LIFE

in natural
LIGHT
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
a book
by Rachel Devine
Written by: Rachel Devine
www.racheldevine.com

Publisher: Darren Rowse

www.digital-photography-school.com

Producer: Jasmin Tragas

www.wonderwebby.com

Graphic Design: Naomi Creek

naomi@naomicreek.com

Life in Natural Light

Version 1.0 ©Copyright 2015 Rachel Devine

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical
or otherwise without prior written consent from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
You may store the pdf on your computer and backups. You may print one copy of this book for your own personal use.

Disclaimer:
The information contained in this book is based on the author’s experience, knowledge and opinions.
The author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.
Contents
Introduction_______________________________ 6
The importance of light__________________ 7
A brief history of photography_________________ 9
How do we ‘see’ light?_______________________ 9
How does a camera ‘see’ light?_______________10
Why photographers love light_________________11
Why Rachel loves light_______________________12
Getting started with light_______________ 14
Examining different kinds of light______________15
Flat light________________________________15
Soft light________________________________18
Window light___________________________19
Open shade____________________________20
Back light_______________________________21
Dappled light___________________________23
Hard directional light_____________________25
Dramatic light___________________________28
Heavenly light___________________________29
Low light_______________________________30
Light by the clock____________________________32
Dawn__________________________________32
Sunrise_________________________________32
Noon light______________________________33
Golden hour____________________________34
Dusk/twilight____________________________35
No light________________________________36
Tips for working with light_____________ 37
Bouncing natural light________________________38
Softening natural light_______________________38
Flagging natural light_____________________38
Flare___________________________________38
Avoiding chromatic aberration_____________38
Diffraction______________________________39
Vignette issues__________________________39
Exposing for the subject______________________39
Silhouette_______________________________40
Post-processing_________________________ 41
Tools: Lightroom_____________________________42
Global adjustments______________________42
Local adjustments________________________45
Tools: Photoshop____________________________46
Local adjustments________________________46
Black and white photography
and natural light___________________52
Lines, shapes and patterns____________________53
Dark and light Images_______________________54
Low key (dark shot)______________________54
High key (bright shot)____________________55
Contrast___________________________________56
Your DSLR camera and light
– common Q&As_______________________ 57
Maximizing light in smartphone
cameras________________________________ 63
Image walkthrough__________________________65
Light___________________________________66
Taking the shot__________________________66
Post-processing__________________________67
From vision to final image_____________ 68
Landscape_________________________________69
Bad weather beauties________________________72
Evening light portrait – two ways______________76
Pets _______________________________________78
Window light – three ways___________________80
Flowers____________________________________82
Featured guests and specialties________ 85
Diyosa: Film________________________________86
Alix Martinez: Underwater___________________87
Laura Morita: Full sun________________________88
Summer Murdoch: Low light__________________89
Kate T. Parker: Deep shadows and backlight____90
Taryn Boyd: Newborns in soft bright light_______91
Dale Taylor: Sunset__________________________92
Leanne Bertram: Interiors_____________________93
Conclusion______________________________ 95
Share the love__________________________ 96
 About the author
Rachel Devine is a professional photographer by trade,
mother of three children, author of two books and the
creative mind behind photography blog Sesame Ellis. She
first learned how to capture on film the light that continues
to fascinate her when she was only 14. In 1995, she
opened her first photography business taking natural
light family portraits and head shots for child actors and
models in Los Angeles, California. While the focus of her
work has changed over the 30 years since she first started
photography, she has never put the camera down.

Rachel recently founded littleSIDEKLICK, an original

program to help parents share the legacy of photography
with their children by putting their kids behind the camera.
It is her passion to help people who want to learn how to
record the beauty in their lives and see the extraordinary
in the ordinary.

website: www.sesameellis.com

facebook: facebook.com/sesameellis

twitter: @sesameellis

instagram: sesameellis
Photo by Linda Nguyen
A word from Darren Rowse
When we began talking about who we should get to write this book on using natural
light, Rachel Devine was at the top of our list. Not only is she someone who has
produced some great dPS ebooks in the past – she’s also a photographer many of our
team have asked to photograph their families – simply because we all love the way
Rachel uses natural light.

Her ability to capture moments using nature’s most powerful photographic tool made it
obvious we needed her to write specifically about this subject for our readers.

In this ebook you’ll find everything you need to understand how natural light works,
when to use it, how to process photos and tell your stories using the power of the sun.

I hope you enjoy the beautiful images and practical tips in this guide and that it makes
all the difference to your photography.

Darren Rowse
Editor of Digital Photography School
Introduction
I have always been drawn to light.
As a child I remember desperately
trying to recreate the beauty of what I
saw around me with piles of crayons
and inadequate skill. It wasn’t until
age 14 when I was given my first
camera that I finally had the ability
to accurately record all the glorious
light. For the last three decades,
I have been recording my visual story
in these frames of light.
From first morning light to the setting
of the sun, your story unfolds and our
world is ready to be photographed.
The light is there, free to use and
powerful in its ability to narrate your
visual story. I think that one of the
most offered bits of advice to new
photographers is for them to turn
off their flash. For the longest time
I just assumed that it was because
teaching flash photography was
complicated and multilayered. As
I think more about that advice, and
put together this book for you, I know
that it is the same desire to share the
love of natural light and the sun’s
ability to grace our daily lives; the
light might fall short and create deep
shadows, or it might bounce around
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your subject wrapping your visual
story up in bright warmth. The story
that you have to tell is beautiful and
unique. We might share the same
light, but we each have our own tale
to tell with it. The ways that it can be
exposed or manipulated are varied
and I aim to share those tips with you
here.
Before we get started, I want to
mention a few things. I am writing this
book for photographers of all levels,
but it will focus on how to make the
best of natural light in photography.
The images in this book, with the
exception of the examples from our
guest photographers, are all taken
from my life. They are how I see and
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share the world around me. Not
every photo I take is with a DSLR.
In fact this ebook contains shots from
many different cameras including
Nikon SLRs (yes, film cameras!),
Nikon DSLRs, Fuji compact cameras,
an iPhone, Android smartphones,
underwater point and shoot and, more
recently, the Olympus micro 4/3rds
mirrorless system. There really isn’t
a moment that goes by where I am
without a camera of some sort.
With that said, all of the information
presented here can be used with any
camera. While a topic such as natural
light might seem like something for
beginners only, I have met many
competent photographers who have
made it quite far without maximizing
all the various ways that natural light
surrounds them – photographers who
pack away their gear as soon as
there is a hint of rain on the horizon,
or others who swear they will never
take a photo at midday. This book
is for them. This will obviously be a
great reference source for those just
starting to discover their passion
for photography. No matter your
camera or level, I am writing with
the assumption that the reader will
have a working knowledge of the
exposure triangle.
So, if you don’t know what I mean by
that or you need a refresher, here is
how I remember it.
Introduction 6

An image is made by recording the
light. Exposure is a fluid equation of
the three elements in your control:
ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture.
Changes to one of these will either
change the resulting exposure or
maintain the proper exposure, and
will require the other two to be
adjusted as well. Who adjusts the
other two elements, whether it is the
photographer shooting in full manual
mode or it is left to the camera to
adjust in one of the partially automatic
modes, does not matter as long as the
understanding is there. I often have my
settings on Aperture Priority and let the
camera decide on Shutter Speed and
ISO as I know that ultimately in that
situation I can control one aspect of
the image – the depth of field. When
I am looking to create something
that requires more fine tuning,
I will shoot in manual. I will go into
more detail about how to control the
light in camera in this book. In fact I
cover a lot of different things in this
book so let me answer two major
questions for you right now.
What this book is
This book is a discussion of natural light
and photography. It is a celebration of
photographing life with an overview
of how light changes throughout the
day. It is a primer on all the different
ways that you as a photographer can
learn to see the natural light as a part
of your story. It is a guide on how
to approach natural light as well as
how to expose properly for the light
in camera. It is to get you thinking
about, and out looking for, light all
through the day. There are sections
to inspire as well as instruct. I cover
different types of natural light that you
could run into over the course of the
day, including things to watch out
for, and special considerations like
weather, seasons and time of day. I
share my simple post processing steps
to show how I get the best result in a
final image from the light recorded as
well as giving an overview of the most
basic editing to enhance the natural
light. There is even an introduction to
some additional visual voices who are
making the most of the natural light in
their life and imagery.
What this book isn’t
This book is not a boring technical
guide that will just tell you what
settings to program and move on to
the next thing. It isn’t going to leave
out the soul or the story. This ebook is
not going to even touch the subject of
artificial light. There will be no fancy
lighting set ups, nor structured how-
to projects with lighting step by step
diagrams. I will not tell you how to
photograph a home for real estate
brochures or a shiny car for a poster.
Structure of this book
This book strives to take readers on
a journey through the importance of
light in photography, from concept
through to results. Chapter one
shares notes about the history of
photography and the way light is
perceived not only by our eyes but by
the camera, too. It is important to know
that light is a tool, friend, illuminator,
communicator and something to
appreciate and respect. Chapter
two is an in-depth look at light, the
various kinds of it situationally,
as well as chronologically, over a
day;  while Chapter three will be
where we start to roll our sleeves up
with specific tips for working with
light. Not everyone (or anyone!) can
take the perfect photo in camera
every time, so Chapter four tackles
the subject of post processing
and shows how a photo can be
improved with certain modifications.
Chapter five addresses natural light
when it comes to black and white
photography; and Chapter six will
cover common Q&As before I move
on to the rapidly growing subject of
smartphone photography in Chapter
seven. Chapter eight contains five in-
depth examinations of various natural
light situations and how I ultimately
achieved the look of the final images.
In Chapter nine I highlight the work
of nine photographers who work
with light beautifully. 
Introduction 7
Light is ephemeral. It fades and changes before your eyes. The only way
you can keep it and share it with others is through photography. You may
hear people refer to taking pictures as ‘chasing light’ and this is so fitting.
As you become familiar with natural light, you will notice how it really dances
and staggers through the day. At first mention, daylight might seem like a
bland term that simply describes 12 hours out of every 24 (depending on
the season), but those who are captivated by daylight know the truth:
there are thousands of different meanings to the term. Not every minute,
but certainly every hour, can provide something new. Some afternoons
I actually see the light as leaving dappled little footprints across my floor. Light
has personality.

You will learn to anticipate it and seek it out. But before you can capture it,
you have to be able to see its worth and the many layers light can bring to
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a photograph.

THE IMPORTANCE OF LIGHT

The importance of light 8
 A brief history
of photography
Photography is from Greek roots and
actually means ‘to draw with light’.
Knowing the origin of the word,
it should come as no surprise that
light is what makes a photograph.
In the early 1800s many men
attempted to use the light of the sun
to paint the scenes of life for them.
It wasn’t until  1826 Frenchman,
Nicéphore Niépce, set up a machine
in his studio window and created
the first lasting image from a camera
over the course of an entire day, that
humanity  saw the lasting recording
of light as a real possibility.  This
era is considered the dawn of
photography as Louis Daguerre and
Henry Fox Talbot simultaneously
raced each other for the title of
‘father’ of what would become the
art of photography.  compelled to share with others.
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How do we
‘see’ light?
The camera and the human eye
both see light, record the value of it
reflecting off an object, and translate
that information into an image. Things
get complicated and scientific from
there, but we do need to establish a
few points of difference if we want to
learn to recreate the best versions of
what we see through our camera. We
see light with emotion built in, but the
camera’s sensor is only translating the
light into a picture. The camera is the
machine that does the job of writing
our tale in light. It isn’t just the light,
but how we see it and what it means
to us. The human heart and mind
are working with our eyes to build a
story from the light and subject. It is
that combination of elements mixed
in with our experiences that we are
The importance of light 9
How does a camera ‘see’ light?
All through history, photographers have looked to master ways of fixing
light to a page.  Many different stops and starts happened  in the  journey of
photography before we got to this point where tiny  cameras live inside our
phones. This means at any time light drapes itself around a moment in our lives
we can capture it for all to see.

Then again, that moment that we see painted with light in front of our eyes will
look different through the camera. There are many reasons for this. With the
right understanding of your tools, the light and the limitations of the camera
versus the human eye, you will be able to do so much more than just record
a moment. We see light in a way that is multilayered with input from all our
senses as well as memories of past experiences, while the camera just collects
data and translates that into an image. The dynamic range of a camera is very
different from the human eye, and while it can collect so much information, the
real talent of a photographer lies in their ability to help their viewer see what
they saw … or better yet, not what they actually saw, rather what they want
people to see. 

While our eyes are much better than any camera can be, I love photography
for the power that it gives me to tell a story in one frame. As our eyes look at a
scene, our brain processes the moment with not only the light and subject, but
all that emotion attached to personal experiences. That is one of the reasons
why two people standing next to each other can look at the same subject and
see such different things. 

Some photographers love deeper colors with hard contrast while others prefer
to create bright and soft imagery. No matter their results, all photographers
have one thing in common: they know how to find, use and manipulate light
to get the shots they want to create. While some prefer to create their own
artificial illumination, I would argue that the best light is the ubiquitous and free
light of the sun. It is such a versatile and powerful tool that can simply light an
object or tell a complex story full of emotion with just the artistry of a skilled
photographer shaping it.

ISO 500, f/2.8, 1/125sec, 35mm, DSLR Full Frame

 Why photographers love light
Photographers know that they need light to create their images. It is the deeper
study and understanding of the natural light always around them that I hope to
encourage. Photography is my medium to get people to see the world the way
I see the world, even if it is just a few moments.

One thing that I see all the time, appreciate, and want to share with others, is
light. Light theory in visual storytelling often refers to ‘cinematography’, but I
think it is equally as important for still photographers to understand a bit of light
theory. Moving or not, images tell the story of our lives and the light in them is
one of the most powerful visual elements. 

Light doesn’t only describe life; think about dark moods and bright personalities.
Knowing that there are some universal references to light in life makes it easy
to translate with imagery.

There are a few more complex things to bring into images. The western world
reads from left to right, so when there is darkness on the right side of the
frame, it tends to be foreboding for the viewer. Commonly, people say to put
a spotlight on something to give it importance. Placing brighter spots of light
on your intended subject will direct the viewer’s attention inside your image.
Even the color of light can be a visual clue for viewers of your photograph –
with blue hues of cool light to imbue an image with a tinge of sadness, and the
warm tones around sunset bringing a sense of hope.

All of this light around us is free for the taking.  With camera  equipment
anywhere from ten dollars to tens of thousands (and more), the most important
tool in our kit as photographers is the light, which costs us nothing.
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The importance of light 11

Why Rachel loves light
Can you see the heart in the background? Maybe it looks more like a butterfly
to you. Some see a fairy, and one person said that it looked like an angel with
her wings spread. Look closely at the top left quarter of the frame - you will
see that the leaves have made a border with the space in the branches in the
background, which lets light shine through. We all bring our own experiences
to the way we see life, and the light in it. Each one of our different points of
view is valid and valuable. That is why it is so important that if you are drawn
to light and photography you learn all you can about becoming better at
seeing light and capturing it. We can stand in the same spot and see different
things. We can stand side by side, each with cameras and yet walk away with
completely different photographs. I was on a walk in my neighborhood when
the light began stealing my attention away from the beautiful flowers with a
subtle sign. It was my birthday and I saw this heart as a hidden gift.

There are times I forget that not everyone gets as excited about light as I
do. Those moments are usually when I am stopped in my tracks, holding up
something or someone important, because I can’t believe how amazing the
light is. From the ethereal morning fog to the warm power of the last rays of
sun throwing themselves out from behind the clouds, I am in awe. The day light
provides so many different ways to illuminate the story of my days, and all I
need is the ability to appreciate it, the knowledge of how to work with it and
a camera to capture it.
ISO 400, f/2, 1/125sec, 25mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

The importance of light 12

 There are so many photographs that I have taken over the years that could
illustrate my point here and perfectly explain why I love photographing the
way light touches my life, but I want to pick one in particular to share with you.

This image of my children was taken while we were on holiday in Hawaii to

celebrate the wedding of my husband’s best friend. The first evening that we
were in Kauai, my husband went out to catch up with a friend for a drink as
they currently live in two different countries. The kids and I were left to explore
our gorgeous accommodation on our own. We happened to be staying on a
golf course that bordered the ocean. Like a lot of evenings during June on the
island, a late afternoon thunderstorm swept through and meant we were stuck
in our holiday apartment for dinner. Typical of these storms, the rains did not
linger and by the time our bellies were full, the sky was dry and clearing. As
it was summer, the sun was yet to set and the air was still quite warm despite
being early evening. We did not even bother with shoes as the kids wanted
to see as much as they could see before the darkness set in. We ran over the
deserted course and cartwheeled in the soft wet blades of grass. The kids
rushed ahead of my camera and me to catch a glimpse of the sea from the top
of one of the many little hills.

It has been nearly a year since that trip and while it was a memorable event,
we don’t always remember every moment of every day we spend on holiday.
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Yet sitting here, looking at this image I can see it all. Everything comes
flooding back of this moment. The warmth of the golden tones reminds me of
that beautiful summer weather. The multi-toned hues of the billowy clouds, the
brilliant greens in the grass all from that intense setting sun breaking through
after the storm. I have not captured their faces, but I can see them clearly in my
mind. I know their expression of joy and wonder of being allowed to stay up
later than normal just from that deepening exposure on their forms. The light
that says so clearly that it was almost time to go back before we no longer had
a way to illuminate our path; last light before darkness has signaled children
for ages that it was time to head inside.

