18 ust 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
Technique LIGHTING GUIDE
KITLIST
▲ ▲Shootingagainst
thelightmakes
translucentflowers
glowandproduces
interestingshadows
in theforeground
During winter the
sun stays low in the
sky most of the day,
turning particularly
dramatic during the
golden hoursagain after sunset but before it is fully
dark, there comes another magical
time. With the sun now below the horizon,
only the shorter blue wavelengths are
scattered into the atmosphere, giving a
blue-predominant, evenly diff used light.
These are known as the ‘blue hours’.
So, during the course of any sunny day,
starting and ending with the darkness of
night, light changes colour like this: black,
blue, red, orange, yellow, white, yellow,
orange red, blue, black.Direction of light
When the sun is overhead in the middle of
the day, the light is harsh and the shadows
are short. It is not usually accepted as a
good time for photography, although once
you know the limitations, it’s possible to
exploit them for great pictures. (Watch for
an article on this subject in next week’s
issue.) As the sun sinks lower in the sky,
its light becomes more directional, andMobile
phone apps
Three apps are of particular use:
The Photographer’s Ephemeris,
The BBC Weather App, and a
compass app (provided with
many mobile phones). Each
of these will help you to
plan your shoot.Compass
The sun rises in the east,
sets in the west and – in the
northern hemisphere – travels
across the southern sky during
any day. A compass helps to
anticipate when it will be in
the best position for your
chosen subject.