The Nature of Light
Every well known photographer will agree that light is the single most important element in the art of photography. Regardless of how, where, when, why, and with what equipment you shoot your photos light is critical for achieving good results. This is why it is all-important that you posses some knowledge about light if you want to be a really good photographer.
Light consists of colours
Ever since the 15th century it has been known that ordinary daylight consists of many different colours. Today we know that visible light is made up of a continuous spectrum beginning with red and ending with violet.
Whenever one of these colours is filtered away or partly filtered away light appears to change colour, this is the reason why the colour of light appears to vary during the course of a day. We have all noticed that the light in the middle of the day is very different from the light of half an hour before sunset.
Light very much influences the atmosphere of the photos you take. For this reason experienced photographers use the light available at different times of the day in order to stress the mood they want their images to convey. Conversely, the quality of the available light can work against the efforts of an inexperienced photographer.
In order to be a good photographer you have to understand the nature of light. Can you figure out how this photo was shot? Only natural light was used and no editing has been done afterwards.
The Direction of Light
It is not only the colour of light that is important to your photography. The direction of light in relation to your camera lens is equally important. There is a significant difference between photos lighted from the back, from the front or from the side.
Front lighting: photos lighted from the front are often shot in the middle of the day when the sun is right above your head. Taking photos in the middle of the day can be surprisingly difficult as photos lighted from the front have a tendency to appear somewhat "flat". For this reason, many professional photographers take a break in the middle of the day and instead shoot their photos early in the morning or late in the day.
Side lighting: photos lighted from the side are hit by light coming from the side at a low angle. Using this effect will help you create far more interesting photos. Among other things it will allow you to work with shadows. Side lighting is a very useful tool if you want to emphasize texture. This light is also good for portraits.
Back light: Subjects lighted from the back can be very beautiful, but they are also quite challenging to shoot. Light will pass through the scene from behind into the lens of your camera. For this reason it is often possible to get back-lighted subjects to appear colourful and in possession of an inner glow. This light is often used for creating silhouettes.
Subject lighted from the back. This method of lighting causes the fur of the sled dog to glow. Nikon F100, 300mm, F2.8, 1/500 second.
An EH-101 Merlin rescue helicopter shot with light coming from the side at the Skrydstrup Air Base, Denmark.
The Quality of Light
When photographers discuss the quality of light they often refer to the terms “hard light” and “soft light”. If you are, however, not a photographer this may sound like complete gibberish for how can light be soft?
Some photographers prefer to work with soft light while others prefer hard light. Many work with a combination of the two. It depends entirely on the message you want your photos to convey what kind of light you should choose.
Hard light is very direct and very penetrating and it creates very precise dark areas in an image. Hard light creates very strong contrasts between lighted and shadowy areas of a photo. Often, shadowy areas will be so dark that you cannot see any details in these areas. When you are shooting in July sunshine, at noon, under a clear sky, you are working with hard light. You can use hard light to create a severe mood in your photos.
Soft light is much more diffuse and it creates little contrast compared to hard light. Soft light would be the natural light you get on a cloudy day. Getting the entire image correctly lighted and full of details is always easier when working with soft light. This light can also be used to create an atmosphere of comfort or safety. It is a light that is well suited for nature photography, portraits or flower photography.
A photo shot in soft light. Nikon D2X 12-24mm, F5.6, 1/250 second.
When you have read about the nature of light the next step would be to read about flash photography. If you want to know how to make the most of a subject when there is little available light we recommend you read more about ISO values and shutter speed.
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