Edmonton Photographers: Catching & Conquering the Light!
Lighting is one of the most challenging, and at the same time fun, aspects of photography. It is the most important aspect of photography, for it determines the literal outcome of the photograph, as well how it may be interpreted.
Following are 10 lighting facts all Edmonton photographers should be aware of.
Edmonton Photographer's Lighting Fact #1: Right Light and Wrong Light.
Perhaps the most important thing to realize about light is that there is no right and wrong light. Your job is to convey a story through the lense. To that end, lighting can help or hinder you.
Learning the proper use of lighting techniques so that you can tell a better story is the only "right or wrong" to photography lighting.
Edmonton Photographer's Lighting Fact #2: Harsh and Soft Light.
The difference between the two is in the shadows cast. Harsh lighting increases the number of shadows. If you're going for a dramatic effect, this is the way to go.
Softer lighting diffuses shadows, decreasing them. It lends a Softer lighting adds a wistful quality to photographs. Natural light is always best and the soft light of the early evening or early morning is some of the best soft lighting.
Edmonton Photographer's Lighting Fact #3: Sun Shooting.
There are certain guidelines that should be followed when shooting in the sun. A basic one is to shoot with the sun to your back. If you shoot into it, everything except the background will appear as a silhouette.
"Sun shooting" is a great way to hone your photography skills because it allows you to do so much, eg, create silhouettes intentionally, play with natural light, etc.
Edmonton Photographer's Lighting Fact #4: Avoiding Flare.
Certain subjects lend themselves to flare creation. For example, if you take a picture of a mirror or a piece of metal. The sharp-looking explosion of white light is what's called a flare.
To avoid this, all you have to do is shoot at a 45-degree angle to avoid creating a flare.
Edmonton Photographer's Lighting Fact #5: The trickiness of inside lighting.
Different kinds of lighting affects color output. The white-balance setting on your camera can fix this, creating a more lighting effect in your photographs.
Edmonton Photographer's Lighting Fact #6: Fixing the darkness in photos.
You know how sometimes you take a photo and the subject is hard to see because the photo is so dark? To fix this, use the flash on your camera, in addition to natural light. The flash fills in the dark areas. It's known as flash fill.
Edmonton Photographer's Lighting Fact #7: Shooting in artificial light.
Bright, artificial lights can cause shadows. That's why professional photographers use diffusers. Diffusers work by softening the light. In a pinch, a simple piece of white paper can do the job.
Successful Edmonton photographers know a great deal about photography. If you want to follow in their footsteps, these are some of the basics to begin with.
