by Brenda Tharp
{CHAPTER TWO}
LIGHT: THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENT
“Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.”
—GEORGE EASTMAN
LIGHT IS THE ESSENTIAL RAW MATERIAL OF ALL photographs. Light defines a subject, expresses a mood, and sometimes enhances a moment. By its very definition, photography is “writing with light.” Ruth Bernhard referred to light as the “drawing pen for photographers.” To do this “writing,” outdoor and nature photographers rely heavily on available light. What this really means is that you head out into the field hoping that great light is available! Light is different every day, all day; in some places, it’s different every moment as clouds move overhead. This changeability is the magic of light.
If people aren’t responding to your photographs, perhaps it’s time to take a good look at the light in them. An image that lacks the right light for the subject or scene usually lacks visual impact and usually doesn’t garner any “oohs” and “aahs” from your viewer—unless they, too, don’t know the difference.
STORM LIGHT OVER FREDERICK SOUND, ALASKA. I loved how the light was striking the clouds and the icebergs, and the way the clouds swept down over the mountains. Light in Alaska can be so mood-evoking. 100–400mm lens at 140mm, f/7.1 at 1/640 sec.
BRISTLECONE PINE TREE IN STORM LIGHT, CALIFORNIA. A stormy day left snow on the ground and dark threatening clouds on the horizon. But the clearing storm allowed for sunlight to break through the clouds and highlight the weathered trees. 24–105mm lens at 24mm, f/ 18 at 1/60 sec.
Photographers have long considered early morning and late afternoon to be the best times to photograph outdoors. Light at other times, the consensus has it, is “bad light,” so there’s no need to take out the camera. Yet Ernst Haas, a master color photographer, once said, “There is no such thing as bad light. There is just light.” If you reconsider how you define light, you’ll find his statement is true. Rather than define light as “bad” or “good,” think instead of “appropriate light.” With creativity and resourcefulness, you can make great photographs any time of day using the idea of “appropriate light.” Although I prefer the warm light and longer shadows that occur in the morning or afternoon for my landscapes, I also search for photographic opportunities during midday. Whether you’re photographing a landscape, a flower, or a castle, there is an appropriate light that will bring out the best attributes of your subject. So, actually, the best time to photograph is whenever the light is right for your subject.
For example, sunlight doesn’t shine into many streets in European villages until midmorning, so I use the even light of open sky in the mornings to photograph details of doorways and gardens. Midday is the best time to photograph in the slot canyons of Arizona, where the light streams in from above and bounces off the walls. I can plan to be in the desert for sunrise and then head into the canyon when the sun is too harsh for the landscape.
EL CAPITAN IN CLEARING STORM, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA. Just as Ansel Adams did, I continually search for drama in the light of Yosemite. 70–200mm lens at 100mm, f/ 11 at 1/25 sec.
HOW THE CAMERA “SEES” LIGHT
Have you ever heard yourself saying, “Well, the light looked better than it does on the print,” or, “It wasn’t great light, but I made the image anyway”? It’s easy to fall into the habit of thinking that the light will somehow magically be transformed as it is recorded. Yet the difference between how we see and how a camera “sees” light is substantial. Most digital sensors can only record a usable range of about 5 f-stops of light before they lose detail. However, the human eye perceives about 11 to 14 f-stops between the brightest highlight and the deepest shadow. Because the pupil is constantly opening and closing as it scans a scene, the eye will perceive detail in each area it views.
RHODODENDRON, CALIFORNIA. These rhododendron blossoms looked great to the eye—but horrible when I downloaded the file to review. Too much contrast. But when the sun moved, and light became diffused from shade, all the details were visible in the blossoms, and the colors were better, too. First frame: 70–200mm lens at 165mm, f/ 0 at 1/125 sec. Second frame: 70–200mm lens at 165mm, f/ 9 at 1/25 sec.
