Lighting: natural or artificial? What's your preferred source/method and why? (Page 3): I should have added... to increase the lighting to use a faster shutter speed.

Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada

I should have added... to increase the lighting to use a faster shutter speed.

MJPerini

Love the chairs too ! very nice.

rwoodvira

[quote=JZA B1]
Natural where possible.

Jack 13088 Loc: Central NY

My preference is whatever works. My answer to “available light” is to make more available. I think that I always think about the light but often do not have an extended conversation with myself. I would note that motion picture productions remove all natural light and replace it with light they can control even out door shots.

Seabastes

JZA B1 wrote:

Some photographers seem to only use natural lighting (with or without reflectors). Others seem to rely mostly on flash with light modifiers.

What's your preferred way? Care to share any advice?

As an assignment photographer for both editorial and corporate clients , lighting skills were very important for my day to day needs. Learning lighting techniques can broaden ones skills. My advice is learn either and both techniques
and use them to broaden one's skills, but only if one cares and can benefit from developing skills useful to ones techniques.

I have attached a few samples and suggest fellow UHHers try to determine what lighting skills were involved.

(Download)

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Personally, I'll take natural light, but sometimes it's just not available when you need it. Best of luck.

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

Seabastes wrote:

As an assignment photographer for both editorial and corporate clients , lighting skills were very important for my day to day needs. Learning lighting techniques can broaden ones skills. My advice is learn either and both techniques
and use them to broaden one's skills, but only if one cares and can benefit from developing skills useful to ones techniques.

I have attached a few samples and suggest fellow UHHers try to determine what lighting skills were involved.

Top-notch EVERYTHING 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

Seabastes

In 1972, the hotshoe Vivitar 283 flash unit came on the marketplace and changed photography for 35 mm photography forever.. particularly for photo journalist, offering a small unit for lighting that could be used on the camera and off the camera with a flash cord.

A popular way was to attach a 3X5 cardboard cardboard attached to the flashhead tilting it upright and use bounce
light.

TTL hotshoe units eventually replaced the Vivitar with the hotshoe camera units,

When using hotshoe flash units for fill light the unit is normally set at one stop under the available light setting.The attached image was set at an available exposure of one stop with the shutter set for the ambient light reading,

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

Seabastes wrote:

In 1972, the hotshoe Vivitar 283 flash unit came o... (show quote)

This gentleman has an obviously electrifying personality 😜😜😜

RetCapt Loc: NorCal mountains

Blenheim Orange wrote:

O. Winston Link did some amazing landscape work at night with artificial light.

http://images.exhibit-e.com/www_danzigerprojects_com/3304811c.jpg

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F5sjoFeRRnM/UokQ_MRMPyI/AAAAAAABM78/HCYUDS5ZTZI/s1600/05+Ogle+Winston+Link.jpg

I am well aware of O. Winston Link. He is one of my favorite photographers, and has been since my film days. One of the elements of my scenic photography is railroads. Without doubt, he set the standard, and that bar is very high.

I have read his accounts of how he set up for various of his photographs. To say it is extensive is to understate it. At the end of all that, he had one opportunity to get the photograph.

As far as I know, no one has applied the same preparations and techniques to railroad photography. That is a consequence of setting the bar so high.

Maybe I should have worded it 'Natural light is my only source'. I've attached the sunset photo I mentioned in my earlier post. Not much place I see here for artificial light.

Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

RetCapt wrote:

I am well aware of O. Winston Link. He is one of ... (show quote)

Very good.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

JZA B1 wrote:

Some photographers seem to only use natural lighti... (show quote)

Photography is about light. Natural or artificial is not specified. I use whatever is available. Sometimes I supply the light and sometimes the light is just there. It's all the same to me.

And as I see it, the difference between natural and artificial light is whether I control it or not. "Artificial" light is still light, a natural phenomenon. Light comes from many different sources, and since there are different wavelengths involved, there is opportunity for control (or modification, if you like).

Without light I can't take photographs.

User ID

Top pic:
Backlit by sodium street lights. Main light by broad array of multicolored neon beer signs.

Second pic:
Headlamps, street lights, and traffic signals.

Third pic:
Walkway lights.

Bottom pic:
Overhead office fluorescent tubes.

(Download)

User ID

User ID wrote:

Top pic:
Backlit by sodium street lights. Main light by broad array of multicolored neon beer signs.

Second pic:
Headlamps, street lights, and traffic signals.

Third pic:
Walkway lights.

Bottom pic:
Overhead office fluorescent tubes.

I neglected that the OP asks "and why ?", so this is why I prefer artificial light over daylight.

1. Daylight means getting up too early.
1b. Artificial light is my normal environment.
2. It comes in a wider variety than daylight.
2b. Some varieties are user controllable.
3. Better street scenes.
3b. Cooler peeps.
4. Light sources in the frame.
4b. More ghosts and flare.
5. More fun
5b. Free parking

JZA B1

Linda From Maine wrote:

I search for interesting natural light (and weather). It's what inspires me most to take the shot.

Nice.