy light on your subject will result in very uneven exposure.  So no splotchy light either.  You'll find shooting in all shade is the easiest way to get great photos, especially as you are still learning the fundamentals.

These two photos were taken at the same time in the same place. I like them both, but the first one of my son, has some distracting shadows (from his hair and head) because of the direct sunlight.

This photo was taken about 5 feet from the above photo, but my daughter was in full shade under an awning. It is much easier to meter (both for your camera if you're metering automatically and for the photographer if she's doing it manually) if the light is the same intensity, and thus there is a lot of nice clarity in her face, skin, and eyes.

Lastly, ask yourself, what color is the light?  Huh?  Isn't all light... light colored?  Well not really.  Depending on the source of the light, light can be tinged different colors.   Fluorescent light has a blue-green cast.  Regular ol' incandescent light bulbs throw off a yellowish light.  Now if you're doing any post processing (Photoshop, Lightroom...) this color cast can be quickly corrected.  But if it's really obvious that there are going to be color issues, then you should consider changing the "white balance" on your camera prior to shooting.  For example, when I'm indoors, and there is no natural light, and all available light is either incandescent or florescent, I will correct the color balance in my camera, before I start taking pics, setting my camera to the fluorescent or incandescent.  (Setting white balance in camera needs to be a whole 'nother post.)

This is a photo from another student that I'm mentoring.  She's a natural at food photography, but this photo originally looked at bit yellow-ish.  I'm guessing she took this photo under incandescent lights.  We corrected it in post processing, but she could have done it in camera before she took the photo.  

OK, so is any of this making sense?  That's a lot of info.

Just remember to ask yourself 3 things regarding the light when you are setting up a photo

1)  Where is the light coming from?  Face your subject in that direction.

2)  Is there direct sunlight or splotchy light on your subject?  Move if there is, and shoot in all shade.

3)  What color is the light?  If there is an color cast, correct your white balance in camera or correct during post-processing.

Now for the audience participation part of the blog, if you're having trouble with lighting issues, please feel free to send me an email with a photo attached, and we can figure out a game plan to make it even better.  

Really.  

You can do it right now if you want!  I'll wait.

Go ahead.  Send it!  

I'm serious when I say that I'd love to help you capture your own memories!

Speaking of the mentoring that I'm doing, I have some news that I am so stinkin' excited to share!  Many have encouraged me to take this next step, and it's a big step for me!  I'm a teeny bit scared and a whole bunch excited to be doing something that I love love love.  Coming soon!

New Photography 101 poll on the sidebar.  Vote for the topic you'd like to see next.