Natural Light

 What is Natural Light?

Natural light in the most simplest terms is light that is produced from the sun or the moon. Unlike artificial light, which allows the photographer to miniplate the light available, natural light can't be easily adjected.

Natural Light Advantages and disadvantages

One of the best things about natural light in comparison is it is free, it doesn't require a huge investment in money, and it doesn't require much time or effort to setup. One of the biggest downfalls with natural lighting is the ability for adjustments relating to light and aperture?  

What is Hard and Soft light?

Hard Light: Is a type of lighting with a more dramatic transition in shadows from dark to light.

Soft Light: Is a type of lighting with a more gradual transition in shadows from dark to light.

What makes light hard & soft?

To classify a photo as either hard light or soft light, there are some key details you should note. Some include the distance of light from the subject to source, the size of the light, and the intensity of the light being used on the subject.

How do you find hard & soft light?

Some ways you can tell if a photo is either hard or soft light is by intensity, distance, and size. The more intense the light is, the harder it is. The larger the light source is, the softer the light source is. The farther the light source is; the harder it is.

Which type of lighting is better?

Nether hard or soft light is superior to the other and vise versa. Both are unique when used in different situations. Hard light is mainly used in portraits to add a more dramatic appeal between the shadows and the lighting, while soft lighting is easier to use and still produces good results in a photo.

The four types of directional light

Frontal lighting: Is light that is shining directly onto the subject from the front.

45 Degree lighting: Is lighting that is shining onto the subject from a 45 degree angle.

90 degree lighting: Is lighting that is shining onto the subject from a 90 degree angle.

Backlighting: Is lighting that is coming from behind the subject.

Personal Reflation:

For my subject I decided to use by brother Sean, who was somewhat hard to photograph. I enjoyed photographing him outside and he said that he would only do it if he was able to dress up like a politician, and if I bought him a soda. I found it somewhat challenging to identify the angles the sun was coming from, and it was hard getting my brother Sean to be patient while outside in the cold.