Using Existing Light

Equipment
You can make great photos with little or no equipment. The only equip¬ment you will need is your camera and your eyes. This is not like other por¬trait photography books on natural and available light that ask you to use a reflector for every shot. The photos demonstrated in this book are done almost entirely with just the camera and the natural or avail¬able light. A collapsible reflector, diffusion material, and white or black cards are used for just a few of the photos.

These will cost you about seventy-five dollars if you decide to buy the professional versions. They will be less expensive if you make your own. I do recommend buying a tripod, though. Owning a tripod is a worthwhile investment for your future pho¬tographic endeavors beyond this book.

No matter what camera you are currently using, this book will help you to make better photos. I shoot with a digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR). I like the control I get with depth of field, shutter speeds, differ¬ent shooting modes, and a variety of lens choices. I recommend buying a DSLR. All of the major manufacturers now sell excellent starter kits (cam¬era body and zoom lens) for around six-hundred dollars.

The goal of this book is to get you to learn how to see the potential of natural light, not to talk about the latest gear. Cameras and equipment come and go, but light is always here. It’s in front of us every day, but we rarely stop and see it. Seeing brings you right down to this moment in time. It grounds you on the planet, alive and in the here and now—not on some planet of “shoulds” and “coulds” and “I have bills to pay.” Seeing light is good for your photography and good for your spirit, too.

What is photography anyway? What is it to you? I always thought it was the perfect blend of science and art—a way of satisfying both my techno- nerdy side and my “I’m an artist” side.

I enjoy buying the latest camera and lenses. I love reading the specs and understanding the newest technology. That’s my techno side. But when I go out shooting, the camera, lens, and latest technology don’t tell me what to photograph. I have to rely on my own artistic instincts about what feels right. My instincts guide me to notice light. The light then tells me what to photograph.

I think we all have sensitivity to light. We just forgot how to see it. Let’s rediscover it!

Real-World Problem Solving

With tons of useful photos, this book will inspire you to see your town and your subjects as if you were seeing them for the first time, with fresh eyes. There are a lot of photo opportunities out there; you just need to see them.

Each chapter presents real-world challenges of shooting with natural or available light. How can I make a great shot in a not-so-great environment? What do I do on a cloudy day? What are my options on a sunny day? Shouldn’t I just cancel the shoot if it’s raining? This book will answer those questions and more. (The answer to the last question is a definite “No.”) The majority of the example photos in this book are portraits. I am fas¬cinated with how light affects the human face and form. Give me a willing subject, window light, and a camera and I’m a happy man. This book will show you how to make your subjects look their best. The techniques shown will help you succeed in making honest, interesting, and flattering images of your subjects. Some still-life and product images are also included to show the versatility of natural light.

A Challenge

At the end of each chapter, I will offer you key things to keep in mind when working in different situations. Some chapters will also challenge you with projects to take up that will enhance your observation of natural light and make you a better photographer.

Don’t expect all pretty pictures in this book. The photos selected will walk you through the problem-solving processes necessary to take good photos. Therefore, there will be examples of an initial setting and the prob lems posed. There will be examples of common situations that all of us photographers have gotten ourselves stuck in before.

With practice, you will gain confidence to get great shots anywhere, under any moment. Rather than creating an artificial environment with supplementary lighting, you will use simple techniques to mold natural light into the qual¬ity and shape you want for your shot.

Advantages of Natural Light

There are tremendous advantages to shooting with natural or available light. First, it’s pre-existing. There’s nothing to set up. As a photographer, this lets you shoot more spontaneously. Also, with less lighting equipment around, it’s easier for your portrait subject to relax. Keep in mind that less

lighting conditions. Working with natural light is about using what nature is giving you at that

-gear means less time spent thinking about gear, and more time thinking about your subject.

Also, with natural and available light, what you see is what you get. It’s easy to see the relationship between highlights and shadows. You can eas¬ily place your subject in a setting and see how the light is working with their face and form. This book will show you where to place your subjects and what light will work best for them.

Most of all, working with natural light will get you to think on your feet. As a photographer, every time you shoot you are presented with a lighting situation. How will you make a great photo from that sit¬uation? This book will help answer that question and make you more comfortable with the surprises presented to you by natural light. In fact, you will become a better photog¬rapher by learning to work with natural and available light.

You will no longer feel like you need to have a lot ofstrobes and expensive equipment to make good shots. It’s not about having a lot of light. It’s about controlling the light you have. Rembrandt didn’t have strobes. Neither did Julia Margaret Cameron.

Becoming a Better Photographer

In fact, reading this book will not only help you to take better photos in natural light, it will teach you the foundations of photographic lighting. The concepts of contrast, light ratios, subtractive lighting, backlighting, light quality, composition, and light direction will mold your photographic technique. You will also learn how to “read” the images of other photog¬raphers, whose images you may see in magazines or online. Every profes¬sional photograph you see will enhance your knowledge of lighting.

Start looking at your world with fresh eyes. This will be a process of trusting yourself and making mistakes. You need to shoot a lot—especially when your subject is another human being and you want to get that fleet¬ing expression or glance that can make a great shot. And you need to shoot a lot to learn about light. Digital cameras are a great way to learn to light better because they offer instant feedback. Shoot and shoot some more, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. This book will help you understand your lighting mistakes so that you make fewer and fewer of them.

This is a book on technique. When you have finished reading it and have done the projects, you will be a better photographer—technically. Use the techniques presented here to help express your ideas. Good photography comes from good ideas. And good ideas come from staying curious. “I wonder how that will look photographed?”