The importance of light 13

 To work with light is first to know it. Often photographers don’t necessarily know the type
of light they want to work with, but are very clear on the resulting look they are after.
Being familiar with how natural light manifests over the day, as well as under certain
transforming situations, is key in marrying both vision and knowledge. If you want to
make the most of the light in your home, you will have to observe it over the course of
the day. Mornings might be best for the windows in the front room, while the back door
transforms to the spot to be in the afternoon. There may be a room that gets great light
all day long depending on your hemisphere and home positioning. In the Southern
Hemisphere it would be a South-facing room while in the Northern Hemisphere it is the
North-facing rooms to avoid ever having direct sunlight streaming into the room. Then
again, you might be after an image with distinct light. As the photographer, it is your
task to take the vision in your mind and use the camera and light as tools to create a
photograph.

The sun will provide all sorts of light and it can be rather unpredictable. Here are a
selection of the types of natural light you need to be familiar with. Knowing what to
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expect from the situation and what works well to get the best results from each different
type of light is key to getting the image you want right in camera. This saves you a lot
of time in post processing and sometimes saves an image altogether – not everything
is fixable, as you will see later on.

GETTING
There isn’t necessarily good light and bad light. Like natural light itself, there are
variations and people have their favorites. I do think that certain light is better suited to
certain subjects, but there are often times to just make it work with a few modifications
or simply by looking around for a different angle. Literally, look around. I think as

STARTED
photographers we can get into a rut of seeing light and using light in certain ways.
When you take the time to turn around or walk a little to one side or the other, you will
see the light falling just that much differently. Be open to opportunity. To photograph
light, one must also be comfortable with the shadows. There is a pervasive feeling that
to get the best shot one needs a lot of light, but, to me, that is only telling one part of a

WITH LIGHT
story. If the light is dim or the shadows are deep, think about how you can work those
elements into the image in a creative way. How will you use light as a tool instead of
trying to wait for it to change to suit your idea? Learn to ask questions of yourself as
you view different light of the day. How does that light make you feel? Let the answers
to those questions guide how you employ the light.

Getting started with light 14

Examining different kinds of light
Flat light
Flat light is what I call the gloom that is so pervasive inside a home on a rainy day. While it
might be good for an afternoon nap, it is a bit tricky to photograph well. The light appears
to have no real direction. It is falling so softly and evenly that there is no definition to the
subject and therefore no real shadows.

Flat light can be very boring or it can be quite beautiful. How you work with the tones, the
colors (or lack of color) and the styling will be key. If you do not have shadows to help tell
your story, you must look for something else to give the image depth. Flat light can come
from a foggy day where the light bounces around in the diffusion process and breaks up the
direction. It can also happen undercover on an overcast day. The light appears dull as well ISO 320, f/5, 1/500sec, 85mm, DSLR Full Frame

as dim. While a foggy scene can be quite dramatic, most of the interest in the image will
come not from the light, but from the situation and composition.

As I walked down to the lake in Zurich, the fog was retreating a bit, but still gave a nice haze
to the morning scene obscuring the distinct line between the harbor’s entrance and the sky.
The reflection of the fog in the surface of the water gave both the top and bottom halves of
the frame a complete white look. I waited for the boat on the left to emerge from the distance
and happened to catch one of birds taking flight on the right so that the image would have
subjects that contrasted the flat foggy background.

The key to making a shot pop when lit with the flat light of fog is to have a subject of stark
contrast in the foreground. The closer the subject is to the camera in a foggy situation, the
more distinct they will appear. The further back, the more lost in the fog they will become.
That isn’t a problem if you are looking to create a mysterious image and the photographer
can use contrasting colors or deep tones to help the subject stand out in their shot.

While I liked how the fog settled on the waters of the bay behind the defined ledge of the
wall, obscuring the horizon line and creating a sense of foreboding, it wasn’t until I saw my
daughter in her red dress stopped in front of me that I really saw the photo I wanted to make.
The red dress added an additional dimension to the shot that was missing in the flat light. ISO 200, f/3.5, 1/125sec, 14mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

Getting started with light 15

 The term ‘flat light’ in photography refers to the lack of definition in the resulting
image. If the light is from an overcast day, and your image is feeling flat, you
can shoot with a longer lens and a shallow depth of field to create a sense of
separation between subject and background. While there are no real deep
shadows in this image of white flowers shot on an overcast day, the sharp
focus on a certain grouping next to others that are thrown into blur with a wide
aperture counteracts the shortcomings of the light. Photographs taken in this
sort of light can tend to underexpose as the camera meter will see everything
as a medium grey.

You may have to use a higher ISO or secure your camera to a tripod to avoid
camera shake (especially if you are using a longer lens). These are great days
to head out and photograph running water, though, as the less intense light
allows for longer exposure time and the ability to capture the sense of the
water’s movement with blur.
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Getting started with light 16

One other unexpected source of
this light comes from smog or even
smoky air. (I know because I lived in
Los Angeles for a long time.) While
smog isn’t as nice for photos as fog
is, it presents similar issues with the
added complication of discoloration.
In the middle of the day, smog is
going to obscure your long distance
landscape shots with a brown layer
of haze, but come sunset, the sky
will offer some of the most dramatic
displays of color you will ever see as
it sets through that same thickened
atmosphere.

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Getting started with light 17

 Soft light
Soft light and flat light often get confused, but there is one major difference –
shadows. Soft light may be gentle with the illumination falling somewhat evenly
throughout the image, the light is clearly directional and gives definition to the
subject without the harshness of other directional light.

Soft light comes from large filtered light sources like overcast days or frosted
windows. The larger the light source, the softer the light, so if you haven’t got
the benefit of cloud cover, you can add a layer of diffusion with sheer white
curtains over a window. There is a slow fall off of light away from the source,
but it will not be as dramatic as true directional light. The fall off of light is
gradient from bright to shadow created by the reach of the light. If your room
has multiple windows facing different directions, you can have the benefit of all
that soft natural light bouncing around the room. This is an easy type of image
to make as the exposure for the image is fairly consistent. There is not a large
difference to figure out for shadows and highlights.

This is a beautiful light for portraits, but you still have to watch for where the
shadows fall. An overcast day at noon will still produce distracting shadows on
a subject’s face. Those shadows will just not be as dark.

Soft light allows for the photographer to get directly between the light source
ISO 640, f/2.8, 1/80sec, 60mm, DSLR Full Frame
and the subject without causing the subject to squint and allowing for catching
sparkling lights in the eyes. While children are easy to photograph in pretty
much any light as their youthful skin doesn’t have much texture, adults will
benefit from the smoothing effect of soft light for portraits. Positioning the subject
at a very slight angle to the main source of light will allow the soft shadow to
gently outline their facial features to give the image some depth without calling
attention to any fine lines or blemishes.

ISO 400, f/3.2, 1/250sec, 22mm, DSLR digital crop

Getting started with light 18

ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/200sec, 55mm, DSLR Full Frame ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/500sec, 70mm, DSLR Full Frame ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/500sec, 70mm, DSLR Full Frame

Window light
Oh, window light! How I love the many different ways there are to use window light. I am putting this here between the soft and hard light descriptions because
window light can serve up both! For most of the day, the light from a window is soft. If the morning sun is streaming in, the subject can be just at the edge of the
block of light and still get the benefit of soft illumination.

At the end of the day, the setting sun coming in through the slats of blinds or lace curtains can make the most beautiful patterns on the wall. Depending on the
time of day and season, the light can be anywhere from golden to apricot or even a fiery orange. This happens in my bedroom at home and it is one of my
favorite places to take photographs of my children. In fact, it is just one of my favorite places to sit with my children as we watch the light fade away with one last
spectacular show. While some people like to watch the sun set at the beach, I can honestly say that I love to watch it set on my bedroom wall.

Getting started with light 19

Open shade
While the sun is high in the sky, natural light outside will be contrast-y and give
a sharp feeling to your shots. If you are unable to go inside and are looking
for something a bit softer, finding open shade will be your best bet.  Parks
will oftentimes have covered picnic areas that work well to flag the overhead
light. Parking garage entrance ways, deep doorways and covered porches all
provide perfect photographic havens from the noon sun. Just because you are
outside at noon doesn’t mean you can’t get flattering natural light.  Just look
around and pay attention to the light.

ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/640sec, Point and Shoot

Getting started with light 20

Back Light
As the name suggests, back light is
when the main light of the photograph
is behind your subject. There are
really two ways to approach this
type of light without using artificial
light sources or delving into HDR.

Let’s look at some of the ways you

can overcome the problems that
might arise with this tricky, but
gorgeous, light before I expand on
exposing for the subject later in the
book. The first thing to figure out is
how to get some light onto the front
of your subject and the easiest way
is by reflecting the main light as it
is coming from behind. The obvious
solution is to have a reflective surface
in front of your subject. The choices ISO 640, f/1.8, 1/800sec, 25mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
for this are many and varied and all
carry benefits as well as drawbacks.
your subject and help you achieve compensation controls. It isn’t just a small focal area to fill the entire
You can use a wall, but watch out for
a balanced exposure without losing the metering that might struggle with LCD so that you can see precisely
color cast from the shade of paint,
the magic that comes from this type the confusing light, but your auto what you are doing. Even in manual
and the subject needs to be close to
of light. focus system as well. You will need focus mode the camera should also
that surface for maximum reflecting
to make sure that the focal spot is on indicate when the image is in focus
benefit, which means not much room To get the most control over your
something of significant contrast like by illuminating the green light.
for you and your camera to get in exposure, try your hand at manual
the line of clothing against skin – or
between. Other options are flat settings here. At least start with a wide
be brave and swap to manual focus
reflective surfaces on the ground aperture and Aperture Priority mode
mode. To help ensure sharp focus,
in front of your subject, like sandy with spot metering on your subject.
forego the viewfinder for live view
beaches or a sidewalk. These will You can quickly add light or reduce
mode on the LCD. You can enlarge
pop that natural light back up onto the exposure with your exposure

Getting started with light 21

Consider how you place your subject
in relation to the sun. Obviously, from
the name of this light, you want the
sun in the back, but you can play with
this to an extent. Move your camera
around in front of your subject and
see the difference it makes to your
image when the subject is completely
blocking the sun versus having some
light peek out around the edge.
Oftentimes you will be able to get a
brilliant star-like flare of light that can
add just that much more to your shot.
If you are using a lens hood to protect
your image from lens flare, take it off
and practice with placing the flare
instead of hiding it. Just make sure
the streaks of light don’t obscure
anything important. They should add
to the visual story, not distract from it.
If the sun is a bit higher in the sky
than direct back light suggests,
ensure your subject has a darker
background. With the sun high,
but still behind your subject, the
deep tones in the background will
help make your subject pop and
enhance the glowing rim of light
around them. Sometimes you can
get this glorious back light at nearly
midday in the heart of the city as the
buildings act as a natural flag and Tip:
the pavement a wonderful reflector. If you are going for a ghostly out of focus look on purpose, you might have
The same goes for a wooded area to turn off the setting in the camera menu that only allows the shutter to fire
as the canopy of trees will limit the when focus is achieved. This is a great setting to make sure you do not end
overhead sun and the bouncing light up with a whole lot of soft images, but can be frustrating when you are
behind your subject will appear to trying to stretch your artistic wings a bit.
be stronger back light. If your natural
fill light is being reflected off grass,
be aware that you may see a yellow
or green color cast on the front of
your subject. You can fix this in post
processing, but it is better to be
aware of it ahead of time and avoid
it at the time of shooting by using a
more neutral colored reflector like tan
bark or sandy dirt. If you are able
to plan ahead, just throw a white
towel or sheet in your camera kit to
place on the grass just in front of the
subject and out of frame. Once you
have captured the backlit scene, you
can still do a bit to enhance it all in
post processing. Most often you will
need to increase the contrast of the
image to combat the natural haze
from the light entering the lens at
this angle. Overall, I find this to be
quite romantic light and using it can
add an air of hopefulness and love
to even the most desperate subjects.
ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/125sec, 40mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
Getting started with light 22
 ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/25sec, 17mm, DSLR digital crop

Dappled light
While back light is something many photographers seek, dappled light tends
to send others running scared! The funny thing is, dappled light can be just as
magical as back light and the same tips apply to both. That said, the character
of dappled light is a bit different and not every image needs to be a completely
even and balanced exposure. Sometimes the story that you are trying to tell
can be found in the shadows or expressed in the placement of bright spots of
light. This is the case in dappled light situations if they are done well.  As you
look for somewhere to take pictures outside in the middle of a sunny day, large
trees will offer you areas of open shade. They are an excellent refuge of soft
light – with some sneaky pitfalls from above, the little pools of light that escape
through breaks in the branch cover and settle on the ground. Used well, the
drops of light in the image can enhance the atmosphere of a landscape.

EXIF unrecorded, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

Getting started with light 23

However, these hot spots of dappled light can make or break a portrait. If the
image you are trying to create needs even lighting throughout, you must scan
your viewfinder and avoid any of these patches of light falling on your subject.
One or two landing on the heads or faces or even arms of a subject can be
really distracting and, as they are relatively difficult to fix in post processing
depending on where they appear, can ruin your shot. Conversely, if you are
creating a moody image, the pattern of light juxtaposed to the deeper shadows
can work in your favor. Play with the placement of the dappled light so that
only the eyes are lit, for example, or use the pattern of light to reflect something
else in your image like the freckles in the black and white shot. Move your
subject around and watch where the light falls on them. Metering the scene
with your spot meter set on the patch of light will throw the rest of the image
into deeper shadows.

Tip:
Sunny 16 Rule. Back in the
old film days, there used to be
a set of starting exposure rules
printed on the back of the film
box. One of these is the Sunny
16 Rule. It holds true today, and
says basically that if your ISO is
200, on a sunny day you can
set the camera to f16 and shoot
with a shutter speed of 1/200
(or 1/250) and achieve  correct
exposure. If you change your
ISO, the Shutter Speed will
change as those two number
values correlate in this “rule.” 

ISO 200, f/5.5, 1/250sec, 35mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

Getting started with light 24

 Hard directional light
Hard directional (front and side)
light is mostly found in the hours
leading up to and right after noon.
Midday light is directional, but
gets its own little section. While
all light has direction because it
comes from somewhere, there are
some situations that have very
defined directional light. This strong,
unfiltered light is very obvious  as to
which way it is coming from. Inside
it casts shadows on the floors as it
flows in through the  windows and
outside  it casts  a long shadow with
hard edges. Incorporate the shadows
in your photography as they are an
additional element of storytelling that
comes with this rich light.
ISO 100, f/4.5, 1/680sec, Point and Shoot

Getting started with light 25

 ISO 200, f/3.5, 1/2000sec, 25mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
FRONT LIGHT
Front light is defined by the light coming from behind the photographer. It can
be quite harsh for portraits as it would require the subject to look directly at the
sun, but for a travel photographer it can be a sweet set up. Directional light
really makes colors pop and the hard shadows define the edges of buildings
in a very structured way. Get out and walk around new locations (you don’t
even have to leave your hometown, take a photo walk in your own city) at
11am or 3pm on a sunny day and notice how the lines of everything become
accentuated with the contrast between light and shadow. If you are travelling,
this is the time to focus on the colors of the scene around you.
ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/250sec, 40mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
SIDE LIGHT
Side lighting is from the same light source as front light, but is defined by
putting the light to the side of your camera and your subject. Some subjects,
like buildings, obviously can’t be moved, but you can walk around them with
your camera. The key to side lighting is to find the best angle by either moving
yourself or the subject so that the light falls in a way that curves and details are
highlighted, while the shadows retain enough light to be detailed. This light
gives your images a really three-dimensional feeling as the viewer can clearly
see all the curves and texture to your subject. If the light is not bright enough
to bring detail to the shadows, you can use a piece of white poster board to
reflect some natural light back into them.
Getting started with light 26
 EXIF unrecorded, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

Deep contrast
You can’t talk about light without talking about shadows! Shadows are created
by the light being blocked. They are very definite areas of dark with little to no
gradient between their edge and the light. Shadows can be the subject of the
photograph themselves or just part of the story.
EXIF unrecorded, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

Getting started with light 27

 Dramatic light
While some light can be described as
gentle and soft, dramatic light comes
streaming in bold and unexpected,
shifting around the scene like a
surprise guest. Most of the time it is
associated with a storm clearing as
the contrast between the dark sky
and the radiant light is very dramatic.
It could just be the intense color of the
light or it could be the rainbow that
appears when there is a break in the
clouds in one part of the sky while
the rain is falling in another.

Hint:
To catch a rainbow when the sun
comes out in a rainstorm, just
turn your back to the sun as the
rainbow is always in the sky in
the opposite direction. 

ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/200sec, 14mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

Getting started with light 28

Heavenly light
This falls under the category of
dramatic light, but I find that it is a
special situation that people really
love to capture and, when you see
it, there is no wondering why it is so
popular for photographers. I have
heard people refer to this as ‘God’s
rays’, but I’m not religious. I do call
it ‘heavenly light’ though as it blasts
through the clouds as if thrown from
some other heavenly world. This
light comes through in very distinct
rays, like beams or columns actually
bouncing off the clouds. Be quick
when taking these images as the
beams of light usually do not last for
very long. While they are most likely
to be seen erupting from a cloudy
sunset, they can happen any time of
day, like this shot of an Italian church
being graced briefly by a spectacular
show of rays at midday. For the most
part, the cloud hid the sun and there
was a great patch of shade where
we were standing, then as the cloud
moved the beams of light appeared ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/8000sec, 24mm, DSLR Full Frame

only to be replaced by full sun a

moment later.

