Photography Research: Techniques & Lighting

I have decided to do my photoshoot in and outdoor location rather than using a studio so I will need to research the use of natural light or outdoor lighting kits to ensure success for my photographs. I will be doing my photoshoot at Lahydrock Gardens, hopefully on a bright day so that I can use natural lighting. To make sure my photography is at a professional standard, I will need to plan my photoshoot based on the time of day so that I can make the most of the natural light. The different types of natural light can produce a wide variety of appeareances even though the light has come from the same source.

There are three factors that will affect the appearance of my subject when using natural lighting: the weather, camera direction and time of day. By using the direct sunlight, it will create a warmer and higher contrast image, whereas if I use diffused skylight, it will create a cooler and lower contrast effect. This lighting will change throughout the day which will result in different white balance or contrast on the subject. During midday when the sun will be nearly vertical, the contrasting light will be at it's highest and the main colours and tones will be neutral white. During the morning and evening when the direction of the sun is mid to low, the contrasting light will still be quite high on a clear day with warmer colours and tones featuring in the photograph. The sunrise and sunset is known to photographers as 'The Golden Hour'. This is because the sun will be near the horizon, creating a medium contrast and warm to fiery colours and tones in the photogrpah and on the subject. The sun falls closer to the horizon during this time which means that the light has to pass through the atmosphereand will bounce off the ground and onto the object more easily if the photograph is being taken in a clear area. Additionally, the atmosphere will filter more of the suns blue light which means that there will be an overall warmer light. During dawn and dusk after the sun has gone below the horizon, the contrast will be low creating cool tones. This might be a nice effect at the right time, but if the photogrpah is taken to late will result in an image that is too dark and therefore not very good quality.

Another factor will be the amount of cloud cover. This will influence the variation of light because it changes the balance between direct sunlight and diffused sun light which will affect the contrast and temperature of the light source.

Clear Midday Sunshine

On a clear day, midday lighting will be direct and downward facing. This light doesn't scatter or diffuse through the atmosphere so doesn't bounce off the ground to illuminate the subject indirectly. Typically, this is the least desired natural lighting for photography because it is the hardest and most neutrally coloured. During this time, colour saturation is lower and the downward shadows that are produced don't particularly make a flattering portrait; which is something I will have to take into account when creating fashion portraits. Potentionally, I sould use polarising filters to manage the contrast and create more warmer tones if it is neccessary to photograph at this time of day. If the shadows appear too harsh with colours that are saturated, I could still use these photographs with a Black and White filter because this effect will benefit from having the high contrast in the image from the midday light.

Mid-Morning and Evening

During evening and morning, the light will become warmer and will cast more noticeable and flattering shadows. Also, the subject will have more of a three dimensional appearance because the light will come from a side rather than directly above. This type of lighting can be more predictable because it isn't effected by the surroundings or location as much. Evening and morning light is not as neutrally coloured as midday light, but isn't as warm or as intense as sunset lighting. Additionally, it is less harsh than midday light but isn't as soft or diffused as the light during twilight or the lighting of an overcast day. The benefits of the lighting during this time of day mean that it is a good time for photography, however this could mean that my images will look ordinary and less unique than if I used more interesting light.

The 'Golden Hour'

Because of the horizontal light that casts long shadows and gives subjects a warm glow, the 'golden hour' is known as the most desirable of the natural lighting for photography. This time of day creates exciting and diverse lighting because of the influences from the weather. The sunlight reflects off of the bottom of the clouds instead of diffusing through them, creating the sky to have a soft and warm light. Although this lighting known to be spectacular in person, it is not often translated this way in an image. If I were to take my photographs at this time of day, I would need to make sure that my camera's auto white balance doesn't counteract the warmth in the scene or that it doesn't saturate the colour.

The lighting is at it's most dramatic look during this time of day, but doesn't last very long because the sun doesn't have to move very far to either be too high to start to diffuse the light across the sky, or too low to become dusk. Typically, this will most likely be the time that my camera will make an error with it's exposure, so I will need to take several photographs to make sure I capture the right moment.

