The Ultimate Way to Find Dramatic Light for Your Outdoor Photos
A little known secret every photographer must know about outdoor photos and light
What's the most important component of outdoor photos? If you were to ask this question to groups of new photographers, amateur photographers, and professional photographers, you get the same answer. Light!
Master photographer Rob Sheppard agrees. During our interview, however, Rob took the concept of light to a completely new level. When I asked him how to discover what other photographers call "good light" and "interesting light" his response blew me away!
Discover the secret to dramatic light
Outdoor photos are all about light. But not using light to its full potential is a mistake many new and seasoned photographers both make. What do I mean?
Let's say you wait all day long for dusk to come. Now the lighting is perfect to take photos of that water fountain in the middle of the downtown mall. No harsh shadows. No overwhelmingly illuminated bright areas and heavy shadows make up the frame.
Will the photos turn out well? Probably. Are they as dramatic as they could be? Probably not.
Capture dramatic light
So try this. Go out to that fountain earlier and see if you can find what Rob calls "dramatic light." What is dramatic light? It's light that makes eye-catching, but not overwhelming, lighting contrast. It's light that magnifies the subject.
Think about a play. When the director wants a certain character to be the center of attention, he puts a spot light on the actor. You can use the same concept with photography subjects, in this case the water fountain.
Maybe the sun shadows a part of the mall but illuminates that fountain at a particular time in the day. Catch the glimmer of the sun reflecting off the water while the background is shaded over.
Or you can try the reverse. Put the sun behind the fountain for a dramatic backlight. The backlight will darken the fountain but illuminate the edges if you get it right.
Play with your lighting. See if you can come up with some awe inspiring photos. It might take a lot of tries to get a great shot. But most likely you use digital, so you have nothing to lose by taking as many photos as possible.
Try this exercise out
The next time you want to go out and snap photos just for fun, don't look for subjects. Look for light instead. You might be surprised at some of the awesome opportunities the combination of illumination and shadow creates. They're opportunities you might not ever notice if you shoot with a subject in mind. Do this exercise, and you'll soon be noticing dramatic more and more.
Remember, don't ask light what it can do for you. Manipulate that light and make it do what you want it to do. Your outdoor photos will never be the same.
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