Getting started with light 29

Low light
When I talk about low light in this
ebook, I am referring to the quality of
the light, not the direction. Low light
in this context simply means that there
is relatively little light available from
natural sources. The light is still there,
though, and with the right tools and
vision, your camera can capture that
less photographed light. I love the
reward of a great photograph taken in
difficult light. Low light images are no
exception. True low light photography
requires a wide aperture, slow shutter
speed and a high ISO as it means
getting as much light into the camera
as possible. It also requires a steady
hand (or a tripod) and an artistic
vision. Just as back light can add a
powerful emotion to your images,
low light can bring a depth of feeling
as well, washing your photographs
with a dark and mysterious tone. It is
a different story to tell with this light,
a more somber character than many
others. The trick here doesn’t really
lie in knowing your camera settings
as much as being able to see the
opportunity in the light present. Avoid
muddy looking images by ensuring
tack sharp focus as well as juxtaposing
colors that are opposite each other
on the color wheel to separate the
subject from the background.
ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/800sec, Point and Shoot
Personally, I am finding an entirely
new chapter to my visual tale in
exploring the depths of natural light
photography underwater. The light
is much lower in this medium as it
is actually absorbed by the water
molecules as it passes through. The
deeper you go, the less light can
follow.
I am normally drawn to very
light imagery, but the water was
compelling. As I first attempted to
capture my family’s life in relation
to the water we spend so much time
in, I was frustrated with the results.
I knew there was less light, but I
was trying to work with it to get the
same type of photographs I would
normally take. Allowing myself to see
that the world in this different light
was just that, different, was when I
began to finally get the images I was
drawn to take. There was power in
the darkness and it was just as valid
ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/100sec, Point and Shoot
as the power of the light. As soon
as I realized that, I set out to expose
for the low light instead of trying to
compensate for it. As I only have a
limited set of controls available to
me for underwater photography
with my camera unable to shoot on
complete manual, I had to work on
Aperture Priority mode and fine tune
my exposure with the exposure value
compensation. It was a combination
of looking for the right light (in the
case of these photographs, coming
back to the pool in the late afternoon
for dramatic direct sun beams),
positioning and directing my
subjects in the light, as well as post
processing, to enhance the power of
the story in the light. When you are
learning how to master new lighting
situations, it is expected that you
go through trial and error periods.
Make the most of this learning time
by noting what worked and what did
not work so that you can grow as a
photographer. I actually got out of
the water each time and made notes
of what I had done so that I could
be prepared for the next time. This
allowed me to come back when the
light was right and get these shots.
Observation and record taking is –
and always has been – essential to
my process as a photographer.
Getting started with light 30
 ISO 200, f/3.2, 1/200sec, Point and Shoot

Using the light as well as the dark is important in low light photography and
both have to be considered equally important. This means using the edges of
your subject to catch the light present by giving both the light and the subject
a purpose. Another option is to showcase the outlines of your subject made
against the contrasting tones in low light. When shadows make up the majority
of the image, watch for color blocking, banding and other digital artifacts that
come from underexposed shots. Much can be done in post processing to mask
these issues (remember, you can’t use editing to rescue your shots but, rather,
enhance them) like adding color tones to the shadows, adjusting the contrast
and black point or even going black and white.

If bright and sunny photos yell out to you, don’t forget to listen for the quiet
whisper of the low light just waiting for you to explore.
ISO 500, f/2.4, 1/30sec, Point and Shoot
 ISO 100, f/6.4, 1/680sec, Point and Shoot ISO 800, f/4, 1/200sec, 14mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

Light by the clock

Dawn Sunrise
I am a morning person. It is fitting that natural light would be my thing because I have always felt that sunrise goes much faster that sunset. I doubt that is
when the sun goes down I am in for the night. It also makes sense that I am actually true, but maybe it is because I find my mornings so much busier these
compelled to be out of bed in the morning by sunrise. What I love even more, days that I rarely get the time to stop and enjoy my morning coffee let alone
though, is the lucky times that I find myself up before the sun. While the color photograph the sun rising. That is why I took full advantage of a hot air balloon
and quality of light at dawn is very similar to that of dusk and twilight, I find it ride to photograph the first peek at the sun. It was a gentle gold and stunning.
a bit more teal and even. I love how it warms up so quickly through sunrise into A light that I should spend more time capturing.
the beautiful clear shine of morning light. It is not often that I get to experience
it, but when I do, it always takes me back to family trips of childhood. I would
always get up before the adults in the house and have those quiet moments of
freedom. My memories of summers spent at the beach house in North Carolina
are all tinted the color of dawn light.

Getting started with light 32

Noon light
The first thing one would notice when
photographing outside at noon is
that the shadows fall around the feet
of your subject. This also means that
the shadows will fall under their eyes,
nose and chin. It is a harsh light and
probably my least favorite situation
to deal with. If I can, I avoid shooting
outside around midday. It isn’t that it
is bad light, it just isn’t my favorite
and usually does not work for my
subject matter. I can avoid those
shadows by shooting from above
and in this case, having my subject
cover his face. That is not always
ideal, as you can imagine.
The bright and neutral colored light
of midday worked really well to
highlight this found pipe surrounded
by tiny buds in Italy. It was just after
noon so the sun was a bit to the left
of the subject defining the texture
slightly, but it was not so drastically
off center that it overwhelmed the
delicate yellow flowers with a long
dark shadow.
ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/850sec, Point and Shoot
Shooting inside at noon is a different
story. I find the light from large
windows at noon are wonderful for
providing bright flat light. There is no
risk to the light streaming in and it is
usually quite bright. I call it ‘full’ light
because, to me, it feels abundant.
The benefit of noon light is that it
tends to be the most neutral in terms
of color, which means that what you
see will be represented in the pictures.
Our eyes tend to compensate for the
slight color cast of light and when ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/640sec, Point and Shoot
you really want to capture the true
turquoise blue of Hawaiian seas that
you want to remember, midday light
is your friend.
ISO 640, f/4.5, 1/80sec, 65mm, DSLR Full Frame
In fact, some water will be even more
transparent at midday as the sun is
illuminating what is under the surface
instead of angled across it. The bright
light will also allow you to shoot with
a small aperture and fast shutter
speed to hand hold your  longest
lenses  without risking camera shake
or having to give up focal range.
Getting started with light 33
Golden light
Photographers refer to the hour
before the sun actually sets on the
horizon as the ‘golden hour’. The
light is coming in very low (almost
parallel to the ground) and is strong,
yet not harsh. This lighting situation
gets its name from the rich gold color
of the light, but maybe also from the
fact that a lot of photographers think
it is when they get the money shot. It
is, to a lesser extent, referring also to
the first hour after the sun rises over
the horizon in the morning.

Many photographers love this light

for the wonderful colors and rich
detailed shadows it produces. This
light is also less likely to cause
portrait subjects to squint. One thing
to be aware of is that this light is also
likely to cause lens flare. Lens flare
happens when streaks of light cross
over the lens itself so to prevent this
extra light from getting in, there are
lens hoods you can put on your lens.
These flag the light. ISO 320, f/9, 1/320sec, 24mm, DSLR Full Frame

As well as front lit portraits and stunning sunsets, this is the best time of day to get a gorgeous halo of light on your
subjects. Rim lighting is slightly different from a true silhouette in that the subject is tuned just slightly back towards the
sun and the shadows are not completely lost to darkness. The sun creates a brilliantly colored outline on the subject and
any little detail that also catches the light. If you remove the lens hood you can use the flare from the sun in the corner of
the frame to add an extra element of playfulness to the shot.

Getting started with light 34

 ISO 640, f/5, 1/40sec, 24mm, DSLR Full Frame

Dusk/twilight
These are two very emotive lighting situations that are often skipped
over for the more favored golden hour. Up to about a half an hour after
the sun actually sets below the horizon, the sky still reflects the light.
This light is much cooler in color as it fades into the darkness of night.
I think the blue light of this time has a melancholic feel to it and can be
quietly powerful when left unchanged by a white balance correction in
an image. If you can catch the moon rising at this stage of the evening,
it will most likely still have a warm glow. As it rises further into the
night sky it will turn white. The camera will need to gather more light
to actually register the scene so you will do best to use a tripod instead
of trying to handhold the camera. Since these exposures are longer,
but not too long, you can also set your camera to self-timer so that the
shutter is triggered a few seconds after the button is pressed allowing
the camera time to settle completely. In those extended exposures, the
camera shake from pressing the shutter button can register and cause
the image to be less sharp. You can also use a remote trigger for
the shutter. With many new digital cameras, your smartphone can be
turned into a shutter remote via Wi-Fi.

If you are photographing an early evening city scene as building

and street lights come on, you can choose to use a wide aperture to
narrow your depth of field and throw those lights into a beautiful blur
of abstract dots called ‘bokeh’. If you are after a twinkling effect, use a
narrow aperture and the lights will appear to sparkle crisply like stars.

ISO 1000, f/5.6, 1/50sec, 50mm, DSLR Full Frame

Getting started with light 35

No light
The majority of this book focuses
on how to use the daylight hours
of sunshine for  illuminating  your
photographs, but there is still the
opportunity to take pictures without
relying on artificial light after the
sun sets. The stars themselves shine
because of the sun and you can in
turn, with some knowledge and
practice, capture that light in your
images.

Going back to what we know about

the exposure triangle  and situations
of low light, to capture a photograph
at night, the camera will need to
have as much of the light available
as possible. We know that there are
a finite number of ISO values and
aperture openings, so that leaves
shutter speed as the most valuable
element in these exposures. The
longer the shutter is open, the more
movement that is recorded, so a few
test photos should be taken to find
your preferred balance between
freezing the moment in time and
capturing the stars as they move
across the sky. Neither is necessarily
a wrong exposure, as the shot is all
up to your personal vision. Focusing is
much harder at night as the camera’s
autofocus beam of light might not hit
the subject. I tend to switch to manual
focus when this is the case. It is easy
to use manual focus now that digital
cameras come with a ‘Live View’
option on the LCD. Bring up the
scene on your camera’s screen and,
if you need additional help, magnify
the area of view around your subject
while you focus the lens. Remember
that the best place to photograph the
stars is as far from the city lights as
ISO 1600, f/2.8, 1/30sec, 40mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
possible. All the artificial light from horizon meant that it was almost as
civilization will cause the stars to yellow as the sun. As it quickly rose
seem less noticeable. higher in the sky, the color faded and
all the detail in the sand was lost
This shot of the moon rising over
to darkness. The blur of the couple
the Arabian Desert was taken with
slowly strolling along at the edge
the camera stabilized on the back
of the frame reveals the long shutter
door of the truck that had taken us
speed that was required and the
out for the evening. I did not have a
sky shows a bit of the digital noise
tripod with me and I still wanted to
resulting from the high ISO. All of it
remember the scene as the evening
just adds to the beauty of the desert
set in. The moon still so low on the
in moonlight.

Getting started with light 36

 ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/125sec, 25mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

TIPS FOR
WORKING
WITH LIGHT Tips for working with light 37
Bouncing
natural light
Most camera shops will sell reflector
sets. These often come as lightweight
foldable panels that are extremely
easy to use and portable. Placing
a reflector opposite the light source
will allow you to bounce natural
illumination back onto your subject
for either just a little extra pop of
light or to fill in shadows and reveal
more detail. You can choose a white
reflector to bounce light without
altering the color or you could choose
to use one with a gold surface to
warm up the more blue tinged light
found in open shade. There is also a
silver reflector that is quite bright, but
I personally find them too harsh over
the white option.
Softening
natural light
While there are professional
photographic scrims on the market,
it is quite easy and inexpensive to
make your own with a few items
found in the hardware store. PVC
piping cut in four even pieces and
four matching corner pipes makes a ISO 100, f/8, 1/160sec, Point and Shoot
lightweight frame for very little money.
The scrim can be made from cheap Flagging natural light Avoiding chromatic aberration
white curtains that are stretched over
the frame and even secured with duct With a similar frame as the scrim, My least favorite of these is ‘chromatic
tape. It might not be glamorous, but you can stretch opaque fabric and aberration’. Since lenses focus the
it is a simple solution for having nice create what is known as a ‘flag’ for different color light rays separately
even light on location in the middle the light. This will block the direct as their wavelength varies, oftentimes
of the day … anywhere. The PVC light and is often used to protect the you will find (especially when shooting
frame is light enough to be held lens from lens flare when shooting a subject that is back lit with the less
by two people assisting you or can out in the open. expensive kit lenses) a sort of thin halo
stand on its own with simple poles of color around some of the edges of
and brackets. Place your homemade Flare your subject. This green or purple line
scrim in between the light source and is the chromatic aberration. Most post
Flare is easy to avoid and often quite processing tools have a section to
your subject for instant open shade!
beautiful when included in the right fix this very problem, but they work
You don’t even have to have a frame
shots. There are a few other issues best on the RAW files. If all else fails,
to use a scrim. The removable white
that might pop up though and these you can select that color band in
sheer fabric is great to also pin up
are not as pretty nor as easy to fix, so Photoshop and reduce the saturation
over windows to soften harsh direct
just be aware. of it on a duplicate layer, then paint it
sun coming into a room. Have a few
extra on hand to layer over each out with white on a black mask so that
other to decrease the amount of light. you do not affect that color anywhere
else in the image.
Tips for working with light 38
Diffraction
Another annoyance that comes with
less expensive lenses is diffraction.
This is usually only noticeable with a
small aperture as the light rays bend
more as they pass through the smaller
opening in the lens. While you might
think that having the smallest aperture
will give you the most in focus and
widest depth of field, you actually
are better off avoiding the softness
of diffraction and not going smaller
than f/16 with those lenses.
Vignette issues
You might also run into vignette
issues when shooting with a wide
angle lens. This is when the edges of
your image are darker than the rest
of the shot. While for a time it was an
overused effect that people thought
drew attention to the subject of their
shots. Luckily that is no longer in
favor and, like chromatic aberration,
can be fixed with the development of
the RAW file in post processing.
Exposing for the subject
This tip is going to cover one of my
favorite lighting situations – blowing
out the highlights and exposing for
the subject. By making my selection
to expose for the subject means that
the light behind the subject will be
purposefully overexposed. I will spot
meter  with the meter reference point
on my subject if I am shooting in full
manual. If I am shooting in ‘Aperture
Priority’ mode, I will keep the meter
on evaluative and employ EV
compensation to open up the shadows.
To further obscure the background, I
prefer to shoot with a wide aperture
for backlit pictures. Because the light
is quite bright and coming directly
ISO 200, f/1.8, 1/60sec, 25mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
at the lens, your camera might
have difficulty with autofocus in this
situation. Making sure you brush up
on your manual focus skills will be a
benefit. This bright high-key way of
lighting is gorgeous for a variety of
subjects. I think it gives portraits an
angelic feel, like these coffee shots. I
was sitting in the quiet of my friend’s
home one morning trying to get over
jet lag and general travel exhaustion
when I suddenly noticed that my
coffee had not only gone cold, but
had separated into the loveliest
bands of color. I guess I had been
lost in the exhaustion fog for longer
than I realized! I took a photo without
ISO 200, f/1.8, 1/125sec, 25mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
adjusting for the bright backlight and
while I had what looked like a good
overall exposure, the coffee was a
solid and dark brown. That was not
what I wanted to capture. I adjusted
my exposure to feature the drink, but
had to do so at the expense of the
details in the background highlights.
It worked for this shot as those details
were not only unimportant to the
visual story, but distracting.
Just keep in mind that the colors of
whatever the light is shining through
will be brightened. This is lovely for
flowers, but not so wonderful when it
is the portrait subject’s ears that are
bright red.
Tips for working with light 39
Silhouette
If the first use of back light is to create
bright and airy images, silhouette is
the counter.  Deep rich colors, and
the subject in contrasting shadow
ISO 400, f/2, 1/400sec, Point and Shoot
defined crisply against the light, is
the look of a silhouette. There is a
very magical quality to silhouettes as
they are made during such fleeting
light. They really embody “capturing
a moment” as the sun sets. To expose
for this kind of shot, you can use
EV compensation to reduce the
exposure by a stop or two if the
camera tries to open the shadows up
automatically. Using a lens hood will
reduce the amount of light hitting the
lens directly and causing flare. The
silhouette will stay cleaner and more
contrast-y without the haze of flare.
This works really well in situations
like the group silhouette where the
setting sun is actually to the right of
my camera instead of directly behind
the subjects. To avoid the stray light
from grazing my lens and creating
flare, I used a lens hood to protect it.

If you want to avoid a silhouette shot,

one could take two photographs of
the same scene making a different
exposure for the light and dark to
ISO 400, f/3.5, 1/80sec, 14mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
then combine in post processing.

Tips for working with light 40


POST-PROCESSING
I am a firm believer in getting your
photographs as close to perfect
in camera as possible. I attribute
that to the many years I shot film.
Learning on a medium that does not
allow the photographer to see the
image before the shutter is released
sharpens the skill of not only seeing
light, but being able to expose for it
properly. If you had not been able to
capture the scene as you wanted, it
was far too late to try again by the
time the film had returned from the
lab or even by the time the emulsion
was peeled off a Polaroid print.
With digital photography came the
onset of lazy photography. Many
would see the image that was close
enough as being good enough
with the goal to fix it later in post
processing. Seeing a preview on
the screen that looked ‘about right’
replaced the careful consideration of
ages gone by.
The powers of post processing
certainly can be harnessed to create
amazing scenes that only exist in fine
art photographer’s minds. It can also
be used to subtly define the elements
that are already captured in the
frame. That is the work we will talk
about here: the little adjustments that
EXIF unrecorded, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
can be made to an image overall
or certain details to clarify the story
that the photographer wishes to tell.
Whether that is the simple message
of beauty found on a Spring hike
or bringing out the many layers of ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/2000sec, 34mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
color and detail in a sunset over the
Arabian Desert.
Remember – post processing can’t
save everything. Things can be
faked by a skilled digital retoucher,
but personally I feel that is a separate
art form from photography itself. I
recommend that photographers do
not rely on photo editing to rescue
their images.
ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/60sec, 36mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
Tools: Lightroom
There are a few different programs
on the market, but I will be sharing
screen shots and steps in just two,
Lightroom and Photoshop. Both
are programs from Adobe and
the current industry standard for
photographers. Lightroom does a lot
of the work, but sometimes I need to
use the layer combination ability and
advanced content aware cloning
that is only offered in Photoshop so
I invest in both. Lightroom is a great
place to get started and often the
only program photographers need. I
will be going over image editing in
general, but not delving deeply into
all aspects. I will take it in my regular
workflow order as well.

