Use Light Creatively

Sit in the same position for an hour and you’ll see just how quickly light changes. The direction of light will dramatically affect the way shadows fall in a scene within nature or on a subject.

The word “Photography” comes from Greek word meaning to write or draw with light. Lighting can transform an image, adding a beautiful atmosphere within the photograph with lots of impact to the main subject.

When you visit the countryside just pause and work out where your light source is coming from. Then try and use that light, shadows and darkened areas of the scene to create atmosphere within your images.

Side and back lighting add such alot to a photograph, also having the sun behind you which will illuminate the subject from the front works really well. Sunrise and sunset give you the best results, when the sun is low in the sky.

Here are a few recent images from projects I’ve been working on and also images taken alongside my clients on their various different one to ones and workshops.

My Top Tips –

Don’t be frightened to play with the light and learn from the different effects you can create.

Always put wildlife first and work ethically, the results will show in your images.

Don’t pass off ideas or words of another as your own which is called Plagiarism. This has gotten worse over the last eighteen months or so during lockdown. Plagiarism is the process of taking other people’s words and ideas and pretending that they are your own, with certain photographers calming a certain style or “look” is theirs.

Learn fieldcraft and how to approach your subject. Nature will see and hear you way before you see them. It’s down to you how you manage that first contact. You must always put the welfare of the subject before anything you do.

Always try and be authentic and never be put off trying different things within your photography.

Learn about your subject and just observe them and the natural fall of light and you will be able to capture this within your photography.

I hope this blog post has helped, if you need any further help then please email me here.