I am trying out a new blog entry for every first Tuesday of the month , called Tuesday Tips :) The idea is to post useful tid-bits of information about how I go about with my photography. Hopefully this will benefit at least some of you who like to think differently and go after results that stand out from the mundane. Let me know in the comments if you like the idea!
Alright, so here is this Tuesday's photography Tip : All light is good light when used well.
There's a lot of talk about photographing in the golden hour, which is ok, since the light that hits your subjects sideways is going to give more form and contrast. There is also the warmth of the evening light light which looks pleasing to most eyes. But shooting only in that one kind of light will create a monotony among your images. I am a big believer in breaking monotony in every aspect of my life, it keeps things fresh and interesting and it has translated into my photography too. I firmly believe that light, no matter what time of the day it is, can produce great results if used well, depending on the subject that you are shooting and the mood that you are after.
Pair of juvenile Great Egrets.
Camera : Nikon D500 | Focal Length : 600mm | Exposure : 1/2000 | Aperture : f/8 | ISO : 400
Great Egret in flight.
Camera : Nikon D500 | Focal Length : 600mm | Exposure : 1/2000 | Aperture : f/6.3 | ISO : 400
Great Egret mom and chicks.
Camera : Nikon D500 | Focal Length : 600mm | Exposure : 1/2000 | Aperture : f/9 | ISO : 400
These photographs of Great egrets were shot at around 1 PM, traditionally a time that we avoid while going out to take photos, since noon light is usually dismissed off as harsh light that gives strong unpleasant shadows and blown out highlights. What we tend to forget though is that, because noon light is so strong, they bounce more off surfaces, especially when these surfaces are light colored (just like the egret's feathers!), filling light into the shadowed areas. Any how, the point is, photographing these birds in "boring" light gave me some decent photographs that ended up as keepers! So before you judge any light and dismiss it off as unusable, take a chance and experiment with your camera and surprise yourself!