Shooting RAW is essential to getting

the most out of your post processing
even if it is just slight edits. Making
any adjustment to the jpeg can cause
Global adjustments
artifacts to show up as the pixels are
being changed. RAW files give you I begin with Lightroom even though a lot of these steps can also be done in Adobe Camera Raw software that comes
all the information that is captured with Photoshop. I prefer Lightroom because it is set up in a logical flow as well as often being the only program I need to
on the sensor and you will find that open. After importing my images and making my selection of shots to edit, I start with adjusting the overall color. White
pulling detail from the shadows or balance is the first tool I use and as I am shooting in RAW, I have the freedom to change this element that becomes locked
bringing it back to the highlights is to the file in jpeg.
much more effective.

Post-processing 42
WHITE BALANCE
Depending on the look I am after
for the image, I might want to adjust
the color temperature to be more
cool (blue) or warm (yellow) and fix
any color cast that may exist on the
magenta / green scale. I can always
(and often do) come back to this
after other adjustments have been
made and do final fine tuning before
saving the jpeg.
EXPOSURE
After getting the color as I want it,
the overall exposure is next. This is
usually a slider that I do not need
to move much if the file is properly
exposed in camera.
CONTRAST
Again, just a little goes a long way. I
prefer to actually adjust contrast with
more control in the ‘curves’ tool box.
This is the one time that I go out of
order in Lightroom.
HIGHLIGHTS AND SHADOWS
If the image shows that there is
information lost in the highlights (red
warning) I will begin to recover some
of that with the ‘highlights’ slider.
Again, this is not to rescue a shot
completely, but to draw back detail.
The ‘shadows’ slider will open up the
darker areas of an image and the
details are more defined. As your
eye will be able to translate all the
different dynamic ranges when you
are looking at a scene, you might
find that bringing out the detail in the
shadows makes the image appear
closer to what you remember seeing
at the time you took the shot.
If you are using the updated and
latest version of Lightroom, you will
not see an option for a Fill Light slider
as they improved this feature with
the more subtle option of highlights,
shadows and whites. It is a matter of
taste though, so if you are looking ISO 640, f/5.6, 1/4000sec, 42mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

for a more dramatic way to bring,

say, a sunset scene to almost High
Definition life they have hidden away
the old options. To find the Recovery
and Fill Light sliders in Lightroom,
scroll all the way down to the Camera
Calibration adjustment tool box on
the right side when in Develop mode.
From the Process option toggle to and
select ‘2010’. Your preview image
may change dramatically as it is a
different editing process. Scroll back
up the right side adjustment option
boxes to ‘Basic’ and there you will
see the option you are looking for.
Again, these will give you the option
to really enhance the shot beyond
subtle retouching.

Post-processing 43

ISO 200, f/3.2, 1/200sec, 25mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
WHITES AND BLACKS
If there is a blue warning in the
dark area of your preview image,
the program is telling you that there
is lost information in the blacks. To
pull some back without losing overall
contrast, I simply adjust the Blacks
slider the least amount to rid the shot
of the warning. I try not to adjust
the ‘Whites’ slider when there is lost
information in the bright areas as I
feel it can quickly make the image
look muddy and lower contrast than
I like. If I do work with it, I move it
last and keep a careful eye on all
pure white areas of the shot for a dull
appearance.
CLARIFY
The technology just does not exist yet
to make a regular out of focus image
to be magically in focus. There are
some crazy cameras out there that
claim to be able to take images that
let you work with the focus after the
shutter has been pressed, but they
are still a fledgling technology. Most
of us will have a shot that we thought
was perfect on the LCD only to be
disappointed when we open it large
on the computer and find it is not
in as sharp of focus as we thought.
Sadly, there is not much we can do.
If the image is a little bit soft, clarity
might help a bit. The Clarity slider is
another that I use with a light hand to
bring some crispness to the edge of
the details.
SHARPEN AND NOISE REDUCTION
I tend to leave these alone in
Lightroom. If noise reduction is
needed for an image, I prefer to
work on it in layers in Photoshop with
a few different techniques so that the
final image is natural looking. Noise
reduction can remove some to the
digital noise and artifacts from your
shot, but often at the expense of
detail. I am much more comfortable
with local edits to fix these areas in
Photoshop than affecting the entire
image at once.
I am of the same mind about
sharpening. I find it easier and more
natural looking to sharpen my image
in Photoshop with a high pass filter
adjustment layer and painting the
effect on only certain areas with a
layer mask.
These are both two things though
that I feel photographers who are
just beginning can do in Lightroom
satisfactorily and do not warrant
buying an additional program if that
is all the other program will be used
for.
SATURATION AND VIBRANCE
First tip, don’t just desaturate a color
image and expect to get a lovely
black and white. There are more
steps to converting to black and
white than simply removing color.
With any adjustment it is best to start
off with just a few points over or
under ‘normal’ and then judge. No
matter what the global adjustment
to your image is, less is more. You
can build on effects easier than
you can remove them, so start with
small changes in little amounts and
add if you are not satisfied. Getting
a handle on editing your images
is not always a quick process as it
depends on how confident you are
with your idea of your own style
starting out. If you have a firm grasp
on what you want the final image
to look like when you are actually
capturing the light, you will have less
to do to it when you are back on your
computer. Some people love this part
of photography more that taking the
pictures, but I prefer to be out and
about in the light.
Post-processing 44
 Local adjustments
Local adjustments are the fine tuning
that can be done on isolated areas of
the image. They could be things that
affect just one color and leave the
rest untouched or they could target
a specific part of the subject itself.
While Lightroom has the ability to
work with a mask feature, I find those
edits much easier to do in Photoshop.
There are a few things that can be
done easily in Lightroom without a
mask option.

The local adjustment I do most often

in Lightroom is work on individual
colors with ‘Hue Saturation Lightness’.
In fact, the ability to adjust the hue,
saturation and luminosity of the
individual colors within an image is
probably my most favorite tool in the ISO 200, f/2, 1/200sec, 25mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
Lightroom program. Sometimes the
light will render one color a bit ‘off’
to my eye or the saturation of the skin
of my subject is overwhelming. These
are simple things that can easily be
shifted in Lightroom.

ISO 200, f/2, 1/160sec, 25mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

Post-processing 45
Tools: Photoshop
Local adjustments
All of the global and local adjustments
detailed in my Lightroom workflow
can also be achieved with adjustment
layers in Photoshop. Since Lightroom
allows me to see the effects of an
adjustment (or preset) before actually
locking it into the file with the window
on the top left as well as showing me
the rest of the images left to edit in
the filmstrip below, I choose it over
Photoshop for those tasks every
time. I can quickly edit one photo
in a series of images with global
adjustments and then copy and paste
those edits onto similar shots so that
they all look the same. The key to this
working well is to shoot in RAW and
only apply the edits on images shot
in the same lighting.
Why do I keep Photoshop around
then? Well, there are many reasons,
but in regard to enhancing natural
light, I can give you one word …
LAYERS!
I love working on image details in
Photoshop as the adjustments can
easily be made on copies of the
background file, on a new blank
layer or with an adjustment layer
itself. I can then paint on or remove
the editing effect with layer masks!
Let’s have a look.
LAYERS
Combining edited jpegs: Images shot
while bracketing exposure versus
images processed multiple times and
combined.
There are two main reasons (beyond
making a mistake with the exposure
in camera) to combine multiple edits
of one image into a final photograph
and they are what I call ‘artistry’ and
‘vision’. While they might sound like
the same thing, I am actually talking
about two different things.
Artistry: What is it that you want to
create as a photographer? Where
does editing fit into the development
of your photographic style? How
can the image speak more clearly
to your audience? By ‘developing’
one RAW file many different ways
in Lightroom and then combining
those resulting jpegs to pick and
choose how certain sections of your
final photograph will appear is so
much easier and controllable than
the ‘dodge and burn’ techniques that
were available to film photographers
in the darkroom.
Most people I talk to actually think
of landscape photography as the
only niche that really benefits from
this technique, but I use it for all
kinds of photographs as I find it is an
extremely quick and effective way to
get the final image I am imagining.
Vision: While artistry is the dream
of the photographer for their photo,
vision here refers to literally what they
saw. There may be times when the
photographer’s eye is able to see and
register much more detail or varied
lighting than the camera can capture in
one exposure formula. Without getting
into HD photography where the clarity,
contrast and color range are comically
exaggerated beyond anything one
would actually see with the human
eye, there are times when an image
needs to be constructed from different
exposures of the same shot. Most
cameras can be set to take a few photos
at once with the exposure bracketed to
be over and underexposed. Since the
camera does not move in that time,
these images can then be combined in
Photoshop to allow the photographer
to pick the correct exposure for
different parts of the image, making
one final well exposed photograph.
Often this is the only way to share a
scene in a photograph just as our eyes
remember seeing it as they are able to
compensate and adjust seamlessly to
the different values.
Post-processing 46
CATCH LIGHTS
Catch lights are the reflection of
natural light in the subject’s eyes.
They’re absolutely essential for
your subject to come alive in a
photograph. Of course you must first
photograph your subject in a way
that the eyes actually reflect at least a
spot of light. Fake catch lights done
in Photoshop look just like fake catch
lights. Remember, the bigger the light
source, the bigger the catch lights
and the more natural they will look.
If you are using diffused light, the
closer to the light source, the more
defined the catch light. Even if you
get great catch lights, you may find
that you want to enhance the sparkle
a bit.

ISO 400, f/2, 1/250sec, 105mm, SLR ISO 500, f/3.5, 1/320sec, 180mm, DSLR Full Frame

How to enhance great catch lights:

There are many different ways to ‘brighten’ eyes, but the simple trick is to add light and contrast where there already
is both light and contrast. I achieve this with a curves layer. Again, I am writing this as simply as possible so while one
can use the Lasso tool to select just the eyes of the image to work on, I skip that extra step and just work with a ‘curves
adjustment layer’. How much editing is needed will be up to your individual photo, but the thing to keep in mind is
natural enhancement. If you take any edit too far, it will easily appear unnatural.

I zoom the image I am working on so that the eyes are very large on my screen and then I work on the curves adjustment
layer. I do this so that the rest of the image changing with the curves does not distract me.

Post-processing 47
HAIR LIGHT AND SEPARATION
FROM THE BACKGROUND
Sometimes the separation of the
subject and the background is not
distinct. This often happens with the
soft flattering front light from diffused
windows or open shade. This is
another time that I will use the layer
capability of Photoshop to enhance
the highlights in the portrait subject’s
hair or deepen the background tone
to make the portrait subject appear
to pop out a bit more.
SHARPEN AND NOISE REDUCTION
I have made it clear that there is not
really the technology out there today
to make an out of focus snap or digital
noise disaster magically become
crystal clear. There is however a set
of tools to help cut the haze that might
result from flat lighting as well as
clean up some of the digital artifacts
resulting from low light exposure.
I usually leave both of these steps
for the very end. These are tools
that are found in both Photoshop
and Lightroom, ’ Sharpen’ and ‘Noise
Reduction’. As with my advice on all
editing, the less you do, the better
the result. Again, if you choose to
perform these tasks in Photoshop, you
can employ multiple layers so that
you can easily adjust the opacity of
the effect and when the desired look
is achieved, you can flatten the layers
and save your image.
The wonderful thing about Lightroom
and Photoshop is that the editing
choices you make can be saved to
be used again and again on other
images. In Lightroom they are called
‘Presets’ and in Photoshop they are a
set of processing steps saved to run
automatically and called ‘Actions’.
You can either make your own or save
them or you can purchase pre-made
sets from other photographers and
vendors. I do like to make my own up
though, for it is difficult to recreate a
look unless the images you are editing
are all taken in the exact same light.
Light is often so powerful and yet
subtly different that the changes that
look good on one image might not
work on another. Keep in mind that
the way you edit the light in an image
has a direct effect on the narrative in
your visual story.

HDR:
When I think of HDR (High Dynamic Range) images, I immediately think of High Definition real estate imagery where the final look is slightly out of this world
and far from ‘natural’. One can easily achieve the HDR look two different ways. The first method is to take multiple shots of one scene with different camera
settings to get the best exposure for all the areas of an image within milliseconds of each other and without changing the position of the camera via the ‘exposure
bracketing’ setting on your camera. You then combine those many different image files as layers in Photoshop using ‘layer masks’ and painting the proper
exposure in from each to create one multilayered final file. Once the look is finalized, the layers can be flattened and the image saved as a single picture file.

The other way is to simply edit one image multiple different times in Lightroom focusing on achieving the best exposure for certain areas of the shot with
each edit and combining those multiple files in Photoshop as above to create one final file. This is a genre all its own and despite not using any artificial light
sources, I find the resulting images to be far from natural in their look. While I do not do that type of work, the interesting thing – and why I bring it up at
all – is that it is actually the way that I edit most often. I find it to be a simple and very visual way to achieve my intended simple and natural shots in tricky
light. Let me show you what I mean and really how quick it is for me.

Post-processing 48
This screen shot is how the RAW file looks SOOC (straight out of the camera) in
the Develop tab of my Lightroom program. I opened the image up and did not
edit it right away. As you can clearly see from the bright red markings, the area
of the floor where the light was pouring in ended up over exposed and detail
was lost in the highlights. I liked how the background was quite dark though,
so I exported the file as a jpeg.

A few days later when I had the time to come back to the file and edit it all the
way through, I opened it up in Lightroom and this time I made some changes
to the white balance to cool the light on the baby, raised the contrast while
also lowering the exposure almost half a stop. I also brought back all of the
lost detail in the floorboards with the highlights and whites, as well as bringing
out the details in the shadows and blacks. This edit did what I wanted it to
do for the subject, but in turn revealed all the light in the background. This
brought into focus the messy wall behind the subject and made the image lose
interest overall. Still, I knew it would be a quick fix to combine the two edits in
Photoshop, so I saved this version as a new jpeg.

Post-processing 49
I closed Lightroom and opened the two edited versions of this image in
Photoshop. While I had the lighter version selected, I hit ‘Command + A’ (on
PC it is ‘Ctrl + A’) to select the entire image and then ‘Command + C’ (on PC
it is ‘Ctrl + C’) to copy the entire selection. I then clicked on the original image
with the darker background and hit ‘Command + V’ (on PC it is ‘Ctrl + V’) to
make that copy into a new layer on the darker photo. That photograph then
became ‘Background’ and I remained the top layer, ‘Lighter’.

I added a white layer mask to the ‘Lighter’ layer by clicking on the ‘Rectangle/
Circle’ icon at the bottom of the layers box. It was now time to bring back some
of that darkness!

Post-processing 50
By selecting a black paintbrush with a soft edge (the color of the paintbrush is
indicated at the far left of the Photoshop screen at the bottom of the list of tools
as the top of the two squares) and making sure I had the ‘layer mask’ selected,
I began to paint in the darkness from the Background layer. I used a variety of
opacity settings for the paintbrush so that the changes were gradual and built
up on themselves as I did not want a hard line between the merging of these
two exposure layers resulting in a fake look to the shot.

When I had achieved the combination of the two exposures exactly as I

remembered seeing it when I pressed the shutter button, I flattened the two
layers and saved it. That was my vision. From the colors to the lighting, it was
how I remembered the scene the day I took the photograph. Looking at the
image on my screen, though, I felt I could do something to enhance the drama
of the lighting and all the beautiful curves and lines present. This is when my
artistry took over and I decided to convert the image to black and white.

With a Photoshop action that I had previously made for myself, I quickly
converted the color shot into a black and white and knew that it finally looked
exactly how I wanted it to look. Including the time it took me to stop and take
the screenshots for the tutorial, I finished my edit from RAW to final jpeg in
seven minutes. I guess those HDR photographers are onto something and that
is a technique we can all use to speed up our editing process and achieve the
look we want even in images with tricky light.

Post-processing 51
 Black and white is a technique used for many more
reasons than just for when you can’t get the color to
look right. Combining the black and white finish to
your digital photos and your vision for how the light
will be represented can tell a powerful story. Black and
white really pares photography down to subject and
light. The first photographs ever made were without
color and in our modern age where everything is
flashy and saturated, it is hard to imagine what life
in monotone would be like. Personally, I feel like we
are so used to having color permeate all things that it
becomes harder to not consider it and the effect it has
on our photos. Because of that, the powerful simplicity
iPhone
of black and white photography is harder to achieve
than it looks.

Light is especially important to black and white

BLACK AND WHITE

photography because when you remove an important
visual element such as color you must make sure
all other communication tools are strong. It is like
when a human loses one of their senses, the others
automatically become heightened except in this case,

PHOTOGRAPHY not being automatic, the onus is on the photographer

to ensure the other elements are strong.

Light in black and white photographs translates into

and NATURAL LIGHT

many different elements, but let’s look at the major
ones to get you started purposefully combining your
knowledge of natural light with the art of this medium.

Black and white photography and natural light 52

Lines, shapes
and patterns
When the color is removed from
a photo, the lines and contrast
between different tones are more
visible. Patterns emerge as important
details that before were lost in the
noise of competing colors. Like these
two images taken just a few moments
apart from each other on the streets
of Tokyo. Instead of being distracted
by the dirt of city life on the streets,
the mess transforms into cohesive
tones with the rest of the details to tell
the story.

