Working With Natural Lighting – Understanding Illumination
Lighting is a crucial component of any image-based project. Whether it is photography, filmmaking, or videography, lighting can make or break the results. Natural light has been used by photographers and filmmakers alike to create beautiful images, yet many are unaware of the basic principles of illumination. This article looks at the basics of natural light, what it is, and how it can be used to the best effect.
When we talk about natural lighting, we are referring to the sun’s rays as they hit the earth’s surface. Sunlight provides a wide range of different color temperatures which create interesting effects in our images. The color temperature of sunlight changes throughout the day; this is known as its ‘warmth’ factor. Natural sunlight is warmer when the sun is higher in the sky and cooler when lower in the sky or near sunset/sunrise.
In order to work with natural lighting successfully we need to understand how light behaves and where shadows fall under different circumstances. We can determine shadows by positioning objects so they block the sun’s rays from hitting certain areas; these areas become our shadows whilst other illuminated areas become highlights. Shadows are helpful for creating depth within an image, however, strong shadows should be avoided in order for details not to be lost entirely within them. Bright spots meanwhile help bring out colors within images and can also help set moods through their varying intensities; warm tones provide a feeling of warmth whereas colder tones represent calmness or tranquillity.
Shooting during golden hour yields some stunning results. Golden hour occurs shortly after sunrise and before sunset when there’s a softer quality of light that can provide some magical visuals for your project such as glowing around subjects or silhouettes against a bright background. It doesn’t take long for this window to pass though so you have to act fast!
Weather conditions play an essential role in our ability to capture great natural light shots too; clear skies give us more options than grey overcast days which flatten out all contrasts between highlight and shadow areas – making shooting at this time tricky unless you have access to artificial lights! Cloudy days provide softer lighter yet still much harsher than those found during golden hour; this makes shooting outdoors when cloudy a great option if you don’t want too much contrast between highlights and shadows.
Rainy days have their own special kind of beauty too with misty atmospheres providing unique backdrops but worth noting that unless your camera is especially weatherproofed these conditions won’t be suitable for capturing photos outdoors without an umbrella! That being said even indoors rainstorms can allow us to access interesting shots through windows via the effective-use shutter speed combined with a steady tripod stand/surface (ensuring blur does not occur).
Fortunately, on sunny days, we do get direct sunlight which makes shooting outdoors easy – just look out for harsh shadows created by trees, etc if using direct sunlight! Direct sunlight in the early morning or late afternoon hours during summer allows us access to soft golden hour-type lighting without having to wait until closer sunset/sunrise times – so make sure to keep your eyes peeled when scouting location potential spots outdoors at these times!
Different geographical locations offer varying rises & sets times meaning depending on where you are located worldwide will play into when you decide to go outside shoot – knowing localized rise & set times allows us to plan accordingly to maximize the most advantageous moments each day given the specific location chosen in mind – ie further North cities will experience longer twilight periods due increased difference between sunrise/sunset times throughout year compared more central regions stuck standard 12 hours.