Beyond Auto Mode: A Guide to Taking Control of Your Photography

Chapter 5: USING LIGHT

Light ... I’ve used that word over and over again. I’ve discussed how important light is, talked about how your camera sees light, and more. What I have not yet done is talk about what light looks like, where to find it, and how to use it.

Light is one of the most important concepts to grasp as a photographer. We often find ourselves challenged by less than ideal lighting conditions, especially when photographing sporting events or while being the official family photographer. It’s easy to make images in safe, even lighting—and there is nothing wrong with that! In fact, using safe light while you experiment with the exposure triangle will make it easier for you to master both. More often than not, though, you’ll be working with light that requires you to think about your exposure decisions.

There are entire books already written on light and lighting. For the purposes of this section, we are focusing on natural or available light—the kind of light that surrounds us, without flash or other supplemental lighting.

As we move through different lighting examples, it will be helpful for you to have someone as a subject to work with. However, you can also use your hand to see the way light affects a subject. You might feel a little silly doing this, but it is a quick and easy way to see light. In fact, we do it (ok, I do it) all the time in professional ...