Looking down at the pavement below

my feet, the light of sunset came in
at just the right angle, low enough
to catch the edge of the bricks and
define the pattern. A woman waits at
ISO 200, f/3.5, 1/160sec, 14mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless ISO 640, f/5.4, 1/80sec, 33mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
the top of the frame. In reality, the
stones were shades of red and grey
and the lady was wearing shoes of
incongruous tan leather. As I wanted In the second image, I found a corner blaze of light coming up the staircase having no human subject at all as his
the feet to be a little visual surprise entrance to the train station where even though in reality it is just a trick white face mask added interest when
at the top of the frame, I found they many different building elements that appears in black and white as set against the dark of his clothing.
were actually much more noticeable collided in a grid of dark and light the cleaner section of the wall renders The subject and area around him
when the image was in color. The patterns. While the existing scene in a much lighter tone. While I had become a study in tones.
mess of the many different colors actually had very little natural color two shots of this very spot, I chose
broke the flow of the pattern defined to it, the far wall looks as if there is a the one with the man emerging over
by the light.

Black and white photography and natural light 53

Dark and light images
Atmosphere is the overall feeling of your image. While we could talk for days
about this and refer to the use of color in photographs, I want to look at
two distinct ways that we can defy the normal histogram and use the overall
amount of natural light present to be a large part of the narrative in a black
and white image.

Have you ever described something as dark when you meant menacing, or
maybe bright when you are expressing happiness? That is exactly how easy
it can be to use light (or lack of it) in a black and white image to set the tone
of your story. While we normally want to aim for evenly spaced ‘mountains’
of information in our image’s histogram, as that will usually mean a properly
exposed image, we will now be focusing on shots that have unbalanced
graphs. If the majority of the peaks are to the left of the middle, the image will
be a dark tone and if there are spikes on the right, we are looking at a bright
shot. These can also be referred to as ‘low key’ and ‘high key’ respectively.
To successfully break the rules, you must think in terms of dark and light. ISO 200, f/2.2, 1/480sec, Point and Shoot

Low key (dark shot)

After a long day’s drive, we pulled into our campground for the evening as the
sun was setting. The area was wooded, so the low light was even dimmer than
it would have been out in the open. As we were all tired of being cooped up in
the car, the kids and I decided to take a walk and explore before settling into
the cabin for the night. As we walked the road, the setting sun broke through
the trees in one spot and lit up the girls from behind. I wanted to get a pretty
image of them together as I thought the light was beautiful, but unfamiliar noises
kept distracting them. The deep woods in the background looked even darker
than they were and the black of the pavement around the spot of escaped light
added to the overall dark tones. With the older girl’s face obscured and the little
one looking concerned, to complete the foreboding feeling I decided to use their As you can see on the histogram that despite being an image with a full range
expressions and a black and white finish to the image. It was just a few simple of tones, the majority of the histogram information is piled high on the left side
decisions to add a little bit of mystery to a simple photo walk with my girls. of the graph.

Black and white photography and natural light 54

High key (bright shot)
What I find interesting about the photos used to illustrate these two tones (and why
I picked them) is that they were taken at the same time of year at approximately
the same time of day (sunset) yet achieve different looks by how the light was
used. With absolutely nothing behind this brother and sister pair besides the sky
and the setting sun, I had them walk into the shallow, yet freezing, water so that
the reflection of that sky would open up the foreground as well. I made sure to
compose with the stones visible for a bit of contrast and to make sure it did not
look like they were either in a studio or floating in nothingness. As the setting
sun was coming in just over the horizon, the light was very warm. The sky was
a light yellow and the gold hue extended to the blue of the water creating a
sort of green to deep blue gradient towards the camera. Wanting a very clean
looking image, and knowing that the tones of the sky and the brightest areas of
the water would be the same, I chose to remove all the color and process it in
black and white. With so much of the bright light as a feature to this shot, the
histogram is heaviest on the right.

Another way to break the rules of a normal histogram is with low contrast. A low
contrast image will have a graph that does not reach either end and features all
the information in the middle of the histogram.

ISO 250, f/6.3, 1/250sec, 70mm, DSLR Full Frame

Black and white photography and natural light 55

 Contrast
The play of contrast with light in black and white photography is one key
element that is not quite as obvious as others. Some photographs lose their
point of interest when reduced to black and white as the contrast between tones
is not enough to guide the viewer’s eye to the subject. They appear muddy not
only in look, but in message. Even images made in low light can appear to be
of high contrast if you know to use the light available to you. In this portrait, the
only light was from glass patio doors on a very rainy Winter’s day. It was the
sort of day where we were bundled up inside, not daring to venture out. Even
at the light’s strongest point it seemed to be more night than day. As there was
just one light source, I could angle my daughter so that the light fell more heavily
on one side of her face and defined her features. Positioning her as close to the
light sources as possible, the background fell into darkness. What could have
been a dreary image, now became a more emotional and dramatic portrait that
truly expresses the mood that weather put us all in. Yet as you can see from the
histogram, it is still quite a low contrast image overall.

ISO 320, f/2.8, 1/60sec, Point and Shoot

Black and white photography and natural light 56

 YOUR DSLR
CAMERA
AND
LIGHT

COMMON
Q&As
ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/125sec, 25mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

Black and white photography and natural light 57

How do you control light in camera?
We know that a photograph is essentially an exposure of the light. To make a
photograph, you need a camera, subject and light.

There are three main elements to controlling light and how it is entered into the
equation of exposure: how much light enters the lens, how long the sensor (or
film) is exposed to that light and how sensitive to light the camera actually is.
These elements are controlled respectively by aperture, shutter speed and ISO.
In photography, light is measured in terms of stops. All three camera elements
control the light in stops, equally. That is where the simplicity of it all stops and
things get confusing. Increasing one stop is double the amount of existing light,
so decreasing one stop would be half the existing light measurement. ISO and
shutter speed are easy to calculate because they are just divided or multiplied
by a factor of 2 to determine the difference in one stop. Because nothing about
aperture can be straightforward,  f-stops are  calculated factors of 1.41 (the
square root of 2). The good news though, is that a stop is a stop is a stop,
so if you reduce the amount of light entering the camera by one f-stop, you can
increase the amount of time the sensor is exposed to the light with one stop via
the shutter speed or how sensitive the sensor is to the light by one stop of ISO.
ISO 200, f/2, 1/250sec, Point and Shoot

For example, if the correct exposure for an image is ISO 200 1/500th of a sec
at f/4 you can also achieve proper exposure with ISO 400, 1/500th of a sec
and f/5.6 or ISO 200 1/250th of a sec at f/2.8.
The three exposure elements control three different effects in your image.
ISO controls not only how sensitive to light the camera is, but how much or
how little grain is in your image. The higher the ISO number, the more visible
the grain or digital noise.
Shutter speed is responsible for capturing motion, so  the faster the shutter
speed, the less blur in the image.
Aperture is what controls how large the plane of focus is. 
As long as you find the correct exposure, you can vary the equation in equal
stops between the three elements depending on the look you wish to achieve.
Interesting fact:
Choice of ISO in digital photography is based on an electrical signal from
the sensor. In bright lighting conditions, there is a strong electrical signal
and a low ISO number can be used. In low light, the sensor produces a
weaker signal. This signal will need to be amplified by increasing the ISO.
Increasing the ISO also increases the digital noise in the resulting image.
Tip: If you are in a low light situation and do not wish to increase the
noise with a high ISO, use a longer shutter speed so that more light
reaches the sensor. Depending on how slow the shutter speed is, you
may need to secure your camera on a tripod to eliminate camera shake.
Your DSLR camera and light – common Q&As 58
How can we measure light
to get the values for an exposure?
Metering modes: All in-camera light meters provide exposure suggestions
by measuring the light that is reflected off your subject. Depending on
the camera brand and model there are a few different meter options to choose
from. The three most widely available metering mode options are spot, center
weighted and evaluative.

Spot metering allows the photographer to tell the camera what area of the
image should take the lead in exposure. The camera will assume that the subject
is a neutral grey tone and make the exposure judgment from that presumption.
It is not often that we are photographing an object that is the perfect middle ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/125sec, 18mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

grey so, even with spot metering, some fine tuning might be necessary for your
optimal exposure. However, spot metering is a helpful mode when your subject
and background are quite different values. Center weighted metering tells the
camera to let the middle of the frame take importance while evaluative examines
the entire scene and makes the exposure decisions on all the information. Most
modern DSLRs have excellent light meters built in and evaluative mode does a
great job in most situations. 
Additional Equipment: Handheld (incident) light meters are a  great tool
to have on hand for precise light measurement as they are placed in the path
of the light and actually read the light falling on the subject rather than the light
being reflected off the subject.  information collected on the sensor by the camera. When you shoot in jpeg
Tip:
Once you get familiar with all the options, you may have some favorite
combinations (for example, I like to keep the camera on evaluative
metering mode with Aperture Priority). Research if your camera model
has the ability to store custom camera configurations and create different
shooting profiles that you can switch to easily depending on the lighting.
How can we ensure we get the best results
from the light we have captured even after
the shutter has been triggered?
RAW
Your DSLR shoots everything in RAW even if you do not choose to keep
those files recorded. ‘RAW’ is the name for the file of the complete range of
only, you are locking the camera settings into the image and telling the camera
to discard the RAW file. When you choose to save your RAW files along with
the jpeg created, you are giving yourself options. If you are happy with the
image SOOC (straight out of camera) then you can just use the jpeg. More
likely, you will want to work on the image in a photo editing program and in
that case, the RAW file will give you so much digital information to work with.
You can often pull detail from the darkest shadows and/or recover detail areas
that appear completely white on the jpeg. I think of it as providing all the light
the jpeg couldn’t see.

Your DSLR camera and light – common Q&As 59

What filters do you recommend?
Before the use of the word ‘filter’ in
photography meant some effect you
put over an image in Instagram,
it referred to the optional extra bit
of glass on the end of your lens.
Today there are still two that I
would recommend for natural light
photography.
ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/320sec, 40mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
Circular polarizer: This filter will
reduce glare and remove reflections
from glass and water. It also helps
to cut the haze in images as well as
increasing the color saturation. The
polarizer filters are great for travel
photography to get the best shots of
architecture without reflections on the
windows ruining the lines.
ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/160sec, 40mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
ND and ND Grad: These filters are
designed to hold back light in stop
measurements while not affecting the
color rendition of your images. They
come in many different values which
allow for longer exposure times to
capture blur in bright sun or even to
use a wide aperture and get shallow
depth of field at midday. The 0.6ND
Your DSLR camera and light – common Q&As
or the 0.9ND are perfect starter
filters for the budding landscape
photographer. The use of these filters,
which can even go up to a huge
10-stop 3.0ND, are essential when
you wish to capture the smooth blur
of water movement during a bright
sunny day. This is a special visual
effect that you really can’t achieve
without one of these filters. The Grad
filters have the density reduce across
them from deep to clear. These are
mostly used to pull detail out of bright
sky in photographs without having to
use multi exposure composite shots
like HDR.
No matter what filter you get for your
lens, it is important to buy excellent
quality ones. Think of it this way, why
would you buy cheap glass to put
over the expensive glass?
60
How can we know that we are capturing the right exposure?
Histogram and the simple three zone system How to read a histogram and ETTR
Let’s start with a little history on one of the most complete photographic The histogram is your easy to read graph of the light that has been captured
evaluation systems of light. The Zone system was an exposure guide for black in your photograph. It isn’t always supposed to be an evenly distributed graph
and white film pioneered by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer in the 1940s. The as it is dependent on the image that you wish to create. There is no ‘universally
system split an image into 12 different  values of light called ‘zones’, which good’ histogram as the look of an image is completely subjective.
ranged from black to white. The zones are based on the areas of reflected
Simply put, from camera left to camera right, the peaks of information above
light referred to as ‘luminosity’. When a light meter determines the exposure
the line tell you the amount of information captured in the shadows through the
based on an average reading of the scene, it is not necessarily taking into
midtones and all the way to the highlights. If the peaks of information go over
account the information across all zones. As mentioned before, the exposure is
the borders of the histogram box on either end the image has lost information
based on the assumption that the subject is medium grey. As the zones are all
in that corresponding tone. Make sure that you enable the highlight warning
one-stop different from each other, that can mean that a dark subject measured
(the flashing areas on the LCD) to instantly know if you have gone too far to the
can cause the image to be a few stops overexposed. While the zone system
right and lost detail by creating hot spots.
was developed for film use, we can take from it to use in the digital photography
of today. I like to simplify it down a bit and the tool we have to do this is the In the age of digital cameras there is a recommendation to ‘Expose To The
histogram. A histogram is a simple diagram representation of the tones of Right’ when looking at a histogram. This simply means the graph should have
light in an image represented by peaks of data in a graph. Our cameras all a slightly heavier set of peaks to the right of the middle point. These peaks on
have them, as do post processing programs. It is our modern day three zone the graph represent information recorded in the brighter parts of the image
system with dark values on the left. It follows a gradient of tones all the way and ensure that you will not have the blazing hot spots of lost detail as long as
down to bright areas on the right. From pure black to bright white, all pixels the image is not over exposed causing the peaks to go beyond the right edge.
of light captured are displayed on the graph. If detail has been lost in either
the dark or light areas, it will be indicated by spikes in the graph  at either
end. If an image is very dark, the majority of the peaks in the graph will be
on the left side. For very bright images, the peaks will be concentrated on the
right, but  less contrast-y images will present with a mountain in the middle.
You can see that a ‘balanced’ histogram with even distribution of information
peaks isn’t always desired as it depends on the look you are after in your
image. If reading the histogram does not come naturally to you, there is an
additional visual tool available in most camera menus. This information alert is
often referred to as ‘blinks’ as a color blinks in the areas of the image on your
LCD that are missing pixel information. The flashing shows the photographer
exactly where highlights are blown out and/or shadows are clipped.

Your DSLR camera and light – common Q&As 61

How do we vary exposure if we are not
shooting on full manual yet?
EV compensation
For quick shooting on the go, I actually like to use ‘Aperture Priority’ mode.
I enjoy being able to decide on the look of my image based on how much of
the scene is in sharp focus. The camera’s meter does not always get my vision
though, so if the image is under or overexposed from what I wish I use EV
compensation to either lighten or deepen the shadows. EV compensation can
change the exposure of the image in stops.  The range of EV compensation in a
camera usually spans from 2—stops underexposed to 2stops overexposed and
is expressed in -2 to +2 on the camera’s meter. Most cameras allow you to
customize the EV values available. As I like to make subtle changes, I have set
my camera to do EV compensation in 1/3 of a stop steps.  As the camera’s
built in light meter bases the exposure off the assumption that the subject is a
middle grey tone, EV compensation can be a quick and easy way to trick the
camera into capturing the light you are seeing.  cast present with auto white balance. Most cameras have a selection of white
Remember:
The camera doesn’t just control record the exposure of the light, but also
the color of the light!
How can we represent the accurate color
of the scene (or fix a color cast present)?
White balance
The human eye does a very good job of neutralizing the color cast of
visible light on a regular basis. The photographer’s perception of the light is
sometimes quite different from the reality captured by the camera.  The light
we are photographing does have a color temperature and we must tell the
camera to compensate for the tint if we want to reproduce what we remember
seeing with our eyes. The color of light is measured along the Kelvin scale and
expressed in numbers ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 with the lower numbers
representing the warmer light and the higher numbers the cool light. In the
middle of the scale is what we would consider color neutral or the midday
sun. Most cameras rate this at 5,200 degrees Kelvin. We can tell the camera
to balance the color temperature by setting the proper white balance. Modern
digital cameras do a great job at reading the color of light and neutralizing
balance presets of common lighting situations as a starting point for beginners.
For example, ‘Shade’ setting will compensate for the blue light found in shade
by setting a warmer color temperature. Personally, I prefer to choose a custom
Kelvin setting based on each location. Looking at my image with Live View on
my LCD while changing the white balance means that I can match what my
eyes are seeing to what is being captured in camera by selecting the exact
Kelvin value for that light. 
Just as one can correct for color casts by adjusting the white balance, a
photographer can purposefully change the color of light to suit the mood of their
photograph by choosing an incorrect white balance setting for the situation.
Your DSLR camera and light – common Q&As 62
Maximizing light in smartphone
cameras is the best tip because light
is often your only tool with phone-
tography!

While I love the control over and

images that my DSLR and mirrorless
cameras  afford me, I do consider
myself “camera-dexterous”. I will use
any camera available to me and a lot
of times - despite my best intentions to
carry my big camera always - I find
myself with great light and only my
mobile phone’s camera to capture it.
Luckily, with technology as advanced
as it is today, the cameras in our
phones can do amazing things. With
the right light, you can take great
pictures.

Another benefit of having a camera

in your phone is that you might be
more apt to take the device out in bad
iPhone
weather than your bigger camera!

