Lighting is key when it comes to capturing good images, in fact, without light there is no photo. So important is light for photography that the word itself clarifies it: “photo” in Greek means “light” and “graphy” means writing. Photographing without light is like writing without ink.
The mastery of light in photography is what will define you as a photographer (discover everything you need to achieve it here), since the way a photograph is illuminated modifies its message, that is, how the observer is going to interpret its content .
“There are photographic moments in which the light is “unalterable” and you have to take advantage of it as much as you can. In other situations, for example in the studio, the lighting can be completely controlled.” David Prakel – Lighting.
In today’s article we will see 23 tips and ideas so you can take advantage of and manage light to fully exploit your creativity.
Previous clarifications
Before starting to read and put into practice the different tips, it is necessary to review some concepts so that you can take better advantage of each of them:
What is light? As I told you before, light is the reason for photography and without it it would not be possible to capture a scene in an image. The light hits the objects and when bouncing off them, it is captured by the sensor of your camera, in the same way that it is captured by the human eye. Beyond all the physical and technical aspects, light is just that, the raison d’être of photography.
Lightning: if light is the raison d’être of photography, lighting is that of the photographer. Lighting consists of modeling light, directing it and bouncing it so that you can not only capture it with your camera sensor, but also convey meaning and give character to the entire photograph. Mastering light is what will define you as a photographer.
“Mastery of light is a prerequisite for controlling the final result in photography.” David Bailey (photographer)
The color: Color is determined by two factors: the wavelength of light (color temperature) and the color of the object itself. What does this mean? That the color depends not only on the color of the object itself, but also on the light that falls on it. If you shine a green spotlight on a white object, it will no longer look white, or at least not to the “eyes” of the sensor.
It is here where the white balance begins to take relevance since, the way in which the scene to be photographed is illuminated (natural light, fluorescent, flash, etc), will cause its colors to be captured in a different tone or of other. I recommend that you read the article “If the Term “White Balance” Scares You, You Need to Read This Article”.
color temperature: surely you have heard or have read the expressions “warm light” and “cold light”. These expressions respond to what is known as “color temperature” and which means, in a very simple way, that the “color” that light has is measured in degrees Kelvin as follows:
- Higher temperatures have shades bluer (8000K to 16000K) and correspond to cooler lights. (Ex: Sky, fluorescent light, etc.)
- The lower temperatures have shades more red and yellow (1800K to 4000K) and correspond to warmer lights. (eg candles, tungsten lamps, etc)
- The average temperatures have a tonality whiter (4500K to 6500K) and correspond to whiter lights.
In the image below you can see how the same photograph changes completely when you change its color temperature:
Tips to boost creativity
Natural light
Natural light is nothing more and nothing less than the light coming from the sun, therefore, the quality of it varies according to the time of day, the place where you take the shots, the time of year and the weather.
As a photographer, the best attribute you can count on when working with natural light is patience. As you cannot modify the light conditions, you will have to choose the moment in which natural light is correct for your photographs, but keep in mind that this moment may only occur in a certain season of the year or at a certain time and for a few minutes.
Photographing with natural light will require you to be aware of certain aspects that will help you achieve the best results:
1) Take advantage of the seasons: the light varies significantly according to the time of year. Depending on the season you are in, the angle and intensity of the light coming from the sun will change according to the position of the sun.
Each season has very particular light and colors: in winter the color temperature and the angle at which it falls is lower, generating less saturated colors and more pronounced shadows. In summer the color temperature is higher and the angle is steeper, so the light is harsh and the colors more saturated.
The same photograph taken at different times of the year will convey different messages to the viewer. Take a look at the following image and you will be able to understand it better:
2) Take photos at all times: as the hours of the day pass, the color, the intensity, the angle of incidence and even the direction of the light vary. There is no better time than another to go out and take photos, everything will depend on what story you want to tell.
In any case, keep in mind that both at sunrise and sunset, when the sun appears or disappears on the horizon, the so-called “golden hour” occurs. If you go out to take photos at these times you will get “more attractive” photos.
