Photography is all about lighting. A camera is nothing more than a device that burns light onto a sensitive strip of film, paper or in the case of a digital camera, an image sensor. In order to take better photographs, it’s critical to understand how to capture light and preferably, how to bend it to make it do your will.
This is no easy task. Professional photographers spend their whole careers searching for the perfect light. There are hundreds of books about the topic and who knows how many photography courses. The photo tips in this article are intended to make you more aware of how important light is and how to make the most of it. For some techniques, it will take a lot of practice and some time to get results. Don’t get discouraged!
White Balance
Different light sources produce different colors. Some light is warm (the sun, incandescent light bulbs) and some light is cool (fluorescent, overcast days). If your camera has a white balance setting, make sure the white balance is set accordingly when you pick up your camera. You can leave it at Auto or experiment with your camera’s various presets. If you have a DSLR, it’s usually incredibly easy to create a custom white balance. Read your camera manual for more instructions!
Outdoor Lighting
Unless your creative vision requires strong shadows or taking advantage of the sun’s brightness, you probably don’t want to go outside at high noon and take pictures of your subject in direct sunlight. Strong shadows can cause unflattering distortions in perception.
Diffused sunlight is soft and even and makes photographing outside easier. Take notice of your surroundings and you’ll likely find several places throughout the day which make perfect spots to take photographs.
Open Shade
Find a nice shady spot, such as under a tree, porch or canopy, in the shadow of a building or in an alley. This works especially well for portraits!
Shot in the shadow of my house.
Overcast Days
When the sun is hidden behind a sheet of clouds, it naturally diffuses the light. You may need to be careful of your composition to avoid the inclusion of gray skies, however.
Overcast days are perfect to take food, products, crafts, etc outside to shoot it!
Sunrise, Sunset – The Golden Hour
Also known as the magic hour, the first and last hour of light during the day is a photographer’s holy grail. Due to the way sunlight travels through the atmosphere, the light is soft and warm and makes just about anything look good.
Photo Credit: Kyle Kruchok Photography via Creative Commons license.
If you’re the crafty type, you could also:
- Make Your Own Shade. Use a sheer or opaque umbrella, sheet or shower curtain to create your own shaded set up. Unless you want to rig up something to keep this in place, an assistant or two will probably be needed.
- Make Your Own Light Box. If you take a lot of photos of food, products or crafts for your blog, you might want to look into making a very cheap and easy lightbox out of a cardboard box and some sheets of white paper. (With the addition of a cheap desk lamp or two from the thrift store you’ll have the ability to shoot both indoors and outdoors.)
Sun Effects
A back lit sunflower! Photo Credit: Kelly Pugliano of Mom Got Blog. Used with permission.
You can use the sun’s brightness to your advantage to photograph shadows, sunflares, starbursts, silhouettes or produce a hazy effect. For more information about attempting these techniques, check out the following articles:
- Sunburst Style Sunflare: 10 Sure Fire Tips for Sun Flare
- How to Create Gorgeous Sunflare Photos
- 5 Killer Ways to Shoot into the Sun and Get Beautiful Flare
- 5 Tips for Achieving Artistic Lens Flare: How To
- How to Photography Silhouettes in 8 Easy Steps
- 21 Wonderful Examples of Shadow Photography
Many of the articles tell you to shoot manually and that it might not be possible on point and shoots. Try it anyway using the other tips given! I’ve seen great sunflare in iPhone camera shots and that’s hardly as sophisticated as a point and shoot!
Indoor Lighting
Indoor lighting is extremely challenging. It’s frequently dim which makes it hard to focus and capture your subjects. It contains multiple light sources which, when combined, could produce odd colors in your photographs. Just like outdoors, take notice of your house throughout the day to find the areas with the best natural and artificial light. This is where you want to take your photos.
Utilize Natural Light
Windows with indirect sunlight work great as soft, even light sources. If you have horizontal blinds, you can try angling them to bounce the light off a wall or the ceiling for added depth. Your subject will look less flat with light hitting it from the side. Don’t forget you can also open doors to let in light!
On overcast days, our living room windows make it lovely to take photos of the kids indoors.
Photograph your subjects next to a window receiving indirect light. Works great for food, crafts or other products.
Photo Credit: Lindsay Maddox of Designer Wife. Used with permission.
Low Lighting (Avoiding Flash!)
This is a terrible lighting condition and one place where having a better camera and better lenses will help most. Try turning on or bringing close as many like-colored lights as possible.