MAXIMIZING LIGHT IN
SMARTPHONE CAMERAS
Maximiszing light in smartphone cameras 63

ISO 400, f/3.5, 1/800sec, iOS
ISO 125, f/2, Android Phone Camera
I had taken my kids to the museum during the school holiday break as it was
predicted to be rainy. The weather man did not disappoint and it rained all
day long. We were well and truly finished with each and every corner of that
museum. Twice. It still was not really time to head home though! It was warm
rain and tapering off, so I let them play outside for a bit. I had packed my
camera away in my weatherproof camera bag so that there was no chance of
it getting ruined. With the big camera safe and dry, I decided to join the kids
for a bit of a dance in the wet. Luckily, I had my phone in my pocket because
I wanted to document the joy that they were feeling at being set free. I find
myself having a hard time remembering to let go and ‘get dirty’ sometimes as a
parent, and what better way to remind myself than proof that the kids enjoyed
themselves (and everything turned out fine in the end) than with a photograph.
I felt like this is a somewhat universal idea for modern parents, so I wanted to
capture an image that was not just of my child, but more generally represented
the moment and my message. I focused on the reflection in what was created
by the light coming down evenly from the overcast sky and hitting the concrete
which was black and shiny from the rain. It is a moment I would have forgotten
about, and an image I would not have taken, if I hadn’t had the tiny camera
in my phone.
Another time that I do not have a big camera on me is when I am out running.
I love where I live because to exercise means that I can run to the beach. I find
the sea to be almost as inspirational to my work as light is, and to combine the
two is a great love of mine. The sea is usually busy with ships and kids splashing
about when I arrive, but one day it was fairly still and nearly abandoned. There
was a bit of a ripple on the water from the breeze, but the waves were the
smallest I had ever seen them. As the sky reflected off the water, the midday
light and lack of boats on the horizon made it hard to determine where the
water ended and the air began. I loved how the tiny waves crashing mimicked
the look of the clouds in the sky. It was a photo I wanted to take, but all I had
was my phone. I’m so grateful for this technology so that I can collect these little
moments even when my big camera is nowhere near.
Maximiszing light in smartphone cameras 64
Image walkthrough
Life happens and, like I already said, we don’t always have our DSLR
at the ready. We want to document the characters in our story and
smartphone cameras are imperfectly perfect tools for the job.

Whether it is our friends who are around us all the time, our significant
other, pets, fellow travelers or like me, kids … portraits of the ones we
love are something that are easy to do with these little mobile cameras.

Let’s look at this one portrait taken with an Android phone’s camera for
an example. I was class parent at swimming lessons and did not bring
my DSLR. The humidity inside the swim center is terrible for my lens as
it always gets fogged up, plus I was there to help the teachers, not take
photos. The swim center has great natural light as it is basically a glass
house. While the kids were getting their swim caps on, I noticed the
lovely flat light fell off behind my daughter to deep shadows. As you can
imagine, I had my phone in my pocket and asked my daughter to turn
around so I could take her picture. Instead of turning all the way around,
she just shifted a bit and turned her head. Immediately the way she
positioned herself, the soft yet directional light, dark background and the
funny blue swim cap all reminded me of the Johannes Vermeer painting,
Girl With A Pearl Earring. I asked her to not smile because I wanted to
recreate the expression of the painting and she gave me a fish face and
then turned and joined her class. I had one chance to get the picture I
wanted and, thankfully, I love the result. In an editing app on the phone,
I decreased the exposure, increased the contrast, and added a slight
faded effect to soften the whole thing. All changes I made were subtle
as the light was perfect. It might not print very big as the phone I took it
with was an older model, but it is one of my all-time favorite shots and
is another example of one I would not have today were it not for having
the camera in my phone.

ISO 125, f/2, 1/192sec, Android Phone Camera

Maximiszing light in smartphone cameras 65

Light
One of the first things you will learn from observing light is that if it is anything,
it is fleeting. Whether it is the unseasonal cool light of an overcast day that can
ruin your idea for a warm summer portrait, to noticing a patch of morning light
that dances for five minutes across a wall before disappearing until the next
day. Light, like life, is always moving and changing. There are beautiful times,
and some less so. In photography, as in life, you need to be always willing to
appreciate it. That is why I just love having a smartphone camera close by and
ready. Many spend their day using mobile devices for all sorts of tasks, but
rarely get to know the full capabilities of the camera.
Let’s talk about the software. Some of the native camera apps are very limited in
function. They can focus and some even allow you to lock focus and exposure
to recompose, but depending on your phone make and model, that might be it.
Android Phone Camera
Taking the shot
After noticing the light, capturing the image is the next step. There are a few
tips to get the best photo from the first click of the cameraphone’s shutter. First
consider your composition. If available as an option, turn on the grid to have
an onscreen visual reminder of the rule of thirds. It is often hard to remember to
compose with purpose when you are frantically trying to get the light you see to
translate onto the screen. This is quite important as a starting point with images
from mobile phone cameras because they are captured on smaller sensors and
suffer more with cropping after the fact. Composition is important with natural
light as well. You can’t move the natural light source as you could artful ones,
but you can work around that.
Smartphone cameras might not be able to handle some of the more intense
lighting situations. Areas of extreme contrast between light and dark can mean
exposure issues. This is when some sort of EV compensation is your friend. 
Let’s look at iPhones first. When you open the native camera app on an iOS
device, you can tap and hold the screen with one finger to lock the focal point
and exposure. If you wish to lighten or darken the image on screen before
pressing the shutter, just drag one finger on the screen up to increase the
exposure or down to decrease the exposure. You will be able to see the results
live as they happen. When you are happy with it, trigger the shutter. Android
devices vary so much that it is nearly impossible to give a tip that will work with
all of them. I do happen to have a few favorite apps that offer more control
than the one that comes preloaded. Many will offer an EV compensation line
graph similar to the ones on DSLRs where you can increase or decrease the
exposure up to two stops on either side of what the current reading is. Finding
the one that is full featured enough with simple UI seems to be a never-ending
quest amongst Android users like myself.
Because of the relatively simple and limited controls in smartphone cameras,
working with fairly even lighting is often ideal. It doesn’t mean that you can’t
try to capture complicated light on your phone camera – in fact, the more you
practice, the better you will get, so please do! Recognizing the giant soft box
quality of naturally filtered light is a good skill to develop. 
Maximiszing light in smartphone cameras 66
Post-processing
The second aspect to natural light photography on a mobile device is post
processing. This is really where your vision can take shape and where this
tool shines. There are so many different apps for this task over the different
operating systems that it is hard to talk about all the options and possibilities.

There are a few universal things to consider before the playtime with editing
starts. Get the exposure as close to your vision as you can before you begin to
add all the filters. Brightness sliders will adjust the overall luminosity of the light
while exposure and contrast sliders will deepen or soften the overall image
depending on how you use them. Most apps will have the option to work
on the highlights and shadows separately. Play with these sliders to get the
details in these areas. You will never be able to get the same level of detail from
shadows and highlights on a mobile device like you can when shooting RAW
files, but you will be able to alter the look a little.

After the overall adjustments are done, you can add filters to enhance the look Android Phone Camera

of the light. Look for apps that allow you to reduce the opacity of the filters so
that you have even more control over the look of your final image.
Get creative:
Look for shadows to play with like this image taken with an old
smartphone. With the sun behind me, I glanced down and saw that
my daughter had made a heart out of chalk on the sidewalk and
then filled it in with flowers. I added the chalk drawn string to turn
her heart into a balloon and she reached for it. It was right at that
moment as we were standing there playing out in front of the house
that I saw an image and a memory that I wanted to have forever.
Running into the house to grab the ‘real’ camera and coming back
out to set up the shot again would have ruined the spontaneous
moment. As usual, I had my phone on me. I pulled it from my pocket,
turned on the camera app, stood just behind my daughter and took
the shot. Because of where we both were and the sun behind us,
my shadow was also clearly visible, but only below where our legs
were. In the phone editing app, I cropped the image to a square to
remove my presence from the image and then I boosted the contrast
and saturation to enhance the already strong contrast that came
with the lighting situation instead of fighting against it.
FROM VISION TO FINAL IMAGE

From vision to final image 68

Landscape
Enhancing a landscape snapshot to show off the beautiful light with simple
RAW editing in Lightroom.

When I have visitors over from the States, we always try to get them down to
see the sights along the Great Ocean Road. The light that comes in over the
sea onto the majestic coastline is always a highlight. It is a great location for
taking stunning landscape photographs, but often I find the resulting image is
nowhere near as spectacular as the scene I remember.

With just a few simple adjustments to the RAW file in Lightroom, I can bring the
exquisite memory out of the unremarkable snapshot.

Let’s take a look at this one picture from the cliffs as a storm was lifting and the
clouds were heading inland. Late afternoon sunlight was breaking through the
drifting clouds to beam down onto the sea and the entire area was softly lit in
a sort of amber glow. The light was tricky to expose for evenly in camera as
there were patches of extreme highlights in the sky and sea, as well as areas
of lower light in the foreground. I shot in RAW knowing that I could pull back
more detail in the post-processing.

As you can see from the SOOC version, there are warnings in both the highlight
areas (red) and in the blacks (blue, and harder to see) meaning that in the
current state, there is no detail in either of those areas. Straight away I also
notice that the image is too cool and slightly distorted from the wide angle of
the lens. It also feels like it is lacking a bit of the contrast of the light I remember.
There really is no magic formula to make the image ‘right’, I just wanted to
have it better represent what I recall seeing with my own eyes.

From vision to final image 69

The first step for me is to adjust the white balance so that the warmer tones of
afternoon/post storm showed through. I brought the temperature slider to the
right towards the yellow and then reduced the magenta in the tone by sliding
that adjustment to the left. It did not take much, but the color of the storm clouds
became a more neutral grey. Then I worked with the highlights and whites
sliders to bring back the detail and remove the red warning indication. After I
had gotten that out of the way, I brought the shadows up 100% to reveal all the
detail I could in the greenery of the foreground as well and some of the rock
walls. The amber glow that my eyes were able to register was now present in
my photo. The blue clipping warning was still visible in the blacks of the shot,
so I brought them out a bit with the blacks slider.

Once all these adjustments were made I reevaluated the scene and decided
to reduce the exposure overall by a tiny amount and increase the contrast.
That brought a little punch to the image and enhanced the feeling of dim story
weather. Adding a little bit of clarity helped define some of the rocks in the
distance as they were not as well lit as the foreground.

My final adjustment for this image was to correct the lens distortion. I let
the program read the image and camera details and found the automatic
correction was perfect.

As we continued along the path at the top of the cliffs, the sun descended to
the horizon and the warm glow of golden hour intensified. As the storm clouds
were directly opposite the setting sun, they became a dramatic backdrop to
our view. I wanted to make sure that I got some images that showed the light
and how it was playing with the scenery. It was so much more dramatic and in
turn I gave it a bit more of a detailed edit to enhance the mood. As I mentioned
earlier, one of the wonderful features of Lightroom is that you can save all of
your edits from one image as a custom preset and then simply apply them
to any other photo with the press of one button in the program. It is a great
shortcut for editing a series of images all taken in the same lighting situation.

From vision to final image 70

This image was a more even
exposure overall and only showed
a few small ‘warning’ areas of lost
detail in the blacks. It would be
easy to fix that clipped detail, so I
decided to start with the look of the
light for the main purpose of this
edit. Again, starting with a RAW
file in Lightroom, I have warmed up
the white balance. In addition to the
white balance adjustment, I have
added some yellow to the highlights
of the image and some cyan to the
shadows in the ‘Split Toning’ feature
as I wanted to accentuate the yellow
of the early golden light and really
play with color contrast between the
blues and yellows of the image. The
ISO 200, f/9, 1/850sec, Point and Shoot
light of golden hour gets redder as
the sun sets and this was still early
in the process, so it’s a more crisp An increase in contrast with not only These images were taken in the Knowing the light, exposing for the
yellow. That said, the clouds were the contrast slider but by selecting same hour along the same clifftop situation and shooting in RAW are all
not an intense blue, so I did want to a medium contrast curve in the path, and yet were edited differently important steps to ensuring that the
reduce that a bit as I intended to keep curves adjustment panel, along with because the light changed that much editing process is quick and easy.
the colors believable. All that was bringing out the details in the shadow in a short amount of time. Editing a
needed was to deepen the luminance and blacks, was all that was needed. photograph should help enhance the
and lowering the saturation of the The highlights and whites remained moment that you want to remember
blues in the HSL adjustment panel. as shot. or the feeling you want to portray.

From vision to final image 71

Bad weather beauties
I think some of my favorite images of mine are those taken under less-than-
perfect lighting conditions. It might be the surprise of the unexpected weather,
or the sheer beauty of nature, but it also is the ability to capture something that
others might toss into the ‘too hard basket’.

The weather where I currently live can be quite unpredictable. There may be
days where it rains off and on, or just storms without much warning. When I
lived in Los Angeles, California, I could count on things being sunny almost
every day of the year. That is not the case in Melbourne, Australia. It isn’t
the case in a lot of places, and when we travel I count on taking photos no
matter what the weather is like. In fact, some of my most favorite photos in
my entire collection are from stormy lands like Ireland and Hawaii – I love
the lush greenery that comes along as a prize for life that thrives in a wet
climate. Clouds are essential elements to assist picking up the colors of the most
incredible sunsets.

Don’t think you have to pack away your camera gear when the weather
threatens. All you need is patience to wait for the light to break through and
some wet weather protection for your camera equipment while you sit out the
gloomy bits.

I like to shoot with evaluative metering when the weather is unpredictable as

the camera reads the entire scene to make exposure suggestions. When I shoot
in rapidly changing climates I find either Aperture Priority mode or Shutter
Priority mode to be the best option and fine tune my exposure on the fly using
exposure compensation.

Here are a few times that rainy days made my shots instead of ruining them!
I’m here to teach you how to photograph that silver lining!
ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/200sec, 42mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

From vision to final image 72

 I arrived in Salt Lake City to speak at a conference in the US Autumn. I arrived
in my hotel room nearly 24 hours after leaving my home, jet lagged after flying
straight through Los Angeles and on to Utah from Melbourne. My observation
skills were off and I had not noticed any storms coming as we drove into town
from the airport. I heard the dampened sound of thunder through the thick
sound-reducing glass of the hotel windows and decided to check out my view.
As I drew the curtains back, I was met with sight of a rain storm descending
from the mountains. I could tell that it was moving in fairly quickly, so I grabbed
my camera to capture the stunning gradient of dark rain swooping down and
across to meet the lighter clouds. I also blame jet lag for the camera settings – I
did not even realize that I was still on Aperture Priority mode with the widest
f-stop of my lens, 1.8, selected. I wouldn’t recommend that for landscape shots
through a hotel window, but in this case, it worked. I was mesmerized by the
color play of the golden sunlight filtered through the clouds and the shades of
purple and grey tones of the clouds and sheets of rain. Ready to take on nature
was one highrise building with three sections clearly defined by the crazy light.

Before long, all the gold was gone and the rain took over. Once the storm
moved in, the light was dark, flat and unremarkable. Because I had my camera
at the ready, I was able to capture this fleeting moment between storm and
dry weather. While I might have liked to have had a bit more depth of field,
the fact that the scene was quite far from where I was standing, and that the
lens was not too long of a focal length, my image did not suffer as much in
sharpness. In fact, the wide aperture allowed me to shoot at a relatively fast
shutter speed and low ISO through darkened hotel window glass. The glass
acted like an ND filter reducing the amount of light hitting the camera’s sensor
which meant I would have to make some adjustment to the settings to achieve
proper exposure. The tradeoff of little digital noise in this dark image was
worth it as the distraction of the digital noise is more noticeable in the darker
tones of a photograph.
ISO 400, f/1.8, 1/1250sec, 25mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

From vision to final image 73

ISO 125, f/3.5, 1/4000sec,14mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless ISO 200, f/5, 1/1250sec, 27mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

There is an excitement to watching a storm roll in. Catching it come in over the ocean (hopefully not ruining your beach holiday!) is a wonderful show of color
bands and changing light. As the rains approach, the water will remain blue as it reflects the color of the unclouded sky directly above. With the storm still in the
distance, you will get a distinct horizon line to the contrast between the tones of light.

As the clouds come and cover the area where you are, the color intensity will dim as the overall contrast is lower and the cloud cover obscures the blue reflection.
If you are lucky, you might safely catch some lightning strikes as the storm is clearly defined. I would never advise risking your life and equipment to go out in an
electrical storm to get a shot, but as you notice one approaching on the horizon, you may well be able to catch a bolt as it connects the cloud bank to the water
before you pack up and head indoors.

This is also when you might be able to catch a rainbow – the best way to do that is having your back to the sun and facing the rain. Rainbows, lightning or even
just the gorgeous pattern of the clouds; storms make interesting subjects to photograph.

