Shot of the Month – October 2021

Any great image starts with great light.  The best light for nature photography can be found when the sun is low in the sky so usually around sunrise or sunset.   At those times the light is filled with wonderful warm hues that humans really dig.  Common advice for beginning photographers is to position yourself such that your shadow is pointing toward the subject making it “Front Lit.”  With the sun behind you the light will fall evenly on your subject and help avoid highlights or shadows that can complicate making a proper exposure.  With the amazing technology in modern cameras it is almost impossible to get the exposure wrong on a front lit subject.  So even in “Program” mode, where the camera makes all the exposure decisions for you, you are more than likely going to get a properly exposed image.

Which is not the same as getting a compelling image.

One critique of front-lit images is that they can be a bit flat and lack depth, especially for landscape images.  So while shooting front-lit subjects helps deal with the challenges of exposure, a great image still needs strong composition and/or skilled use of contrast, color, leading lines, etc.

In the image above, late afternoon light is casting a wonderful warm glow on the giraffe.  I purposely shot this image from below and waited for the giraffe to reach a point where he would stand tall above the horizon in sharp contrast to the dark, brooding sky in the background.  The exposure was a no brainer but we worked pretty hard to find the right spot to wait for the elements of the composition to line up and elevate this front-lit shot to something a bit more special.

Generally you want to avoid shooting in the middle of the day as the front light at this time is harsh and will produce difficult shadows on your subject.  Either go home for a rest until the light gets better or explore compositions that will work in black and white.

Outdoor Portrait Tip:  Front lighting works well for portraits of family and friends though the bright light can be tough on your subjects.  Two potential solutions:

1. Once your subjects are in place, ask them to close their eyes.  This will avoid burning out their retinas as you set up the shot.  Once you are ready ask them to open their eyes and smile.  Click.  Lovely image with no squinting.
2. Find some shade and have your subjects stand there.  The even light will work well and no eye strain for your subjects.

When in doubt, use front lighting to get the shot.  Once you have that shot, time to explore more dramatic light – back lighting and side lighting.  These lighting situations are tougher to expose properly but when done right can provide stunning results.

We’ll shine light on those topics on another day (see what I did there?).

All the best…..michael

Nikon D5, Nikon 600mm, f/4, 1/1000 sec, ISO 100, EV -0.667