This is a large disparity between what we are able to see and what the camera can record. Depending upon the range of light and dark values in your scene (known as tonal contrast), you may lose detail in the shadows if you expose for the highlights, and you may lose detail in the highlights if you expose for the shadows. It’s no wonder that you don’t always get what you think you’ll get! Digital sensors record no detail for pixels that are too overexposed. And no detail translates to nothing, nada, when it comes to ink going down on the paper in a print. Known as clipping the highlights, it’s a situation that has become dreaded by digital photographers.
You can learn to recognize what conditions might be too high in contrast for the sensor by learning how to evaluate your histogram.
As you read on, this concept will become clearer.
THE CHARACTERISTICS
OF NATURAL LIGHT
Light has several significant characteristics: quality, quantity, direction, and color. I can’t overstate the impact these characteristics have on your photographs. Photographers who don’t understand the characteristics of light usually produce images that lack drama or emotion. Those who learn how to work with light will make infinitely better photographs. Not only will they illuminate their subjects well, they will also convey light’s emotional symbolism.
Natural light can be specular or diffuse. Both come from a specular source, the sun. When nothing stands between the sun and the subject, the light is direct and produces sharply defined edges on objects. Specular light creates bright highlights and deep shadows, known as tonal contrast. Since the sensor cannot record too extreme a range of contrast, photographing in strong specular light can present a challenge. Light that is refracting off an object in full sun reduces the color saturation, and bright highlights and deep shadows create a contrast that is considered “busy” and hard on the eyes as they try to read the details in the shadows and highlights of the picture.
SUNRISE, BUTTERMILK ROCKS, BISHOP, CALIFORNIA. Sunrise created a soft warm glow that skimmed the surface of the rock formations in the valley and illuminated the Sierra Range. I love natural light when it’s this beautiful. With the first dusting of snow for the season, the mountains were stunning. 24–105mm lens at 67mm, f/ 16 at 1/3 sec.
From an emotional perspective, specular light is bold and aggressive. Direct sunlight represents energy, vitality, and heat, so it doesn’t make sense to photograph certain subjects in strong sunlight. For example, you wouldn’t be able to capture the delicate color and details of a blossom in strong sunlight, but you could capture the drama of strong sunlight breaking through storm clouds.
SUNRISE, ZION NATIONAL PARK, UTAH. As the sky began to lighten, I saw clouds—lots of clouds—and it didn’t look like there would be much of a sunrise. I had gotten up to hike a mile-long trail in the total darkness, to be in place for the best light. But I’ve learned to wait it out, and on this morning that paid off. The sun blazed across the face of the rocks of Zion without striking the clouds above. The result was this incredible contrast between the dark and stormy sky and the sweet light on the cliffs. It lasted only a few seconds, but long enough for me to get one or two exposures of it. 70–200mm lens at 97mm, f/ 16 at 1/3 sec.
Diffuse light, often called soft light, is sunlight that has been run through a filter of cloud layers, smoke, fog, marine haze, or materials like silk or nylon. Light beams from the sun hit this diffusion layer and scatter. Light coming from several directions at once, rather than a single direction, lowers tonal contrast. With the range of brightness compressed, the transition from highlight to shadow is much more gradual. As a result, colors appear richer, and you can record areas of highlight and shadow more successfully. Commonly called
“quiet light,” diffuse light will enhance the delicate details of a flower, but it may make a landscape dull and uninteresting. Diffuse light is emotionally nonassertive. It quiets the spirit and suggests peacefulness. Yet it can also suggest danger, as it does in the ominous skies that precede a storm.
REDBUD TREES, GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK, TENNESSEE. A colleague refers to the diffused light of an overcast or foggy day as “quiet” light. It’s very appropriate light for photographing in the forest. These delicate redbud blossoms would not show up well in sunlight. I needed the even light of the cloudy day to bring out all the fine details. 70–200mm lens at 155mm, f/ 16 at 1 second.
