Lighting Surprises
Posted on | July 5, 2010 | No Comments
How many times have you heard that the photographer’s ‘golden hours’ for shooting are the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset? No matter where you are or what you are shooting, this light presents more opportunities than any other time of the day for those ‘AHHHHH’ images. Am I saying that there are only two hours in every day where good garden and nature photography images can be captured? Absolutly not.
If you can’t shoot early in the morning or later in the day, follow the shade and look for acceptable lighting in the areas that are at the edge of shade but not in the bright sunlight. Another option, especially for macro images, is to look for translucent subjects. In this instance, capturing the light coming through the subject can produce a very effective photograph.
Lately, I’ve extended my shooting times even further by looking for and being aware of subjects in filtered light. I do not mean cases where I do the filtering but filtering by Mother Nature.
Wooded areas where sunlight shines through the trees and brushes the ground or plants present an opportunity to extend our shooting hours. There are also instances as the sun rises or sets behind tall trees, small patches of sunlight peak through the leaves and move across the surrounding area. The image here was taken in the Tennis Court Garden at Chanticleer Garden in Wayne Pa. The nearest trees are over one hundred feet away. As I was waiting for the ‘golden hour’ to light the garden, I noticed the sunlight coming through the leaves of the distant trees and hitting these three alliums. It only lasted a few minutes before the light changed. It lasted long enough, however, to capture these blossoms as if they were the main actors standing in the spotlight on stage.
A quick reminder: Portfolios are now being accepted for the October 1-3 Master Fall Workshop at Chanticleer Garden in Wayne, PA. Go to www.chanticleergarden.org. Also, there are still openings for the October 17-23 Macro photography workshop at Maine Media in Rockport, ME. Go to www.theworkshops.com
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