Digital Photographer - USA (2019-07)

Read your environment and select the

Plan for lighting best times to shoot your location

Theonecontiguouselement in all images in
anygenreofphotography is lighting. Whether
youaimtoshootportraits, landscapes, wildlife
ormacroimages,theintensity, direction,
varianceandcontrollability of light will impact
onthesuccessofyour images. Unless you
areworkinginastudio, where you have full,
unlimitedcontrolover every light source and
itsspread,planningfor changes in lighting
andlearningtoadaptyour approach to exploit
thatwhichisavailable to you is an essential
professionalskill.
Whenscoutinglocations, light should be high
onyourlistofparameters to assess. This
maybeacaseofworking out where the sun
willbeintheskyatthe time you intend to
conductyourshoot,or when it will appear at
apre-visualisedplace, to illuminate the scene
asyourequire.Furthermore, the direction of
thenaturallightandhow much of it reaches

yourdesiredshootingspotmustbeappraised,

soyoucanevaluatetheneedforadditional

lighting,suchasoff-cameraflash,andplan

workableflashratiosforanaturalblendwith

theambientconditions.Ineitherinstance,

thechallengeisvisualisinghowascenewill

appearinthefuture–wecannotalways

visitalocationunderthesamelighting,so

estimatingexposureandcompositionbased

onprobablelightingisessential.

Thefirstoftwocorelightingfactorsisthe

interactionwiththeenvironment.Theangle

atwhichitstrikestheterrain,thedistribution

ofhighlightsandshadowsthiscreates,as

influencedbytheshapeoftheland,and

1

Pre-dawnBeforethesunrises,thecool

huesintheskycomplementforegrounds

withgoodcontrastandillumination.cityscapes

orlandscapeswithartificiallightsourcesare

perfectscenesforthistime,asarereflective

bodiesofwater.reflective foregrounds can

appeardullduetolow contrast.

2

SunriseOnce the sun is up contrast is

much higher. The surface of water can

quickly lose highlight detail, so look for

compositions with a lower perspective to

minimise their visibility in the frame, while

featuring the sun and its directional lighting

in the frame.

3

Midday/afternoonWhile not ideal for

many landscapes, high-contrast midday

lighting compliments modern architecture

or strong black and white landscapes. This

may not be the best time to scout locations

as the light is not representative of any other

time of day you may visit.

choosea time of day While visiting a location decide when the best images may be captured

how much light is reflected back towards

the camera can all be assessed by visiting a

location, either in person or by studying online

maps and images. Examining multiple angles

will enable you to predict if the sun will be

visible in your intended composition, which

may influence your exposure choices.

The second factor is timing. When choosing

a location you have to be confident you can

be in place to shoot when you need to be,

confirming accessibility at any time of day.

Furthermore, evaluate if you will be able to

move with the lighting, changing your position

as the sun tracks across the sky, allowing you

to capture multiple image styles.

“Estimating exposure and compostion

based on probable lighting is essential ”

Techniques