Using Light – The Art of Seeing

A camera, no matter how automatic, is a lifeless piece of equipment until a person uses it. It then becomes a uniquely responsive tool, an expression of the photographers eye and creative mind.

Anyone can take amazingly beautiful photographs by simply taking a mental “walk” around a photo opportunity to view it from multiple perspectives. This will always result in important insights and fresh ideas.

Three of the most important factors as you begin to understand the ‘Art of Seeing’, are:

• Light
• Focus
• Composition

Understanding and using these to your advantage to take better photos helps to develop your ‘Art of Seeing’.

Light

The magic of photography lies in the light. Light to a photographer is what paint is to an artist. We can’t make much of a photograph without it.

When considered, objects are not photographed, only the light reflected by the object is photographed. There are very few subjects that emit their own light allowing us to photograph them.

With that in mind, when we talk about lighting we are talking about controlling the light on the subject. In the case of natural light it means selecting the type of light such as direct sunlight, open shade, overcast light and its direction which is determined by the time of day.

Seeing changes in the light on a subject is a key to taking a great photograph. By learning about light you can use it to say much about your subject in any photo. Read more