From vision to final image 74

 While it is never my choice to be
outside with my camera in the
pouring rain, sometimes you just get
stuck. While we were on holiday in
Hawaii, we drove out to a beach
for a day some distance from where
ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/250sec, 14mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
we were staying. As we arrived
we could see the hint of clouds, but
since they were slow moving and
actually behind us (not over the sea)
we thought we must have missed
whatever rain there was and arrived
as it was clearing. In our defense,
the drive up was through dense
rainforest so it was wet anyway. We
could not really have told you what
the weather was like on that side of
ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/200sec, 42mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
the island. We had to park quite a
walk away from where we settled in
for the day, so basically we were not
moving unless it REALLY rained. I had
brought my camera inside a plastic
cover (not an underwater housing,
but a specifically made bag for taking
electronics to the beach) so that it was
already protected against sand and
splashes. These are great things to
get as they are much more affordable
than the professional underwater kit
and allows you to shoot in difficult
and unpredictable weather. Nothing
like the combination of sand and
ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/320sec, 14mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
water to hold people back from
taking their cameras out, but you can While the white balance was all over
get gorgeous shots if you take care. the place with the shifting light in the
shade, it stayed fairly neutral out in
Anyway, back to the story, we found
the open. With the low clouds, the
a spot under some trees assuming
contrast was beautiful for portraits.
we would need shade. We ended up
I was lucky I had at least one child
needing the protection from drizzle!
who was more than happy to get out
This weather just sort of drifted in
in the warm Summer sprinkles and be
and around us with bursts of warm
photographed. I did not shoot when
rain and intermittent light sprinkles.
it was actively raining, and even
The gorgeous direct sunlight was
though my camera was protected,
replaced with what in turn dimmed
and the rain isn’t even visible, I
all the vivid color that was present
stayed under the roof of leaves.
just an hour earlier.
Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of
The rain was never heavy and the
being a fair-weather photographer!
drops were relatively small. This,
With a little preparation and the
and the even lighter drizzle, left the
ability to see the beauty in the light
droplets on the foliage and delicate
of a rainy day, you can make some
pine needles. The light caught as
beautiful shots.
bright reflections that stood out
beautifully against the deep greens. It
was like being surrounded by natural
fairy lights.
As the rain stopped, the cloud cover
remained as a sort of mist. This
was the perfect natural soft box of
diffuse light to photograph some of
the treasures we had discovered on
our earlier beach walk. The colors
of the coral popped on the dark
background of the wet log.
From vision to final image 75
Evening light portrait
– two ways
With windows facing three different
directions, the light in my home office
is soft and fairly unremarkable for
most of the day. While the quality of
the light is lovely and soothing while I
am working, it does not call out to me
to create photographs. I guess that
is good as otherwise it might be too
distracting! After a day of nothing
interesting from the light, right before
sunset for about ten minutes to a full
half hour (depending on the weather
and the season) the sun throws
golden rays through the blinds
covering the West facing window
and puts on a heck of a show. This
ISO 500, f/1.8, 1/160sec, 75mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless ISO 400, f/1.8, 1/160sec, 75mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
is also the time during Winter when
my kids are just home from school
character in the story you are trying and light intensity for quick portraits light can be there and then gone in
and want to be around me. They
to tell through your images. It is of my kids. Now the soft illumination the space of a few seconds during
tell me stories of their day and just
almost as if the less the light gives from the fading light entering via the this time of day. As the sun is setting,
hang out for a while between my
you, the harder it makes you work to North and South windows is quite cool it appears to move even faster. I have
last bits of work to get done and the
record its brilliance, the deeper the and can even have a cyan cast to it, learned to observe the way the light
time to shift gears into the madness
meaning it can provide. the orange rays contrast beautifully. appears and in turn can now predict
of dinner and bedtimes. While I am
Within the relatively small space, I when it is going to be the perfect time
a morning person at heart, I love With fill coming from the remaining
can create quite a few different looks for some shots.
taking photographs in this slightly light filtering in from the North and
just based on the light alone. I have
melancholy, and yet calmly hopeful, South, I often have fun playing with
to act quickly though as the perfect
time of day. The light can become a the combination of white balance

From vision to final image 76

These two photographs were actually
taken during the Winter so I had
even less time to capture them as the
sunsets are shorter than those that
linger during the Summer. At first I
noticed the light was strong enough
to reach the far wall opposite the
window, while the Winter conditions
meant that the color was not as
extreme as it usually would be at that
moment, nor were the bars as thick
and bright. I had my daughter lean
against the wall just at the edge of
the South facing window so that she
would be softly lit with the pattern of
light from the West to frame her right
side naturally. None of the lines of
light were strong enough up higher
to cast a pattern across her face, but
they increased in value the lower they
fell. The white wall she is leaning on
helped to bounce some of the natural
light from the far North side of the
room back onto her face for essential
catch lights. I had her stand just at
the edge of that window frame on
her left side, as the closer to the light
she stepped the more light there
was to illuminate her face. As the
subject steps back into shadow the
less light that reaches them. To keep
the window frame from becoming a
visual distraction, I made sure to crop
it out of the frame. It was a tradeoff
as that meant she had to be a little
further into the shadow than I would
have liked so that she did not appear
to be leaning on the edge of nothing.
The second photo was just a few
moments later. I had moved to
where she was standing in the first
photograph and in turn she blocked
the light from hitting my lens directly.
The light was really disappearing
now, but I loved how the remaining
golden tones accentuated her curls.
Since the South facing window was
now a much larger light source for
the image, I could actually reduce
my ISO settings and retain the same
shutter speed and aperture as the first
shot. Since I was shooting with a long
lens, 75mm on micro 4/3 (150mm in
35mm equivalent), I kept my shutter
speed fast to reduce the chance of
camera shake, but not so fast that
it would not register any light in the
darker shadow details. The less time
the light has to be collected on the
sensor, the less details I find recorded
in the shadows. To remember that, I
think about how long it takes an artist
to render the fine details in a drawing.
Wide areas of just darkness can be
done much faster as it does not take
as long. I wanted to keep the texture
of her wispy hair, the definition of her
jawline, and as much of the weave
in the fabric as well. I was shooting
with a wide aperture and knew that
would mean a very shallow depth of
field. The image could run the risk of
being too soft with the combination
of filtered light, wide aperture and
fast shutter. I wanted soft, but strong,
to match her personality. Just a few
moments later the sun was below the
horizon and the light was gone for
good for that day.
While the vision of the portrait is
up to the photographer and the
subject, the key to using natural light
is to consider it as an additional
subject in the image. Using the light
to be a supporting actor to your
main subject’s star is something
that becomes easier with time and
practice. A quick way to get started
is to choose Aperture Priority and
spot metering. If the subject is
extremely fair, or of darker skin,
using the exposure compensation
dial to reduce or increase exposure
a stop either way is a great practice
to ensure that you have the best
exposure in the camera. The spot
selected will be choosing the values
based on the assumption of metering
medium grey.
From vision to final image 77
 Pets
My human family members are not the only ones who feature in my photographic
story of my life. The cat and dog are both particularly good at napping in
pretty light. I can’t help myself when something I love is in pretty light, I just
have to photograph it.

The cat has claimed our laundry as her own apartment. I am thankful for that
because not only is it the easiest room to clean up, but it is all white and has
great even light all day long from the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows!

When we moved to Australia, we rescued this Ragdoll cat as a young adult. Her
blue eyes were the most stunning color I had ever seen and when I photograph
ISO 800, f/4.5, 1/125sec, 105mm, DSLR Full Frame
them people are dubious as to whether they are real or if I have enhanced their
vibrancy. Simply shooting in a white room with bright even light is all that is
needed to make the color of her eyes seem so beautiful.

As you can see in this shot of the same cat, when her eyes are photographed
with the dull light of an overcast day as the only illumination, they are still blue,
but they are faded like the sky. To me, she is beautiful in any light and I love this
image of her because with the dim lighting I had to use a very wide aperture to
let in more light which resulted in a shallow depth of field. I think that the added
interest of the out of focus blades of grass actually makes this image in the end.

ISO 640, f/1.8, 1/4000sec, 25mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless From vision to final image 78

ISO 250, f/2.4, 1/20sec, iOS
ISO 250, f/2.4, 1/20sec, iOS
You can still get good shots of your
pets in less than perfect light. This
photo was taken during the midday
sun in the backyard, with no cover.
It would have produced horrible
shadows under any human’s eyes,
but it is fine for a dog – especially
when you give them scratches under
the chin and they do something
adorable like this. Don’t be afraid to
make the light work for you instead
of moving to find better light. I was
sitting in a lawn chair watching the
kids play when Chilli, our dog, came
to me for some love. I wasn’t about to
get up off my cozy spot to get better
light!
Sometimes pretty light and a cute dog
is what you have and they are all you
really need to make an interesting
picture. I took a photo with my
iPhone of a friend’s dog that we were
dog-sitting. At the end of the day, the
light comes into our home from the
many floor-to-ceiling windows so it
stays quite bright except for the hall
by the front door. As it is bordered
by the garage on one side, and a
closet on the other, there is not much
light. The light that comes from the
windows towards the back of the the image to square to remove
house falls off quite dramatically into some of the uninteresting light in the
the shadows as the sun sets. For a foreground. I added texture as well
very short time, the light is contrast-y as increasing the sharpness so that
and dramatic in this one area of ‘in the way the light defined her fur was
between’. This is exactly where the enhanced and the grain from the low
little guest dog decided to stand and light became a prominent feature
her lovely wispy fur caught the last and part of the overall look of the
light beautifully. With the darkness image instead of a problem.
to the other side, she glowed like a
The image worked because I saw the
court dog in an oil painting by an old
potential in the light and the way it
master artist. The little dog follows me
interacted with the subject as well as
everywhere so I knew that if I went
having a plan to enhance the shot
off to get my proper camera, she
with artistic editing.
would follow me. The light would be
gone quickly as well. I could reach
ISO 200, f/1.8, 1/4000sec, 25mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
my iPhone, so I quickly snapped
two shots. In my favorite, she tilted
her head with extra cuteness. The
problem was, when I looked on
my phone screen, the shot was flat
and not at all reminiscent of the
masterpiece I saw at the time!
I knew that I could enhance what
I had captured, though, as the
main elements of light were there. I
opened the image in an editing app
right on the phone and went to work
increasing the contrast and saturation
to bring out the drama. I cropped
From vision to final image 79
Window light –
three ways
The light has to come into our homes
somehow. Windows are the perfect
way to diffuse the natural illumination
during the day, but I wanted to take
a few paragraphs of your time to get
you to think about some of the other
ways that windows can frame the
light for your photography.

I’ve shared these images in a diptych

together because they represent the
same time of day and quality of light
photographed a few moments apart,
just steps away from each other. We
were staying in a little apartment in
Venice a few years ago that had
large canal facing windows. During
the day the light would illuminate
ISO 320, f/10, 1/30sec, 24mm, DSLR Full Frame ISO 320, f/4.5, 1/320sec, 70mm, DSLR Full Frame
the yellow curtains evenly as the
surrounding buildings acted as a
natural flag to protect the window
changed shape with the shifting of surrounding buildings. You can see because it meant the cat popped out
from receiving any direct rays. From
the sheer curtains in the wind. the reflection of the light bouncing of the image with bright contrast! In
when the sun rose to when it set, the
off the buildings in the window glass. fact, I remember seeing him many
light on the curtains was fairly even. It was only a few steps from our
Just as the light never ventured very days, but never photographing him
Because it never changed, the light apartment to the other window.
far into our rented room, that cat because he was never in the light far
appeared to stop at the threshold of Venice is a rabbit warren of little
would have been in darkness had enough. Maybe he was used to us
the window, not daring to interrupt lanes and, like our canal window,
he pulled his head back even just by this point. We had become locals
our stay. The darkness of the room this cat’s window perch had no
a little bit. The fall off of light is that by then. When I look at this shot, I
and the light from outside met at chance of ever being in the path
great. It worked well here though remember feeling like locals!
a very distinct border that only of direct sunlight because of all the

From vision to final image 80

One more way to use window light
is to employ the glass to reflect your
subject. This is one of my favorite
ways to incorporate window light.
When the natural light of the day is
low, warm and indirect, like here at
the golden hour with an east facing
window. The light is merely hanging
in the air before disappearing
completely. Clover was fascinated
by how the rays from sunset were
hitting the tops of the trees that rim
the border of our backyard. In her
tired state, she kept getting closer
to the window and in turn I was
fascinated by the way the light hit her
face and then created her reflection
on the glass. I went and grabbed my
phone to take this photo. I made sure
that I set the focus and exposure spot
on the light part of her skin so that
the phone camera would darken the
image. The deeper the exposure, the
more distinct the reflection appeared.
It also more closely replicated the
amazing golden light that was
falling everywhere. After I got the
shot, I opened an app to process ISO 400, f/1.8, 1/500sec, 25mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
the image and reduced the exposure
even further to deepen the color and remember the late evenings that I stopped the little life tasks for a moment. I put making dinner aside and we sat on the
overall mood. To date it is one of couch together and talked about our beautiful day. Like the light of the setting sun, there is only so much time before this
my favorite images of my daughter stage of childhood is gone and I want to take the time to appreciate it and store it away for many years later when I will
and I will always look back on it and need that vivid memory.

From vision to final image 81

Flowers
There is a quiet running theme through
my images that I never really stopped
to examine before gathering my
thoughts and pictures for this book.
For a commercial child photographer
and daily life blogger, I was surprised
to see how many photographs of
f/8, 1 sec, 200mm, ISO 400, Canon MKII
flowers I have in my collection. Now
I am not one to usually have fresh
cut flowers in my home unless it is a
really big occasion or my child has
pulled them from an unsuspecting
neighbor’s garden. It took me writing
this book to actually reflect on what
it was about these images and I can
see now that the thread connecting
them all is the simple fact that it
EXIF unrecorded, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless ISO 200, f/1.8, 1/4000sec, 25mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless
isn’t the flowers themselves, but the
light that they are bathed in. Some
flowers seem to be reaching for deepen the sense of space with the
the light while others burst through way they set off the shadows around
the dark shadows to shine. Others them, or even soothe the soul in soft
simply glow while they let the light and even light. What better way to
come through their delicate skin. To celebrate than by photographing
me, flowers are the perfect collectors them. Knowing how to capture the
of natural light. They gather the way they honor the light will allow
rays and use them to amplify color, you to get brilliant shots.

From vision to final image 82

 Let’s take a look at this photo of unassuming, yet beautiful,
sunflower-like weeds that were growing at the edge of a
road in Salt Lake City. While we parked our car and
unloaded our camera bags in an effort to document the salt
flats at their most glorious time of day, sunset, I noticed that
the light was already showing off by shining through the
little petals. The yellow of the setting sun was intensified in
the yellow that already existed in the flower – yet there was
still about 45 minutes before the most brilliant light, which
meant the sky was still the color of bluebonnets. I had to take
a picture. I loved the way the back light isolated the straggly
plant and added a pop of contrast to the entire scene. As
I was with a group of other photographers, we only had a
few moments by the car before we were all off to get the
shots we drove out to take. This one shot of the flowers was
all I took and, to be honest, had forgotten about until I later
transferred all of my files to my hard drive. This one frame
stood out to me and while we all got many images of beauty
that night, I was compelled to look closer at this one. The
way a stubborn weed was painted with the most beautiful
light reminds me of the way we treat things in life, and the
beauty we see in our everyday surroundings really depends
on timing and the way we look at it all. If I stood on the other
side of these flowers, the light would be front lighting and
they would not stand out against the equally lit background.
I might not have even noticed them except for the way the
light grabbed my attention. If we had been half an hour
earlier and the sun was higher in the sky, we would have
parked and walked past the inconsequential plant without
the interesting light.

ISO 400, f/3.5, 1/3200sec, 14mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

From vision to final image 83

Taking another look at the image, I realized that I also loved the juxtaposition
of yellow flowers against blue sky. While the contrast of the backlit flowers
against the darker background in the bottom of the frame was pretty, I felt what
I wanted to remember about that evening was the race out to the salt flats to meet
the setting sun. We did not want to miss that tiny window of time where the light
would be just right. In fact, the group of us headed out to take pictures together
had only really just met a few hours earlier at a cocktail party for speakers
at a photography conference. The shared love of teaching photography had
allowed us all to meet in person and confirm virtual friendships face-to-face.
The bond was immediate and before we even thought twice we left the party
and headed away from the city with our cameras and in fits of laughter. Long-
lasting friendships were formed that evening and in our haste to take pictures
together we made it to our location well before the sun set.

ISO 400, f/3.5, 1/3200sec, 14mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

Perfect timing, contrast of complementary colors and the specialness of found

beauty is what this photo represents to me. These photos of flowers and light -
they are bookmarks for my memories.

To get the more dramatic look was simple, I merely cropped the image to
square so that the distraction of the dark background at the bottom of the frame
was removed and the way I framed my memory was what was left.
ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/400sec, 38mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

From vision to final image 84

 This book is my take on natural light and how to photograph with it, but one of
the best parts is the opportunity to share the work of others. Having participated
in the worldwide photographic community for 20 years now, I have found
so many people who shine as brilliantly as the light they capture and the
stories they tell. I have a multipage list of photographers I reference often for
inspiration and eye candy. Some have years of experience, while others are
just picking up the camera and finding their voice. When someone falls in love

FEATURED
with light and the ability to share it with the world through photography, it is
powerful. In the following pages you will see an image from a hand-selected
group of photographers who have touched my own work in some way.

Some I have only recently discovered, but the span time was not a factor for me

GUESTS AND
reaching out to them to be included in this chapter. Instead, I wanted to bring
together a selection of photographers who excel in translating certain types
of light and are able to harness the power of natural light to enhance their
photographic specialties.

SPECIALTIES
While these are all professional photographers, each brings something that
can be used in your daily life photography – take the information and imagery
and use their power to inspire you.