In my workshops I am surprised to notice how many students will start to pack up their cameras at the first signs of cloudy or overcast skies. Most outdoor photographers exult over the cheerfulness of a sunny day, but when the weather turns “bad,” you need to don rain gear and pack more memory cards. Intimate details and moody landscapes await those who venture out with an adventurous spirit into the diffuse light that often accompanies fog, mist, and rain.
Although diffuse light is generally better for macro and intimate views, and specular light is usually more effective for landscapes, this is not a hard-and-fast rule. Every photographic situation is unique. What matters is that the light is right for what you want to photograph.
As an exercise, photograph the same scene, or object, on a sunny day, a rainy day, and a cloudy day, and compare the results. Study them, and you’ll learn how different qualities of light affect your subject and which type of light is the most evocative for that subject.
ENDICOTT ARM, INSIDE PASSAGE, ALASKA. This day was an incredible journey past steep hillsides of rock and fir. The fog expressed the mood of a majestic place. 100–400mm lens at 400mm, f/ 7.1 at 1/ 400 sec.
THE DIRECTION OF LIGHT
The direction of the light is constantly changing throughout the day as the sun shifts position in the sky. In the middle of the day, when the sun is overhead, you essentially have top light. Have you ever noticed how a midday scenic or portrait in full sun is usually not very exciting? Top light from the sun often has extreme contrast, puts shadows in the wrong places, and is the least flattering of all the possible light directions.
Front light, when light is hitting the front of your subject, can be similarly boring. Many years ago, the rule was to photograph with the sun over your shoulder. And look at those photographs! When light comes from over your shoulder, straight on to your subject, the shadows that give dimension to an object and depth to a scene are often eliminated. Without dimension, the photograph is flat, and so is your viewer’s response.
NAVAJO SANDSTONE, ARIZONA. Strong late-afternoon sidelight created wonderful shadows and texture and warmed up the already rich colors of these red rock formations. 16–35mm lens, f/ 16 at 7/10 sec.
Front light is in effect even when the sun is at your back and low in the sky. When you face east at sunset, the landscape may be filled with rich golden hues. But just because the color of the light is wonderful, the direction of light is not necessarily the best for your subject. A mountain will still look better when illuminated by a little more sidelight than front light. A city illuminated by the last rays of sunlight, however, may look great, because of the reflected light off the buildings. Pay attention to the direction of that light and use it to your advantage. For most nature and outdoor photography, sidelight and backlight usually provide the most pleasing results when photographing in sunlight.
Professional outdoor photographers often use sidelight to give a feeling of dimension to a landscape and help define the form of objects. Painters “saw the light” centuries ago when they used sidelight to give their work dimension. Photographers can use sidelight the same way. The low angle of sun in the early morning or late afternoon produces great sidelight for landscapes, bringing out the form of objects and any texture that might be present.
LAKE POWELL, UTAH. The sidelight really brought out the texture and the form in this fragile, hardened, and very unusual mud formation—called a hoodoo—with capstone. 70–200mm lens at 100mm, f/ 22 at 1/15 sec.
Most obvious in the morning or afternoon, sidelight occurs any time your subject is struck by light at an angle. A vertical canyon wall can be sidelit at high noon. Even though the light is coming from overhead, it is skimming down the surface of the wall, producing the effect of sidelight.
Backlight, light coming from behind your subject, is one of the most dramatic kinds of light. It’s great for silhouettes and for capturing the rim light on backlit cactus spines, a human’s hair, and animal fur.
In landscapes, backlight can accentuate such atmospheric conditions as fog, rain, haze, mist, and smoke. In close-up details, as the sun pours through translucent objects, such as petals, leaves, or seedpods, backlight creates a wonderful glow.
Of the three directions of light, backlight is the trickiest type of light to meter correctly. When pointed toward your subject in the sun, your camera will suggest a reading that takes into account the bright sun and sky around it. This results in an underexposed picture, with your subject as silhouette. If you do want a silhouette, but with a properly exposed background, take a reading just to the left or right of the sun without the sun in the frame, lock in that exposure, if you’re not in manual mode, and recompose the scene.
