Ideal Light for Outdoor Photography

In outdoor photography, natural light plays a key role. Light is one of the most important factors for taking pictures, it’s what cameras work around, it’s what professional photographers work around it’s what settings such as aperture, ISO and shutter speed etc. are used to control. Nobody wants a terrible photograph and still they tend to forget to adjust lighting because without it all you would get is horrible looking dark and shady faces. Settings mentioned above such as aperture etc. are only important for professional photographers, an understanding of light can do wonders for amateurs on auto settings or those possessing a simple camera to take good enough pictures to be printed on canvas.

Natural light is best to capture great memorable moments, no flash or excess lighting required, while the outdoors provides a series of backgrounds and themes. You may wonder that natural is everywhere outside so why not just go and click, this certainly may result in a good picture by luck but it won’t be a masterpiece. Even natural light needs some playing around with for a perfect canvas photo material. In this post I will explain three ideal lighting conditions for outdoor photography.

Outdoor Photography Lighting Tips

Shooting In Open Shade

Open shade setting can be your best friend especially when shooting portraits. Just place the subject under a balcony, bunch of trees or in a porch or any other type of open shade you can find while the sun is above and on the side. There needs to be enough shade for several hours of shooting. Facing the subject towards the sun will result in great catch lights. Open shade avoids over exposure, your subject is not forced to squint, plus there is even distribution of light and no irritating and harsh shadows.

Lighting in the Back with Sunrays

There is no better background then the visible sun with its rays beaming out, your picture will not only consist of memorable subjects but also a creative skill. It is difficult to get the shot to look right, and time of day is important. Getting this shot will work best on a sunny day around two hours well before sunset; the sun won’t be very high or very bright making it easier. The subjects need to be placed right in front of the sun and a shot from the side, keeping the sun in the corner will hopefully prove to be classic.

Cloudy Days

For great pictures and lighting on a cloudy day, make sure your picture composition does not show a lot of the grey dull sky. Clouds are a source of diffused light, and help take excellent macros, slightly warmer settings and over exposing will work best for this light. Spooky and black and white images will turn out great on cloudy days.

About the Author

Serven Wilson is a famous portrait photographer and specialises in stunning your photos on canvas, he also writes articles on tips for creating stunning shots.