Featured guests and specialties 85

Diyosa: Film
diyosa.com instagram.com/diyosa
Diyosa is someone I met a decade ago through Flickr. I have watched her
photography passion grow, and in the last few years have seen her really
find her calling. She shares the world outside in such a magical way that
I just want to pack up my family and my cameras and travel like a gypsy.
Camera: Graflex Speed Graphic (circa 1950) Large Format 4x5 Camera
Lens: Kodak Aero-Ektar 178mm f/2.5 (circa 1940)
Film: Fuji FP-100C Instant Film
Exposure: ISO 100, F/2.5, 1/50
This photograph was taken  during one of our camping adventures at
the Lost Coast, a secluded area of the Northern California coast. The
campground is heavily treed with droplets of natural light shining through
the surrounding redwoods. For this still shot, I needed Ricky’s face to be
well-lit but finding natural light to capture the rays barely streaming through
the trees proved challenging. I had the added difficulty of being limited
by the Polaroid film speed of 100, which meant I needed a considerable
amount of light to make a proper exposure. To achieve the photograph, I
found an area where the light enveloped him. I had him rotate his head
slowly until a direct stream of light, illuminating from a break in the trees,
fell gently on his face just enough to cause him to squint. I had the option of
facing Ricky more into the light and moving myself so the light would be
behind me. By doing this, I would risk losing the circle of light surrounding
his head in addition to the dark shadow on his face, which adds an air of
mystery. The true magic of this photograph was only revealed to me once I
pulled the Polaroid from the camera and allowed it to develop. I found that
magic happened once the elements of the light behind him, the spotlight
on his face, his expression, smoke and proper exposure all came together.
Natural light for me is the key component that adds levels of dimension
and interest to a photograph and takes it from a snapshot to something
extraordinary. I choose how I want to light a scene based on the emotion I
wish to convey. If I’m seeking a light and airy portrait or group photograph
I search for open shade and even lighting situations. If my goal is a
moodier scene, I will look for dramatic lighting with deeper shadows and
variance in the light.
Natural light drives my photography. It will make me stop in the middle of
a hike, go out of my way on a walk, and even stop my car. I especially
love when a photograph creates streams of light or warmth that can be
felt by the viewer.
Featured guests and specialties 86
Alix Martinez: Underwater
alixmartinez.com
Alix is a true artist who has found a way to reinvent portraiture by taking the
camera and her subjects into a world we rarely open our eyes to. She has
shown me that natural light is even more stunning underwater, and inspired
me to go out and get a camera to take myself and my work there.
ISO 800, 1/640, F 4.0 SS.  I shot with a canon mark III and a 24mm prime lens in a IKELITE underwater housing.
I keep my white balance at Kelvin - around 5300 
I booked this client for an underwater photoshoot in June at 6.30pm.
I prefer to take photographs in the water later in the day for the prettiest
light available and with no flash – just like you would if you were not
in the water. This particular day was overcast. The clouds acted like
a giant soft box diffuser. The light was flat and even and made the
water clear and pretty. Since the sun was behind the clouds it created
a bit more of a reflection. It was setting to the camera left of her. There
is more light in the shallow part of the pool. The deeper you go the
less light will reach your subject. Water absorbs light frequencies in a
nonlinear manner; reds are absorbed very quickly followed by oranges
and yellows, leaving only blue. The less water your light has to travel
through, the more accurate the colors will be. When the sun is out, and
if you take photographs around noon, you will see the ripples all around
your subject. 
I prefer to shoot on manual in the water, but some people have better
luck with shutter speed priority. I like to keep the camera at a very high
shutter speed, and also the Al servo selected as it can be tricky focusing
under water, especially when the sun is shining for back lighting.
Buy a disposable camera, iPhone underwater housing or a small
underwater camera to try out before you invest in an expensive
underwater housing. There are a few photographic supply warehouses
where you can find camera housings (SPLASH or IKELITE) to rent.
Always, ALWAYS, do a test before fully getting in the water. Especially
with rented gear!
Featured guests and specialties 87
Laura Morita: Full sun
shineworkshop.com lauramoritaphotography.com
Laura is a master of making the most of natural light in her images. She
isn’t afraid of any light and knows how to not only capture the scene in her
camera, but exactly how to edit it to perfection. She is one of those people
who probably could make an out of focus photograph appear perfectly in
focus through her wizardry with post processing.
ISO 160, 24mm, f/4.0, 1/1000 sec
Shooting in full sun with the sun directly illuminating your subject is
nothing to fear! The color you can get straight out of camera can be
phenomenal! If your subjects are facing the sun and there’s a beautiful
blue sky behind them, you can properly expose both the sky and
subjects because, if you think about it, both the sky and people are
being illuminated by the same light ... the sun! The bright and colorful
light of full sun, coupled with a happy blue sky, can’t help but make you
smile. When my subject is facing the sun, and my goal is to capture
both my subject and a blue sky, I typically choose evaluative metering
(matrix metering) for my metering mode and then adjust my settings so
that my meter is set to zero or +1/3. Subjects dressed in primary colors
or vibrant colors can help in creating a joyful look.
In this image, my son was dressed with just a pop of red in his shoes
while the rest of his wardrobe was blue, matching the sky. I chose a
wide angle lens to capture the expanse of the sky and got down low,
pointing my lens toward the sky to be sure to separate my son from the
background so that he and the sky could be the main attractions.
Skin photographed in full sun, especially golden light sun (when this
image was shot), tends to be warm and orange. While lowering the
temperature of the white balance can help, this can make the overall
image appear too cool or blue. In cases like this, decreasing the
saturation of orange in the HSL panel of Lightroom can be very effective
in decreasing that orange skin without altering the color of the sky.
Pulling down the blacks helped to bring out the richness of the colors.
To saturate the blues of the sky without oversaturating the grass or skin
tones, I pulled up the saturation of blues and aquas in the HSL panel.
Finally, the grass was darkened by decreasing the exposure with a
simple gradient filter pulled from the bottom over the grass.
Easy peasy!
Featured guests and specialties 88
Summer Murdoch: Low light
summermurdock.com
Summer silently shines. There is no other way to describe her work. The quiet
mastery of light and story makes her work come alive like the still frames
from a movie. She makes me feel like I remember being in her photos even
though they have nothing to do with me. That is a nearly impossible job that
she makes look effortless with powerful skill and only a camera and natural
light as her tools.
Canon Mark III 24–70ii@24, 2.8, 1/400, ISO400
When I first started taking photographs, I would only pull my camera
out if the light was soft and bright. Anything else scared me. I remember
feeling frustrated that my window of opportunity to shoot was so slim
based on the available light or lack thereof. I decided I was going
to experiment a bit. I had a camera that could handle higher ISO. I
discovered that I really could take a picture in ANY light. I just had to
get a bit creative with it.
The following image calls for a bit of creativity with the light. The sun
had just set and the room was getting dark. My girls were playing in
the curtains and I knew when I saw them I had to capture this. I wanted
to capture what my eyes were actually seeing versus trying to make the
room appear lighter and brighter than it really was. So I got out my
camera, spot metered off the highlights and set my meter to +2 as a
starting point. Then I checked the back of the LCD screen to see if I was
capturing the look I wanted and readjusted until I got this exposure.
Notice how the shadows are really dark. There isn’t a lot of detail there. I
was okay with that because my focus was the two girls and the curtains.
I wanted to be sure that I didn’t lose detail in the curtains or the profiles
of the girls. I also wanted to capture a bit of that glowing sky that was
left over from the sun just barely setting. I wasn’t concerned with being
able to see the detail on the girls. I just wanted their silhouettes.
I love the mood and feeling that lower light like this creates. The light
itself here really adds to the story. Had I exposed the image so that the
girls and the room were light and bright and the window blown out, it
would have been a totally different image. Don’t be afraid to experiment
with your exposures. Light and bright may not always be the way to go.
Featured guests and specialties 89
Kate T. Parker: Deep shadows & backlight
katetparkerphotography.com
Kate’s images move me in a way not many others do. I feel like she captures
the incredible power of natural light in the everyday moments we all
experience. She tells emotion through shadows and light with the subjects
of her photographs almost being the second thing you notice. I relate to her
attraction to light and her need to document it. She secures moments that
others might miss because she knows beautiful light almost before it even
appears and exactly how to work with it.
ISO 640, f/2.8, 1/640sec, 28mm, DSLR Full Frame
When the light starts to fade at night, my ‘photographer antennae’
(we all have them, you know) go up. I am always on the lookout for
pockets of gorgeous  light poking through the trees or butter colored
yellow rays to backlight a subject. Driving home from school with my
girls, I noticed this three foot sliver of light poking through the trees
at sunset. I knew it wouldn’t last and I knew it was amazing light  to
shoot something …anything… in! I grabbed my most willing child
(by grabbed, I mean bribed, of course) and a winter hat, and the dog
just happened to escape through the door. We hadn’t planned this shot,
but since the light and child were fading fast, we went with it.  
Trying to be quick on my feet, I thought since the dog was out, let’s
work with him and my  daughter. Perhaps their interaction would be
more compelling than a solo shot of my daughter? Hmm … let’s work
with what we have, right? I tried to get Scooter, our dog, to sit, but that
wasn’t working, of course. Luckily enough, I found a dog treat in my
pocket, showed it to Scooter to get him to sit, handed the treat to my
girl, got myself into position to shoot, and then told my daughter to toss
it in the air.  
I exposed for the light and positioned my body low  enough  to  catch
the rays coming directly through the middle of the two of them so not
to obscure their faces, and hopefully catch the rays exploding through.
I switched my shooting settings to the superduperfast mode (like 1000
shots per  click) since I knew I had one dog treat and therefore one
chance to shoot this. I backbutton focused right in the middle of the two
of them and told her to toss the treat. CLICK CLICK CLICK x10 and this
is the shot I ended up with.  
Featured guests and specialties 90
Taryn Boyd: Newborns in soft bright light
bluhippophotography.com Shooting indoors with all natural light can be very tricky. There are many
factors that you have to deal with. For example, if it is a grey and overcast
Taryn captures more than light; she captures luminosity. That glow that
day it causes huge challenges on making sure there is enough light coming
surrounds something special. While some might see an aura that others
through the windows. Other challenges are the amount and size of the
can’t, Taryn has the ability to capture that with her camera. You might not
windows, wall colors that can cause color casts and even, in some cases,
see it, but you can feel it in her bright images.
too much sun. 

Natural light can be really beautiful inside if you know what you are
looking for and how to properly use it. 

Before I shoot in a client’s home I always have them send me pictures of

rooms that they feel have enough available light. I, of course, don’t expect
them to be the experts on light but it gives me a good feel of what I will
be working with not only in terms of light but also decor like bedspreads,
wall colors, etc. 

Once I arrive at my client’s home, I do a walkthrough to study the light.

I am looking for well lit, bright rooms. The more neutral the accents and
walls are, the better the outcome of the photo. 

In this example I will walk you through why the photo works. First, it was a
pretty sunny day but the light wasn’t pouring directly through the windows
causing really bright highlights. I also placed the baby on a white comforter,
which is a natural reflector and part of the reason that babies’ skin is so
bright, even though the photo is back lit. A reflector would have been ideal
but in this case I took a white pillow and used that as a reflector to bounce
even more light on the babies’ faces. I metered for the babies’ skin and in
turn created a very airy feel to the photo but with proper exposure. Be very
careful on the skin not to overexpose or you will get blown highlights. You
can see in the photo that I keep the blinds partially down because without
it it would have been overpowering. Do not be afraid to play with the light,
blinds and curtains and make the necessary adjustments to the photo. 

Don’t be afraid to play! 

ISO 400, f/1.8, 1/320sec, 50mm, D700 DSLR Full Frame

Featured guests and specialties 91
Dale Taylor: Sunset
daletaylorphotography.wordpress.com
Dale simply masters color and light. Whether it is full sun at noon, or the
very last light over the beach at sunset, Dale’s images have every last detail
without going over the top or out of the range of natural light that other
photographers might hide from, or not bother even attempting, is her forte.
Because of this, moments of beauty are not missed and childhood just pops
right out of every image she takes. Childhood doesn’t stop and wait for the
light to be perfectly even – and neither does Dale.
ISO 400, f/22, 1/500sec, 24mm, DSLR Full Frame
When I look back at my photos in years to come, I want them to tell me a
story, to make me feel – not just see – and help me remember moments.
This partial silhouette of my children at the beach does just that. Because
the image is backlit, I can’t see their facial expressions at all. But I can
almost hear their laughter, feel the warmth of the Summer sun and smell
the sunscreen and salty air. This photo brings the moment alive for me. It
takes me back to that evening. That, to me, is the magic of a photograph.
The golden hour is my favorite time to take photos. The light is warm
and glowing, becoming softer as it sinks lower and into the night. I can
photograph my subjects looking towards the sun and they would be
brightly lit, warm images full of details. My favorite way to photograph
at this time though is to use the sun as backlight and make a silhouette.
A silhouette is achieved by placing your subject in front of the sun,
and exposing for the brightest part of the composition - the sky. The
background will then be well exposed, and your subjects much darker.
Silhouettes work best if the scene is very open and free of distractions,
somewhere you can isolate your subject in front of the sky. The beach with
pretty clouds is fantastic, or a park with a hill where you can get down
low and shoot up at the subject.
In this photo, the setting sun is behind and to the left of the kids. The sky
is full of color, with just a few clouds to add some interest. The light hits
their backs, defining their profiles and revealing just a little detail. The
glow on their heads and arms helps to separate them slightly from the
background. The hint of my daughter’s ear shows that her head is turned
back, looking at her little brother. The light also bounces off the water,
illuminating the little waves where their feet make splashes, helping to
capture their motion as they run.
I set my camera to manual mode so I could expose this as a silhouette. I
shot at f22 to get crisp, clean details and deep color. I used a wide lens
to capture the story. I could have used a flash to light the kids, but that
would have completely changed the feel of the photo. Silhouettes can
really lend themselves to storytelling; they can evoke emotion and bring
back memories, and they can leave the story open to interpretation. They
can also make beautiful art for your walls. They are a great photographic
technique to explore.
Featured guests and specialties 92
Leanne Bertram: Interiors
leannebertram.com This image was taken at 10.30am on February 11, 2015, on what was
to be a very bright sunny day in an apartment in the city of Melbourne,
The way that light dances across a room, the gorgeous corners of a house
Australia. With huge open windows to the left of image, even at this
that are illuminated brilliantly and decorated so carefully – Leanne knows
hour, the sun was streaming in and in no time would be challengingly
how to capture any home in the best light. After looking at her photographs
bright.  This was one of my first shots of the day as I really loved the
of interiors, I feel I know the story of those who live there.
light, the way it touched and kissed the furniture. A light caress before
the avalanche of a full-body embrace, if you will.

As I arrived, I knew time would soon bask the small window-lit apartment
with ‘white hot light’ (you know, the type that bleaches everything in
sight - you can see a little of this on the rug already). I had to work fast.

I work with natural light 99.95% of the time. Not only do I prefer to
work with natural elements, I also like to work fast and light. I don’t
have a crew to help me with gear, and if I am traveling interstate for a
shoot ‘extras’ add to carry-on weight. I carry two bodies, two lenses,
my wallet, jacket and keys, and only just scrape by.  It’s not always
ideal, and I often find myself in a home where the only time we have to
shoot the house is 2.00pm on a super bright day. Unlike when I shoot
portraits, I can’t move the house into better light, and I’m yet to find
anyone that finds ‘near sunset’ a good time for me to call around when
their house is crawling with kids and spouses and mess.

This is an initial setup shot, the one where you test and adjust your
settings. Someone gave me some good advice once – they said, “Get
the shot, then get the shot” (if this is plagiarized and quite famous,
please don’t shoot me, I can’t find any reference to it!). I find it handy
in two instances:

1.  when time allows, and

2.  when time doesn’t allow.

My settings were: Canon 50D, ISO 800, F.16, 1/25 exposure, Manual exposure,
spot metering, Focal length 22mm, (The lens is the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5) Featured guests and specialties 93
Leanne Bertram: Interiors continued
In short, it means snap that shot, as blurred and as imperfect as it may be – it So, I took this shot and chatted with the homeowner some more (my clients are
might be your only opportunity – then relax, adjust, recompose, and get THE strangers and when I barge into their home, it is the first time I meet them). It’s
shot. Perfection can be overrated; sometimes that first shot is the one you love, good to put people at ease, so although I got ‘better’ shots, with better settings,
with all of its flaws, as is the case here. this one, on an older camera with a high ISO and grainier than usual, is the
one I loved. 
In this instance, my ISO was set way too high, not only for the scene, but for
this camera (my old Canon 50D cropped sensor). The 50D doesn’t cope too What I love in this image is the beautiful jewel tones on a neutral background.
well with high ISOs, which results in grainy images, but I don’t mind a bit of The light falls across the table, chair, and adds some patterns to the rug and
grit sometimes, and the lens that is permanently affixed to it doesn’t fit on my carpet. When looking at a home scene, the light evokes memory, as well as a
full-frame main camera. desire to curl up in that chair, reach for a book and bask in that light, warmed
by the window. To me, it feels universal, like a memory; like home. With a
What happened here is this: I arrived, said “Hi”, and became completely
more uniform, flatter, evenly distributed light, it would still be a nice setup but
distracted by the light and set up while still introducing myself. I tend to chat
perhaps, like the light, leave me emotionless and flat.
too much, and have actually missed the light while talking about how beautiful
it is. Tough lessons. Get the shot, then get the shot. Photographs and imagery mean something different to everyone. To me, this is
a bit like a still life (and many of them are of rotting fruit!). I enjoy a stillness that
Often – no, pretty much always – when people like a photo, they will say
allows me to use my own feelings and imagination to interpret. It is a simple
“Wow, I love that photo!” Ask them why and they might mumble about the
picture, and I didn’t submit it so everyone would be amazed at my wonder, but
subject, or perhaps the setting, but in most cases it’s the light. A model may be
for how it makes me feel.  If not for the light, I would not have looked twice.
pretty at noon, but she will look amazing at sunset in the same location. He
might look fabulous watching the television, but pop him next to a window and
highlight some masculine angles and he is a chiseled God. Lighting is what
sets apart a good picture taken well, from an amazing picture taken from a
different angle or an hour earlier/later.

Featured guests and specialties 94

 ISO 1600, f/2.8, 1/6sec, 40mm, Micro 4/3rds Mirrorless

CONCLUSION
By far, the hardest part of writing this book for me has been composing this around you. I have outlined the basic editing process I follow so that you can
conclusion. I think maybe that it is the simple fact that I don’t want to write make the best final images from your RAW files and the inspiration to take it
an ending. This is just the beginning of your photographic journey so while I further with your unique artistry.
might have to title this section something so final as Conclusion, I really feel it
With this book, you now have all the essential starter steps to see, capture
should be called ‘To Be Continued’. I mean the sun rises again each day and it
and use the one element that inspired the origin (and name) of this medium,
represents another chance to photograph all that is illuminated again.
photography. I can’t wait to see what you do with light now that you have all
In this book, I hope I have given you a really good platform to start chasing this information.
light. I have tried to help you learn how to notice light, work with all types
I hope that you take this information and absorb it, practice and continue to
of natural light and anticipate its beauty along the course of a day. I have
grow. Light is everything to a photographer and so in conclusion I say, this is
compiled all of my tips to capture it well with the controls you have in your
just the beginning!
camera as well as sharing my techniques to modify the light that naturally exists
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