For translucent backlit subjects, spot-meter off the part of the object that is glowing—for example, the leaf surface—and adjust your meter according to whether it’s a light or dark tonal value. Experiment with exposures and check your LCD for the results until you get what you want from the situation.
Early morning and late afternoon are great times to photograph backlit scenes, with the golden light creating a feeling of warmth, energy, even nostalgia. However, with the low angle of the sun, you may get light shining directly onto the front element of the lens, which can cause lens flare. Filters can also cause flare as the light bounces off the front lens element and reflects back off the inside of the filter. To reduce flare in these circumstances, remove all filters and use a lens hood.
MAPLE SEEDLINGS, TENNESSEE. I noticed these maple seedlings glowing in the sunlight that had just popped up over the ridge. I stood on a bench to position them against a dark part of the hill to emphasize the backlight. 100–400mm lens at 365mm, f/ 6.3 at 1/200 sec.
Because of the way sensors are designed, digital experts have come to realize that you get more information in the upper half of the pixels for your sensor. By exposing so that the histogram favors the right side the graph, while not overexposing any highlights, you’ll record more information in the upper half of your sensor’s pixels and have more information to work with in the image-processing phase. This is commonly referred to as exposing to the right. Yet, doing this means that instead of using the meter reading you got, you may have to deliberately overexpose from that reading. So much for our discussion on correct exposure! You can see where traditional metering concepts don’t work if you follow this “shift to the right” method. My cameras typically give me a histogram that is shifted to the right when I overexpose by +1/3 to +2/3 stops. See the resources section for links to Web sites with articles on this topic. There are also numerous books that discuss histograms and exposure. For newer digital photographers, just work to keep your exposure within the walls of the histogram by choosing your exposure settings carefully.
understanding your histogram
No matter how you arrive at your exposure, the proof of correct digital exposure will be in the histogram. Put this book down, and go turn on histogram view mode in your cameras, and don’t turn it off—ever! You should live and die (photographically speaking) by the histogram. It tells you whether your exposure is within the range of what the sensor can record. You can use it to evaluate how to adjust your settings for a better exposure.
I even use my histogram as a compositional tool. If I have a large area that is bright or dark, I will evaluate whether that is hurting the
overall picture and may reframe to eliminate troublesome areas. I have my camera set to have the histogram pop up right after exposing. I can always cycle through the modes to view the picture large if I need to, but it’s the exposure that I want a quick confirmation on when working.
In my workshops, especially those for beginners, we sometimes refer to the histogram as the “hysteria-gram.” That usually gets a major laugh from the group. Most beginners are a little hysterical about how to decipher the histogram and know they are getting a good exposure, so they just look at the picture on the back. You cannot trust your LCD on the camera. Most likely, you turn the brightness level up on the LCD to see it better when outdoors. So how can you evaluate an exposure looking at that brighter screen? Once you get the basics understood, the histogram is the only way to confirm your exposure is good.
If you’re overexposing the highlights too much, the histogram will show you this. (Your camera might even have a highlight warning feature that blinks on and off in areas that are too overexposed.) The histogram represents 256 tonal values across the graph, from total black on left to total white on right. It shows the spread of recorded information over the entire tonal range. When the data runs off the right or left side of the graph, spiking up the edge, you are “clipping” highlights or shadows, and you’ve likely lost detail in them. If, however, the histogram is just touching the side, it may not be critical. For example, if highlights are small, such as sparkles on water or dew on grasses, it’s not an issue, because to expose properly for them would mean gross underexposure for the rest of the picture. Tall spikes in the graph tell you that you have a lot of pixels in that particular tonal value. Spikes in the middle areas are not a problem, but spikes up the right side indicate that you’ve lost detail, and if that area is a significant portion of your picture, this is not a good thing. Spikes that go up the left side of the histogram show that you’ve lost detail in the shadows; but, generally, shadows are less important than highlights, in terms of retaining detail, unless they comprise a large area of your picture.