If you have a DSLR, try setting it to Aperture Priority and choosing the lowest aperture value possible for your lens. If you have a point and shoot (or DSLR) you can also let more light in by increasing the ISO value. Check the index or appendix of your camera manual for “aperture” and “ISO” to see if and how you can change these settings!
I frequently convert low light photos into black and white. A higher ISO produces more grain (noise) which looks better in B&W, plus sometimes it’s difficult to get the color right when taken in artificial light.
Position or catch your subject as close as possible to your light source inside to avoid using flash.
Use the Flash, If You Must
Usually I’d advise keeping your camera’s on-board flash off unless it’s absolutely necessary. It produces harsh shadows and completely darkens the background. (Sometimes it’s cool, many times it isn’t.) Red eye and odd coloring are also side effects of flash.
You could try softening your on-camera flash by sticking a piece of tape or a coffee filter on top. Also check your camera manual to see if it’s possible to control the intensity of the flash and experiment with that. If it’s a shot that can wait, hold off until there’s enough natural light to take it.
Check out 8 On-Camera Flash Tips and Shooting with an In-Camera Flash for more photo tips!
If it’s just too dark to take the shot and it can’t wait, use the flash!
Photo Credit: Lindsay Maddox of Designer Wife used with permission.
Your Photography Challenge
Find the best spots for light indoors and outdoors around your home (or wherever you are). Take as many photos as possible in your best spots!
Tomorrow we’ll discuss using photos in social networking to promote yourself and improve your photography. Until then, feel free to share your photos on your blog, your current social networking accounts or our Flickr group!
Don’t forget to join in our conversation on the forums and tweet your photos and blog posts tagged #SITSpics!
The SITS Spring into Action Photo Challenge is a two week event designed to inspire your photography and help improve your blog with photos. Follow along in our Forums, #SITSPics on Twitter, our Flickr group and Facebook! It’s never too late to jump in!- Introduction: Join the Spring into Action Photo Challenge!
- Day 1: Composition and Perspective Photo Tips
- Day 2: Free Photo Editing and Collage Resources
- Day 3: Lighting Photo Tips
- Day 4: Social Networking Tips
- Day 5: YOUR Photo Tips
- Day 6: Lines and Repetition Photo Tips
- Day 7: Five Image Tips to Improve Your Blog
- Day 8: Color and Contrast Photo Tips
- Day 9: How to Protect Your Photos Online
- Day 10: Spring Into Action Photo Challenge Wrap-Up
Twitter: greatfun4kids
says:
I love photography – I used to know how to do it with a manual SLR, then it got stolen and I spent years with a Sony point-n-shoot; I still managed to get some decent shots – being aware of light, avoiding the flash, making use of the macro setting and getting up close wherever I could.
Finally for christmas my hubby bought me a digital SLR. Basic but still better than my point-n-shoot.
I love the crispness of the shots and the zoom – still trying to work out everything else.
Thanks for the reminders… nothing better than a blog with lovely images.
xx
Simone recently posted..Best Yummiest Easiest Tiramisu Ever
I bet shooting manually will come back in no time! I have a really basic (and old) dSLR too.
Lynda recently posted..You Are a Photographer
Lynda, I’m really enjoying your photo tips!
Lynn from For Love or Funny recently posted..I’m a 10 year-old trapped in a 47 year old’s body
Thanks!
Lynda recently posted..You Are a Photographer
This is sooo helpful! Photography is mainly playing with light… photo means light.
Lis recently posted..Video- Hvilken vaskemaskine skal du vælge
Twitter: lifeastophsmama
says:
This is an awesome read; I am so clueless about photography but love to take pictures; we have a relatively nice camera, so I’m excited to try some of the things mentioned here.
Thanks!
gin recently posted..Yall Made Me Do ThisGiveaway
Thanks for this… I struggle so much with getting the lighting “just right”… even outside can be TOO bright… its all about practice. I’m headed to check out the links on sunflare!
What great tips. Thank you for this feature
Lindsay Lee recently posted..ME being OPEN
Thanks Lindsay!
I’m really new at photography – I basically want to get great pictures of my kids and that is why I’m learning! Lighting is such a challenge for me. I’m not comfortable enough with my camera to know what to in different situations or what kind of lighting produces what kid of picture. Thank you so much for this post! I’m off to check out all the different pages I opened in separate tabs now! Can’t wait to start learning more!
Janene recently posted..SITS Photo Challenge – Meatloaf Cupcakes
I’m also learning photography to get better pictures of my kids and our life. Before I had kids I loved photography, but didn’t have any desire to learn how to shoot manually.
