Photography Pet Peeves: Lighting

One thing that bothers me about photography is how much lighting affects a photo. Lighting can make or break a picture. There have been so many times where I see a perfect shot or something I want to take a picture of, but the lighting is bad.

I try to use natural light as much as I can because I don't like the way artificial light looks. An example of artificial light is lamps. Lamp shades are often different colors. So if a lamp shade is red, it makes the whole room in which your taking the picture have a red tint, making the picture red. Even with taking off a lamp shade, sometimes a light bulb has an orange or yellow tint, making the whole picture have an orangey or yellowish glow.

Natural light is one of, if not, the best sources of light. But, it's limited, and there are a lot of obstacles that can get in the way. Sometimes I have an idea for a picture that needs to be taken outside but the sun has already gone down or it's rays are hitting at the wrong angle. This means I either have to wait until the next day or go inside and use artificial light, which doesn't look as good. And obviously, if you're taking a picture of the mountains, you can't move them inside, so you have to take the picture while the sun is hitting properly or you've missed your chance.

One thing that happens often to me is where the sun is hitting perfectly but I haven't set up the subject of the photo yet and by the time I have it set up, the sun has moved. Clouds are also a big problem when using the sun for lighting. They can block the sun partially or fully and it makes the picture look significantly darker. So if my subject is a moving target, like a flying bird, and the clouds are blocking the sun, then I've missed my shot.

I really like to take pictures utilizing the sun. But, some shots invlovling the sun can only last for a few minutes. A picture that I like to take is when the sun is coming up from behind the mountains and you can see the rays peeking up from behind. I have to take this picture right when I see it because there has been so many times where I wait and when I'm ready to take the picture, the sun has already risen above the mountains and I have to wait until the next morning. Another shot I like is when the sun makes the sky have different colors during a sunrise or sunset. But you have to take those rather quickly or the sun will move and you can never have that exact look or mixture of colors again.

As you can see, the sun can be a really cool resource for lighting or even being the subject of a picture, but the process of capturing a sun lit photo can be challenging. So, being prepared and knowing when to take a picture is vital as a photographer.

#Sightseeing