Although a photograph of a sunset and a sunrise could look the same, the weather patterns can cause them to be different, so photographers will usually favour one over the other. If I decided to use this time of day for my photo shoot, I will need to take experimental photographs at both times of day to make sure I will get the best result. Other photographers find that they are more prepared for the sunset rather than the sunrise because the light quality strengthens gradually as it builds up towards the sunset. Sunrises however, start at their best and then begin to fade. Additionally, being at the necessary location in time and prepared for the sunrise is more impractical during summer. On the contrary, there is a serene quality to the sunrise because of the low-laying mist and dew-kissed greenery which isn't present during the sunset, particularly in scenes with moving water. This may not be necessary for my portrait photographs because the main focus should be on my model. Also, because this lighting only lasts for an hour, it may not give me enough time to find the best setting or pose for my model before the light changes.

Twilight, Dawn and Dusk

During twilight, daw and dusk, the sky is still light during the summer without any direct sunlight - typically the half hour before sunset or sunrise. The entire sky becomes the primary source of light, featuring warm tones of where the sun will set or rise and cool tones on the opposite side. This time of day can produce soft and colourful lighting that emits a calm and peaceful mood to the scene. 

This lighting however, lasts for the half the time of the 'golden hour' so I would have to capture the desired photograph in even less time. Another disadvantage is that there can be a lack of contrast and ambient light, which means that cameras often over expose twilight scenes when using an auto setting and therefore wash out the delicate colours, creating fully white objects which wouldn't otherwise be contained in a twilight scene. In order to achieve a sense of depth within the image, I will need to make sure I pay attention to the composition. Also, I will most probably need to use a tripod so that I can experiment with a longer shutter speed to let in more light without any camera shake. This time of day would be good for the photographs that I am taking because the lighting and colours would fit with the type of portrait and fashion photography that I want to produce.

Shade & Overcast Sunlight

Because the light is spread across the entire sky without any direct light, shade and overcast lighting has a cool and soft appearance. Reflections will show to be more subdued on smooth surfaces and textures will be more subtle. This lighting can be ideal for outdoor portraits because it doesn't cast harsh shadows depending on the degree of cloud cover, although photographers usually avoid it because of the grey skies that often come with it. The appearance and saturation of colours usually improve with bright overcast light and enhances close-up and macro photography. However, low contrast light can alternatively be better when the subject involves high contrasting colours.

A common trick used to make make photographs taken in this lighting is to keep the grey sky out of the image, unless they are particularly moody. Because there won't be many shadows created by this light, like in twilight, capturing a sense of depth may be difficult but this time without the pastel colours to make up for it. The images that the camera takes will appear slightly blue, but if I were to shoot in RAW, I would be able to adjust the white balance, levels and curves afterwards to compensate. I think this lighting may be a bit dull for the style of photography that I want, but the advantages and disadvantages are worth knowing incase I have to photograph during this time.

Weather Conditions

In terms of lighting, the weather is effectively a filter that sits between the sun and the subject. Sunlight from a clear sky would have warm tones and will be direct, whereas a densely overcast sky would diffuse the sunlight and would create cooler tones. The amount and denseness of the cloud is what will effect the colours and tones as well as how direct the light will be.

Other weather conditions such as stormy skies can create high contrasting light as the the rain will clear the sky of haze and dust. Additionally, a sunset after a storm will be dramatic because the sky can become darker that the land, which will create a high contrast backdrop where rainbows are most likely to appear.

____________________

For my photo shoot, I think the best type of lighting to use would be evening lighting through until dusk so that I can get a range of photographs and lighting. By being ready to photograph from the evening, I should be able to capture photographs that have a high quality lighting with the right scenery and pose from my model. Furthermore, by shooting in the summer months I will be able to capture warmer tones that will fit better with my fashion theme.