Natural Light Photography
Shooting during golden hour, and at night can create spectacular images. However, dealing with light direction or lack there of can be a real challenge. Controlling the light can be done in a variety of ways and is a transferable skill when dealing with light at any time.
What is golden hour? Golden hour is a brief period during the sunrise, and sunset where the light is gold, very soft and creates amazing images. However, it usually only lasts for 15 minutes. This can make it challenging to capture the shot or shots you want. This is when controlling light within your image becomes very important.
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First; pay attention to light direction. When dealing with light whether it’s adding or subtracting from light it is always important to ensure that it is following the angle of the light. We can add or subtract from light in a variety of ways.
Adding light can be done with a reflector. Reflectors can be as simple as a white board and technical as a 5 in one reflector. When shooting in golden hour using a golden defector will be the subtlest way to add light without being extremely obvious. Note (5 in one reflectors can be purchased for $20-$60 CAD). Flashes, flash lights, and light sticks can also be used. However, it important to match the colour and kelvin to the natural light. Using external light sources can ad an interesting level of contrast and contouring light. However, it is important to watch for highlights being burnt out.
Subtracting light can be done by positioning the subject to create shadows and contrast or using of a block board to cover or reduce the amount of light hitting the subject. The 5 in one reflectors come with a built in scrim. A scrim is a semi translucent fabric that softens and spreads the light in a softer manner. Shower curtains can also be used as an alternative. By softening and reducing how the light hits the subject we can create more contrast, contouring, and shape. This will greatly improve the outcome of the photo as it creates a more accurate depth to an image. These concepts also apply to shooting at night. However, there is some slight variations.
Shooting at night can be a challenge if you are concerned about excessive noise, and/or keeping the colour quality as high as possible. Using diffusers, flashes, lights, and bounce lighting are all crucial when attempting to maintain a lower iso. A tripod is also very beneficial as it allows you to lower your shutter speed without the risk of camera shake. When shooting at night you must be even more cautious when filling in light. This is because you are more likely to get hot spots, and light reflections in an unrealistic manner. Just like with golden hour, you must determine the direction of light. This can be challenging, but there is one trick to make it simple. Look for any shadows; either from the lights around hitting the subject or any objects near the subject.
If you are able to place the object/subject directly in the light you can achieve a realistic well light shot.
However, when this can’t be accomplished there are options.
You can attempt to use flashlights, an external flash, light bars, or car and motorcycle headlights. When using any external light source you want to ensure it follows the angle of light, unless you want to over power the lights around the subject, making them act as fill lights. When using external light
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sources be aware you’re going to have to control the angle and kelvin to match the light colour from the area. Skim the light across the subject softly, as you bring the light directly on the object/subject the light will become very harsh and, this can introduce hotspots quite quickly.
However, if you want to achieve a harsh look it is best to use a scrim, bounce or any form of light diffusion can assist in reducing hotspots by spreading the light more gradually. Placing a scrim or bounce can reduce hot spots while still giving you a raw light look with good contrast between shadows and highlights.
Like anything practice makes perfect, and everything is subjective. The best thing you can do is go out; practice shooting and find what you like. Whether that’s appearance, or how you modify or ad light. Everyone has different systems and ways they prefer to shoot; so its important to do what you feel most comfortable with as long as these concepts are being used.
