Understanding Natural Light

By: Marco Grassi

 Introduction
When shooting landscapes there are a few fundamental things that can definitely
make the dierence between a good shot and an outstanding one such as the
subject, the composition, the season, the time you spend on the field and the
light. While we can easily control the first 4 and scout for the perfect location, find
the composition that works better and be there in the right season. We cant actually
make any prior planning based on light because we cant know too much in
advance if it will be nice.

Light is a deterring factor in photography. It can create an atmosphere that

emphasizes the scene and it can make the subject more interesting. Understanding
the characteristics of light and how to work with it is essential for all photographers.

The first thing to keep in mind about light is that it evolves during the day (from the
harsh light of midday on a sunny day to the magic light of sunset). Also, depending
on the direction it hits the subject from (from the side, from the back) it can create
dierent eects.

But lets start analyzing the dierent types of light right away.
1. Diuse Light
Diuse light occurs during overcast/rainy days, when the sun is covered
and its light is soft. This type of light works great on a range of subjects
such as animals, people, forests and so on, because the contrast and
shadows are drastically reduced.

Sometimes it can be interesting to include the sky in the shot, especially if

the clouds look very dramatic (a neutral density graduated filter can help
adding definition to the clouds and give a particular mood to the scene),
but if the sky is just flat and grey my suggestion is to include only a bit of
it or not include it all.

When: Overcast / rainy days. Diuse light works better when the weather
is very bad and there are storms or rain outside.

How: The sun is covered and the light is softer.

Best: All day long.

Diuse Light
2. Spotlight

When sunlight shines through the clouds unexpectedly and

illuminates only part of the landscape it creates a spotlight. It
doesnt have to be a cloudy day; a few clouds moving around the
sun are enough to create this type of light. Windy days also work
fine.

This light can happen anytime so you have to be ready on the spot
in order to catch it.

When: Sun slightly covered by clouds.

How: The sun comes through the clouds and hits part of the scene.

Best: Sunrise and sunset.

Spotlight
Spotlight
3. Golden Hour
This is without a doubt my favourite light, the one I always look
forward to capturing. This type of light occurs everyday (assuming
that the sun is not blocked or covered by something, such as
clouds) and appears shortly after the sun has risen in the morning
and before the sun sets in the evening. In both cases, the sun is not
high in the sky and its magic light is softer and warmer than during
the day.

When: After sunrise and before sunset.

How: A magical, and warm light hits the subject.

Best: If there are a few clouds in the scene (not covering the sun)
turning into pink/ red/purple/orange shades.
Golden Hour
 4. Blue Hour
Before the sun rises in the morning and after it sets in the evening we witness
the blue hour. During this time the light gives everything a blue colour.

Even if the sun is below the horizon, the indirect light illuminates the scene
and creates an extremely magic atmosphere all around.

Next time youre out taking pictures of a sunset, try to stay longer. You will be
surprised by how the scene changes; allowing you to take pictures with a
completely dierent mood.

Also, during the blue hour you can shoot long exposures without having to
use neutral density filters.

When: Before sunrise and after sunset.

How: The sun is below the horizon and its indirect light turns the ambient
light into a deep blue shade.

Best: If there are a few clouds in the scene (not covering the sun) or on a very
clear day.
Blue Hour
 5. Moonlight
Many photographers underestimate moonlight, but it oers the chance to take wonderful
photos. Especially if you're amongst mountains, when the moon rises or when it is about
to set, moonlight magically illuminates the peaks.

Sometimes, if the sunrise/sunset were not interesting enough because of the lack of
clouds for example, the moonlight can be another chance to take good pictures
because of the additional presence of the stars.

If you have a full moon, Id only recommend taking advantage of its light as it rises or
sets otherwise it becomes too harsh. During those phases when only half or less of the
moon is visible, it can also be interesting to include it in the shot.

If you'd like to photograph the moon as it rises or sets, its always handy to plan ahead
because it often isnt easily visible with thenaked eye. There are a few apps* that tell
you exactly when moonrise and moonset are. Otherwise I suggest taking a photo and
checking your viewfinder right away.

When: At night.

How: The moon illuminates the landscape.

Best: As soon as the moon rises or sets. Also during those phases when only half or less
of the moon is visible.

*The Photographer Ephemeris, PhotoPills

 6. Reflected Light

When the light bounces from one surface to another --like inside a canyon--
you'll find reflected light. This is an indirect, soft light that takes the colours
of the surface it is reflected from.

Antelope Canyon in Arizona is a great example of this type of light. If you're

photographing inside a canyon, the scene light will take on the orange
shade of the canyon.

When: During the day.

How: The light is reflected from one surface to another.

Best: Sunrise and sunset.

7. Backlight *
When the subject is lit from behind and were facing the light source, this
is calledbacklighting.

One of the most important things to keep in mind when shooting with
backlight is to be aware of lens flares. Using a lens hood can help reduce
lens flares especially if you're using a telephoto lens. Otherwise you can
try two things:

If youre not including the sun in your picture: try to cover the light that is
hitting the lens with your hand or another object to reduce the appearance
of lens flares.

If youre including the sun in your picture: take two photos of the same
scene, one without covering the sun and a second exposure covering it
with your fingers/hand. Then you can easily blend both pictures together
with Photoshop and obtain an image with no lens flare.

Another approach would be to block the light source with a tree or

mountain. Backlighting is also great for producing silhouettes.

When: Light is positioned behind the subject.

How: The source of light hits the subject from behind.

Best: When the sun is not too high and bright in the sky.

Backlight
8. Sidelight *
Sidelight occurs when the light hits your subject on one side and leaves a deep shadow on the other.

This type of light helps create a sense of dimension in the scene thanks to the contrast that appears between light and dark areas.

When: The light hits only a side of the subject.

How: The subject is partially illuminated and partially shady.

Best: Early in the morning and late in the afternoon.

* Of course the direction that the light hits the subject depends on your position in respect to the subject and this means that, if one of these types of light doesnt work with
the scene, you can just move around to avoid having the light behind or from the side of your subject.
 7. The secret is to be patient
Now that you know how to work with various types of
light, try to make the most out of your days and take
advantage of any situation. The secret is to be patient
and spend time on location to understand how light
evolves and changes your scene. Photographing the
same location under dierent lighting conditions can
radically aect it.

In this series of pictures you can notice the important

role that light plays in landscape photography. As you
can see if the quality of the light is good you can
photograph the same location at dierent times of
the day and obtain a totally dierent, but still great,
result.
 Concluding notes
There are many types of light and some of them might work
better than others with certain subjects.

Get on the spot early before sunrise and stay till late after
sunset to be able to take advantage of dierent lights.

Be patient, waiting is key!

Come back again, remember that overcast days can produce

amazing pictures too.

Use apps on your phone to find out where the sun/moon will
be at a specific time.

All Images Copyright 2017 Marco Grassi. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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