{"id":1673,"date":"2012-03-04T15:58:06","date_gmt":"2012-03-04T15:58:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1673"},"modified":"2024-09-17T20:18:24","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T20:18:24","slug":"light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/light\/%20","title":{"rendered":"Light&#8230;."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1528.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1675\" title=\"_MG_1528\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1528.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1528.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1528-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1528-75x50.jpg 75w, https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1528-50x33.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Photography, when roughly translated from the original Greek, means \u201cwriting with light\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>You may have known that already, but when you think about it, it doesn\u2019t really mention \u201csubject\u201d or \u201ccomposition\u201d, or anything technical about the camera. It\u2019s just the recording of \u201clight\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>One of the points we make on the \u201cDiscover\u201d workshops is to look for interesting \u201clight\u201d \u2013 on Friday afternoon I was in Headingley, a suburb of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/unlocking-the-magic-of-the-85mm-prime-lens-in-street-photography\/\" title=\"Unlocking the Magic of the 85mm Prime Lens in Street Photography\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"220\">Leeds<\/a>, which isn\u2019t traditionally photogenic. But as the low, winter sun set, the light bounced off the long terraces creating something \u201cinteresting\u201d out of a pretty mundane scene.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It got me\u00a0thinking how I could summarise this for future workshops, and came up with this &#8220;guide&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>fantastic subject + poor light = possible great shot &#8211; though need to get creative<\/li>\n<li>Fantastic subject + good light = should get a good shot if your composition is ok<\/li>\n<li>mundane subject + poor light = probably not worth doing<\/li>\n<li>mundane subject + good light = need to be very aware, look carefully for points of interest, can get amazing shots with light\/shadow interplay<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>You really can&#8217;t beat being in a fantastic location on a perfect sunrise with red clouds everywhere, but even if the light&#8217;s poor, you can, with imagination, get something decent.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re somewhere pretty boring, then you&#8217;d think it&#8217;s never really worth having your camera with you &#8211; but if you look around you when the light&#8217;s bright, you get reflections, shadows, highlights colours&#8230; things that are out of the ordinary and are 100% light-dependant.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1527.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1676\" title=\"_MG_1527\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1527.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1527.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1527-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1527-75x50.jpg 75w, https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1527-50x33.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But even with great light, you need to &#8220;see&#8221; the light working for you. The next shot was taken at the same time as the photos above, but was looking away from the sunshine. It&#8217;s the same subject matter, but because of the way the light falls onto the buildings whilst you&#8217;re looking at them, the light isn&#8217;t working for you &#8211; there are no reflections or harsh contrasts, rather, a flat light which isn&#8217;t as interesting.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1523.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1674\" title=\"_MG_1523\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1523.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1523.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1523-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1523-75x50.jpg 75w, https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_1523-50x33.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Compare that to this image of Ferrybridge Power station &#8211; the sun setting brightly behind the cooling towers, lighting the steam with an orange glow. Were we in front of the towers with the sun falling directly onto the towers, we&#8217;d get a very different, flat look to the structures.<\/p>\n<p>So your position when taking the photo is as important as the light itself.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s all about being aware of the sun, the subject and your position, and making the most of it whilst the fleeting light lasts.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_8394.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1679\" title=\"_MG_8394\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_8394.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"889\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_8394.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_8394-202x300.jpg 202w, https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_8394-34x50.jpg 34w, https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MG_8394-50x74.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With portraits and smaller things, like cars or motor bikes, you can of <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/yorkshirephotocourses.co.uk\/\" title=\"course\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">course<\/a> add your own light with flash.. but that&#8217;s a different <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/mastering-environmental-portrait-photography-a-guide-to-environmental-portraiture\/\" title=\"Mastering Environmental Portrait Photography: A Guide to Environmental Portraiture\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"219\">blog<\/a> \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photography, when roughly translated from the original Greek, means \u201cwriting with light\u201d. You may have known that already, but when you think about it, it doesn\u2019t really mention \u201csubject\u201d or \u201ccomposition\u201d, or anything technical about the camera. It\u2019s just the recording of \u201clight\u201d. One of the points we make on the \u201cDiscover\u201d workshops is to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_22977785_22977785":"","facebook_10157410341118549_123005067715685":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3,24,17,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-architecture","category-blog","category-composition","category-musings","category-photography"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"McFade","author_link":"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/author\/admin"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Photography, when roughly translated from the original Greek, means \u201cwriting with light\u201d. You may have known that already, but when you think about it, it doesn\u2019t really mention \u201csubject\u201d or \u201ccomposition\u201d, or anything technical about the camera. It\u2019s just the recording of \u201clight\u201d. One of the points we make on the \u201cDiscover\u201d workshops is to&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1673"}],"version-history":[{"count":51,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":177357,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1673\/revisions\/177357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}