Great Light — good photos have good lighting

A digital camera, or any camera for that matter can only see a certain range of light (tonal) values.  To make a good photograph photographers must look for good lighting.  And, if they can not find good lighting they have to adjust the light to make it good.  For a landscape photographer, this good light is more often than not early morning (1/2 hour before sunrise to 1 hour after sunrise) and late afternoon (1 hour before sunset to 1/2 hour after sunset).  For a landscape photographer these are known as the golden hours.  For the portrait photograper this light is often from a large lightsource like a large window, close to the subject.

Look at your photographs, think about where the light came from, does it come from above, or the side, or below — how does the direction of light make you feel about the subject?  The next question is what is the quality of the light?  Is the light soft, with soft edged shadows (or none at all), or is the light harsh with deep shadows and sharp lines.  Different qualities of light give a different mood to your photograph.  They will make your audience feel differently about your subject.  And finally what is the color of the light?  Is it the orange hued glow of a candle?  Is it the green of an overhead flourescent bulb?  Is it the warm light of a sunset over the mountains?  The color of the light has a dramatic impact on how your audience will look at your subject.

In the photographs you have chosen, look at the quality, direction and color of the light.  Think about how the different lighting affects how you feel about the subject of the photograph.  The next time you are out taking photographs pay attention to these lighting factors.  If you are not aware of the light, it is very unlikely that it is conveying the mood to the photograph that you want.

The soft diffuse light, reinforces the tranquility of the Taj Mahal

The direct angular light and fiery glow add to the dynamic feeling of this shot

The backlighting, and subtle hues add the the intimacy of this portrait

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