I've seen the Light! This forum, like so many others seems focused on gear and on sharpness, but I have seen very little about light. Photography is all about light. Most photos I have...

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

This forum, like so many others seems focused on gear and on sharpness, but I have seen very little about light. Photography is all about light. Most photos I have seen here are well focused, with good color, well exposed even well composed, but lacking "the light". They are mostly flat. Seems to me that "seeing the light" is the one most important ingredient of a good photo. Even the most ordinary things become objects of beauty in the right light. It would be great to have a discussion of LIGHT with examples.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I've been taking pictures for a long time. You've hit on my primary weakness that I've yet to overcome. Second is composition.

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

CatMarley wrote:

This forum, like so many others seems focused on g... (show quote)

See this old thread of mine.

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-512965-1.html

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

CatMarley wrote:

This forum, like so many others seems focused on g... (show quote)

Agree. Many shots are taken in the middle of day in full sun which eliminates shadows and interesting parts of the image (depending on the direction of the sun) or images are very high contrast which is the opposite problem unless you are going for a high drama shot. In any case the light will make or break a shot. And as you said photography is all about the light.

Kuzano

bsprague wrote:

I've been taking pictures for a long time. You've hit on my primary weakness that I've yet to overcome. Second is composition.

Here you go.... 24 links on composition. I've been using this site for about 20 years.

http://photoinf.com/

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Oh yes! I have always loved shooting with low angle of sun, most particularly at dawn. Shooting towards the sun for backlighting, silhouettes or lens flare...it's all good

Thanks so much for the topic, CatMarley. Richard Taylor has linked his February thread and there are older ones in For Your Consideration, but really this topic should be revisited every couple of months.

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GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

CatMarley wrote:

This forum, like so many others seems focused on g... (show quote)

Amen!
Some think that just using a fast lens takes care of every lighting issue.

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

suntouched wrote:

Agree. Many shots are taken in the middle of day in full sun which eliminates shadows and interesting parts of the image (depending on the direction of the sun) or images are very high contrast which is the opposite problem unless you are going for a high drama shot. In any case the light will make or break a shot. And as you said photography is all about the light.

Sometimes if you are shooting "events" you do not have a choice.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

A point that came up in one of the For Your Consideration discussions has to do with quality of light where we live: the difference in seasons, the distance from the equator (for sharper angle of sun), whether very dry or very humid, other weather-related conditions such as ground fog (or smoke when the Pacific Northwest is on fire, as was the case in my teasel photo in first set) - there is much to pay attention to and explore.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

CatMarley wrote:

This forum, like so many others seems focused on g... (show quote)

Back in the 70's when I was taking photo classes at Cal State LA the two main professors in the photo department both kept telling everyone they had to learn to "see the light". They had one assignment designed to get students to think about and experiment with light. Duplicate an ad from a magazine. After much agony, many tries and coming close in the end they reveled that it was impossible because the images they gave us to duplicate had all been air brushed (before Photo Shop). But the trying sure made us come up with some creative efforts and of course most of us came to be able to "see the light" better than we had. It became a conscious thing, which almost everyone could learn, not just those who had the talent (sometimes called the "good eye") to start with.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Backlighting can also be a wonderful thing. A walk in the woods early in the morning....

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rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

suntouched wrote:

Agree. Many shots are taken in the middle of day in full sun which eliminates shadows and interesting parts of the image (depending on the direction of the sun) or images are very high contrast which is the opposite problem unless you are going for a high drama shot. In any case the light will make or break a shot. And as you said photography is all about the light.

It depends entirely what the photographer's goals are. For over fifty years now, I've been documenting my world as it is today, before tomorrow comes and everything changes. In that context, the rules are different, as I do want midday light since the details it allows me to capture are more accurate. In my context, composition is extremely vital, because perspective changes what story is being told.

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

LoneRangeFinder wrote:

Backlighting can also be a wonderful thing. A walk in the woods early in the morning....

Finally! Thank you all. So there ARE some people out there making interesting photographs of common things instead of "taking pictures". Just the beauty of light falling on a leaf can be so interesting! And most people do not see it. You do not have to go beyond your backyard to find exquisitely beautiful photographs waiting for your camera! You just have to see them. Here on my kitchen table was a subject that can be as uninteresting as wallpaper or graceful and elegant as a ballerina. It was only the direction of the light that made the difference between a snapshot and a photograph.

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GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

LoneRangeFinder wrote:

Backlighting can also be a wonderful thing. A walk in the woods early in the morning....

Great examples of using the light!

Bill_de Loc: US

A friend of mine who is a nature photographer named his business, "Shoot the Light". Needless to say it is an important topic at his workshops and seminars.

As said above, it is a topic that should be revisited from time to time. Maybe, this is a stretch, but maybe even more often than, 'which camera should I buy?'.

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