Tips for better Landscape Photographs: Part 4 - Seeing the Light

Photography is nothing without light.  In fact photography is derived from the Greek phōs "light" and graphé "representation by means of lines" or "drawing".  These two words together meaning "drawing with light".

For landscape photography light is everything and while an image can be planned in advance to some extent, the light is down to the weather on the day you choose to go out to get the planned image.  

Landscape photographers have to a patient lot and I will sometimes wait for hours for the right light or pack up without shooting a single frame if the light doesn't come right.

So what is the right light?  I hear you ask.  Well it depends on what you are shooting and the type of image you wish to create.  Light is the key ingredient, it shapes the subject, adds texture and creates the mood.

For me bright blue skies unbroken by cloud are a complete turn off but for some photographers this is their ideal.  There are some guidelines that can be followed but, as I have already said in a previous post, rules in photography are meant to be challenged and broken when necessary, that is why I refer to them as guidelines rather than rules.

Light Direction
Direction of the light is important, whether the subject is lit from the front, the side or the back.  Beginners in photography are advised to shoot with the sun at their back but can lead to uninspiring images.  Side lighting and back lighting are harder to expose correctly but the results are far more dramatic and inspiring.

The Golden Hour
The best time to shoot landscapes is early morning or late in the evening when the sun is low in the sky.  The shadows are long and the colour temperature is shifted  to the red end of the spectrum.  Shooting with the sun high in the sky means the shadows are short and images can look flat and lifeless.  The colour temperature has also shifted to the blue end of the spectrum.

Pre dawn (and post sunset) light is cool and blue but as the sun starts to come up the colours shift to reds, oranges and pinks.  If there are clouds then they will be lit with these warm colours.  As the sun hits the horizon the light is warm, casting long shadows, highlighting textures and creating ideal light for landscapes.  Once the sun starts to climb the light quickly changes and 30 minutes after the sun has risen the light becomes less than ideal with high contrast and harsh shadows.

However it also depends during which season you are shooting.  Here in Scotland during the winter the sun stays low on the horizon all day, allowing me to stay out longer during good weather conditions.  In the summer the opposite is true, with early morning starts or late evening finishes the norm.

Good and Bad Weather
There is no such thing as good and bad weather for landscape photography.  Sunshine and showers are the landscape photographers best friend and keeping an eye on the weather forecast is a trick of the trade.  Here in East Lothian weather fronts tend to blow through quite quickly and the light ahead of a batch of rain clouds can provide some dramatic light, but be warned it won't last for long so you need to anticipate and react quickly.

If the weather is completely grey and overcast, I tend to head for the woods and shoot using the diffused light that suits this genre of landscape photography.

The only time I pack up and go home is when the rain is set for the whole day and the landscape is completely featureless.

One word of warning though, please do not try to capture waves close up during stormy weather or stand too close to cliff tops.  There have been instances of photographers being swept away by getting too close to big waves.  Not only do they put themselves in danger but they also put others at risk that have to come out to rescue them. Stay safe at all times.

Conclusion
Try to spot good light and use it when you see it.  Anticipate changes in the weather and be prepared.  But most of all experiment with the light, see what works and what doesn't and don't be afraid to get out in bad weather.  

CLICK HERE for Part 3 of this series on Composition
CLICK HERE for Part 2 of this series on Filters
CLICK HERE for Part 1 on this series on Supporting Your Camera

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