Take Time To See The Light

Wait for it…

Photo by author.

Every now and then I have to remind myself that photography is nothing more than painting with light. The scene we face is a rich palette of colors from brilliant to drab that we use to excite photo-sensitive camera pixels in one way or another and come up with some interpretation of the scene itself.

The thing is that light is the key variable in this creative challenge, and sometimes, you simply have to wait for a change in light to get the image you "see" in your mind's eye. Ansel Adams was famous for this, spending hours to get just the right angle and quality of light for his images. Other times, it's just a matter of moments which can make all the difference.

The shot above was taken at the beach just following a storm and the light was unusually striking for a late afternoon summer day. It added drama with the hard shadows and brilliant blue sky. The sun lit whitecaps on the sound which suggested how windy the day had become. A great moment.

But only 8 seconds later, it looked like this . . .

Photo by author.

A cloud covered the sun and totally changed the character of the shot.

Sometimes "that shot" won't wait for the perfect lighting, but always be aware of how it changes and affects the look of your final image, and use the lighting to tell the story of the moment that you want to tell.