Twitter: osvme
says:
I really suck with the whole lighting thing. For me, at the moment, it’s SUN or BUST!!
But great post I shall take this into consideration in my next “shoot”!
Jenny recently posted..I’ve been shot!
Twitter: decondemand
says:
Once again great tips.
Marie Cole recently posted..Kitchen is Soooo DONE
This photo challenge and tutorials are knocking my socks off!
angie recently posted..Twisted Silver Launches The CORK Bracelet Today!
Thanks Angie!
I will work on my flares one day…I just played around in the backyard with the camera. This is what I came up with. http://bit.ly/e78gnl
Still loving this challenge even if I am so tired all the time.
trininista recently posted..The Letter D and Yummy Close Up Perspective
That’s an awesome post! Thanks for sharing.
Twitter: bestoffates
says:
Gorgeous photos – I especially love the apple one.
Maybe because I’m hungry.
But also because it’s pretty.
Megan (Best of Fates) recently posted..Supporting the Troops Yet Forgetting My Bloomers
That apple shot of Lindsay’s is really neato! She has another perspective of it here on Flickr.
Twitter: greenearthbazar
says:
Great info. on lighting – it’s certainly something I’ve wanted to learn more about. I usually just play around with my camera’s setting, and have really begun to see a big difference in the quality of my photos. Thanks!
Peace.
Michelle recently posted..Our Green Future- Green Washing- GMOs- Toxic Skincare- and DIY Spring Gardening Projects
Glad it helped Michelle!
Great tips! I am learning so much from this challenge.
Heather recently posted..And Then God Created This Mother
great tips! my husband took a photo class and wow, his photos are now so awesome.
Christina Simon recently posted..Guest Blogger Adine- Staying Sane During The Private Middle School Admissions Process
More great tips. Lighting is so hard for me but perhaps you help illuminate some solutions.
♥
Katybeth recently posted..Sorry Charlie Day!
Always great tips! Thank you!
Kelly recently posted..Boredom Creates Fun
good thing its actually sorta sunny here today!
Juliana recently posted..Blog Challenge
It’s a another lousy day today, so I’m not sure if this is going to work, but I’ll give it a shot…no pun intended. LOL!
Moni recently posted..Motivational Quote of the Week -April 4- 2011
Your pictures are beautiful!
Chaplain Donna recently posted..Empowered and In Love- A Guest Post by Kelli Dussault of My Life Downstream
Thanks! I’m so happy I was able to include photos from some of the #SITSpics leads in this article!
awesome post. great photos and tips. did you now there’s an ipad/iphone app for the ‘golden hour’? really handy – we used it a lot when camping for the best sunset shots
That’s cool. There really is an app for everything!
Kind of late getting to todays challenge, and I missed yesterdays. But I am going to try and get a post up with my edited pictrues today and I already know some places for photos I just need to go take some.
Tara recently posted..From My Closet- April Showers
Twitter: kpugs
says:
I think I am ok with early AM light and filtered light through my kitchen, but i am so bad when it is dark out or inside (like party settings).
This I will need to work on!!
Kelly recently posted..Afternoon Delight
Without a tripod and a still subject, dark and low light are extremely difficult, even with great equipment. So it’s not just you!
Also, that is where a good external flash and accessories will also come in handy. Too rich for my blood at the moment though, so I make due with free or *extremely* cheap light sources!
Great tips, thanks for the wonderful post.
natalie recently posted..Fremont Exploring
My husband definitely tries to avoid flash so I do too. Our camera is good, so it takes great low-light photos.
I’ve had my camera for a long time and am still clueless how to use it other than a point N shoot. I think I need to bookmark this page so I can go through each step at different times to check out the different techniques! Thanks so much. It’s a sunny day so I’m going to go practice.
Mimi @bigguysmama recently posted..Science Museum of Minnesota Social Science Event
This is so helpful! I have a decent camera (up from a point-and-shoot, but not yet a DSLR) but I feel like it’s still the luck of the draw to sometimes get awesome shots. Now I know how to control it and get more pretty pictures!
Gina recently posted..Day 5- A Book That Makes Me Happy
It’s been a crazy week and I somehow missed the challenge…I’m getting all caught up and spending some time reading ~excited about getting my camera out and putting some of these tips into practice. Thanks again for all your help.
MOMmetime recently posted..Lollipop Photo Challenge
Hey great post and thanks so much for linking to my post on sun flare tips! This is a terrific resource
MainlineMom aka Sarah recently posted..Tips for Great Landscape Photography