by Editor Miro Susta 
Edited and published by Yvette Depaepe, the 6th of December 2024

Light is what makes photographs happen, and most of the time it lies behind photographer’s control. Therefore, it is important to understand its effects and why it is such an essential element in capturing a great picture. 

Five ingredients go into taking a successful photograph: choice of subject, location, composition, timing, and lighting. Of these, the last one, the lighting is real variable and the least predictable.

'Kilchurn Castle' by Daniel Springgay

The photographer can choose the subject, select the location, create the composition, and determine the timing, but except for studio, indoor and some night shots, the light is as she/he found it.

It is easy to manage the studio light as well as the exposure in most indoor environments, and of course a flash-light can be used for night scenes.

'Rendezvous' by Rana Jabeen

To produce high-quality photos, the photographer should be able to use the potential of every type of light efficiently, be it on a foggy morning, in strong midday sunlight, in soft twilight, under glittering water, ice and snow reflections, in backlighting or at sunset condition.

'Waiting for Sail' by Anisur Rahman

'Sunrise in Bubble Lake' by Yimei Sun

'The power of calm' by Slawomir Kowalczyk

Admittedly, it is often difficult to decide what is most important for the preparation and realisation of high-quality photographs.

'A Night at Kirkjufell' by Simon Roppel

Which decisive circumstances have a significant impact on the lighting conditions? Is it the geographical location, the time of year, the time the day or the prevailing weather conditions?

Untitled by Victor Liu

This is tricky to answer, it could be just one or two of the above or a mixture of several given factors.

'Reflections in the lake' by Jose C. Lobato

Geography plays particularly significant role, the photographer may face different light condition at seaside comparing to mountain areas with clean air, dry desert, humid tropical or cold polar and sub polar areas.

'Saint Thomas Church' by Tomaž Mikec

Each of these has special lighting conditions that must be considered by the photographer.

'White Pocket 2' by Wanghan Li

Pictures taken in areas with a temperate climate very often contain a typical variety of scenes with clouds and lush, colourful vegetation.

'Mammatus' by Nicolas Schumacher

Mediterranean climate with comfortable weather, warm, dry and with predictable clear skies makes it popular for photographers’ destination.

'Camogli' by Alessandro Traverso

Locations in the extreme North and South, close to the Earth's poles, offer remarkable phenomena for photographers, such as visible auroras and glaring snow reflections.

'Imagination' by Marc Adamus

The low sun with the light conditions associated to the significant difference between shortest and the longest day has a crucial impact on photo rendering.

'Antarctica in my memory' by Chuanxu Ren

Another exciting challenge for photographers is shooting in dry desert climate conditions characterised by strong, harsh, and predictable light, preferably at the most desirable times during the early morning and late afternoon hours when the sun is low in the sky.

'Desert 03' by Ryu Shin Woo

'Dunes' by Marco Tagliarino

The humid monsoon climate with little sunlight has a significant impact on the light. An overcast sky, low light conditions and the soft, focus-reducing effect of falling rain pose great but manageable challenges for the photographer, but the results can be wonderful.

'Bangkok Rain' by Marcel Egger

The altitude influences the light as the thinner atmosphere contains more ultraviolet light - enhancing the blue of the shadows and distant mountains - a good reason for using UV and polarising filters. The bright sky may become intensely deep blue and the clouds snow white.

'Autumn in the Alps' by Alfredo Costanzo

The sun's path through the sky has a significant impact on the lighting conditions as well as on the angle at which the light falls on the motifs, with the resulting shadows, which can be attractive at the beginning and end of the day.

'Life in shadow' by Mohammadreza Momeni

Interesting and rewarding is also backlighting photography, a photo technique in which the main light source is located behind the motif and illuminates it from behind, towards the camera.

'Highlight' by Gorazd Golob

This method is used to achieve visually impressive and dramatic effects in photographs.

'Triplés' by Michel Romaggi

Photographers' favourite light is the light of sunrise during the early morning hours and the golden light of sunset in the late afternoon/early evening. Both are great for landscapes as the oblique angle of the light emphasises texture and casts longer shadows. It is also great for photographing buildings as it fully illuminates one side of the structure.

'First Contact' by Max Rive

'The Migration' by Jassi Oberai

An important advantage of low sun is that it is in one part of the sky, so the photographer has a choice of shooting angles: away from the sun, into the light, or at a right angle.

'Jaisalmer' by Lou Urlings

'Sunset above, sand below, peace within' by Yvette Depaepe

The lighting conditions can be even more interesting shortly after sunset, the twilight glow in the sky and the sudden flash of red from the high clouds. The subsequent dusk gives a natural, beautiful blue cast.

'Twilight at Trillium Lake' by Lydia Jacobs

'Sunset at Seminyak Beach' by Helminadia Ranford

Dramatic night shots can be taken when the surroundings are bathed in a sea of light or even when moving trails of light are captured.

'Unwinding' by Andreas Agazzi

Taking outstanding night shots is an art with many aspects to consider, but the result can be surprising and overwhelming.

'City lights' by Miro Susta

A camera may not see it exactly in the same way as we do, but it gets close to it.

'Night Mirror' by Szabo Zsolt Andras

The photographer must know the potential and limits of light and understand how it can satisfy her/his requirements.

NO LIGHT, NO PHOTOGRAPHY - ONE PIECE OF WISDOM

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