Direct sunlight can make photographs flat and excessively contrasty, so they do not end up being as pleasing to the eye of the observer. The solution to this inconvenience is to model the light through reflectors and screens.
At night, what conveys the message in your photographs is the way you use light to illuminate so much darkness. Despite being one of your worst enemies, you can make her a powerful ally if you learn to illuminate the unexpected.
Now, if you only go out in the afternoon to take photos, you may become an expert at it, but you will still have a lot of time left in the day to exploit. Taking photos at all times will help you understand how the light varies from one moment to another.
3) According to the place: It is not the same light with which you will be able to work in a city by the sea as on top of a mountain: the light conditions change noticeably depending on where you are taking your photographs.
The light at the top of a mountain is direct, harsh, bluish in hue and with a high amount of ultraviolet light which will make distant views appear shrouded in mist even if there is not a single cloud in the sky.
The sea and the beach act as a giant reflector of the sun, which is why it is usually the preferred location for photographers thanks to the light conditions.
In a city, tall buildings block direct light but reflect it in unexpected places, creating very attractive shadows and contrasts for you to capture with your camera.
4) Depending on the weather: rain, snow, sun, clouds, etc. After the rain or during it, it will be a challenge to capture the different brightness of the light present in the scene. Cloudy days are ideal for working with soft light throughout the scene. If what you are looking for are hard lights and well-marked contrasts, sunny days will be ideal for you.
5) Moods: Thanks to the different stages that sunlight goes through as the hours and seasons go by, it is possible to convey a series of feelings and moods that will make the viewer feel immersed in your photography. Try to recreate in your photographs the different atmospheres of each of the scenes you work with.
Available Light
The available light is all that that surrounds you at all times and that will be useful when taking your photographs. Your job as a photographer is to make the most of the light you have available to achieve incredible photographs.
The available light has a peculiarity: not all the light sources that you may come across have the same tone, intensity and temperature, so you must ensure that all of them coexist in harmony in your photographs.
Here is a list of some tips that will be useful when working with the different types of lights that you may come across in your life as a photographer:
1) Flames and candles: candles, oil lamps and bonfires emit a very particular and attractive golden light due to the low color temperature of the light they emit, in fact, it is the lowest of all lighting sources. With them you will be able to achieve your own “golden hour” but without leaving your home.
Achieving impressive photographs with this type of lighting as the only light source can be quite a complicated task due to the low intensity of the light they emit: it is concentrated around the flame but quickly extinguishes in the environment. The challenge is worth the effort as the results can be incredible and very dramatic.
Again you should pay attention to the white balance of your camera if you want the colors to be faithfully portrayed without losing their original hue.
Get a good tripod, or make your own and prepare to defeat your worst enemy: the dark.
2) Incandescent lights: Known daily as “spotlights”, they emit their light by heating a fine tungsten filament, hence their name. As with candles, the light they emit has a yellow-orange hue, which gives a feeling of warmth and a very particular lighting effect in your photographs. Despite falling into disuse due to the energy consumption they entail, you can get them at any store or hardware store.
You can use a couple of desk lamps and some inexpensive tungsten spotlights to make your own home studio and shoot still life with materials you would normally throw away. Take a look at the article “DIY Photography: How to Assemble Homemade Photo Props” to get some ideas.
3) Fluorescent lights: fluorescent tubes or energy-saving lamps are an ally of nature but can become a real headache for photographers. Although you may not notice it, the light emitted by this type of lamps is not continuous, that is, they flicker and their light is not pleasant at all: a greenish color.
Do not despair! Fortunately, you can set your digital camera’s white balance to “fluorescent” mode to correct the tones of a scene lit with them.
In any case, they are excellent for photographing small objects and are very useful when working in still life and in the studio thanks to the large illumination surface, diffused light and ease of portability.
4) Urban lighting: Cities, especially large cities, are an inexhaustible source of very attractive light so you can take advantage of it…