The light makes the photograph
Sunrise light bathes a ridge on Loveland Pass.
Many amateur photographers see photos made by professionals and then try to shoot a similar picture for themselves. Can’t be that hard, right? However, when amateurs look at their work the images usually don’t look as good. What’s different — besides perhaps the price tags on the camera gear?
The aspiring photographer may find the location, but neglect the most important aspect of the photo — the light.
You may have heard professional photographers talk about the importance of making landscape photos at the right time of day. Dedicated photographers will hike for miles in the pre-dawn darkness to arrive at their chosen spot before sunrise, or return to the same spot several days in a row looking for the perfect light.
Is all that extra effort worth it? Absolutely. The quality of light makes or breaks the photograph.
As an example, I’ve included three images of the same scene here. The image below left was made close to noon, when the sun was high in the sky and the light lacked any character. I made this image to remind me of this spot so I could come back to it at dawn the next day. The scene below right was made the next morning after the sun had risen fully over the mountain range behind me. The large photo at the top of this article was made at the “right” time.
Left, scene at noon. Right, scene just after sunrise.
Note the difference in the colors in these scenes. The foliage looks brown and washed out in the “high noon” image. The after-sunrise shot has a warm quality to it— too warm — and the light is still harsh and the moving water is partially obscured by shadows.
In the large image at the top of the page, the colors are rich and saturated. The shady foreground helps the water and flowers stand out, and there’s the glow of the first rays of sun warming the mountain ridge in the background. This is my choice. It was made by blending two exposures in Photoshop — one for the sky and one for the foreground. This was necessary to balance the bright sky with the darker foreground. A similar approach to exposure was not necessary and would not have helped the final quality in the other two images.
Paying attention to the sun helps determine the best time to return to a scene. In simple terms, the sun appears to move in an arc from left to right in the sky. When I made the initial image, I could tell that the sun would rise behind me and set in front of me behind the snowy ridge. I wanted to see the ridge bathed in early sunrise glow, so I decided to return in the morning. If I’d arrived in the evening, the ridge would have been in shadow. I could have hoped for clouds in the eastern sky to reflect some warm sunset light onto the ridge. However, I decided to try for the more dependable approach and work with the early sunrise light bathing my scene.
Of course, overcast skies could have killed my morning photo. But that’s just the chance you take when you’re a nature photographer, waiting on the light.
I welcome your comments and feedback.
To see more of my images, or to purchase prints, please go to my photo archive here.
Thanks, Paul. We sometimes miss a bit of sleep making dawn and dusk photos, but it’s really worth it. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
Excellent comparison of images and I would echoe everything you say. Many people don’t realise just how much difference the light can really make. I am finding myself working closer to sunrise and sunset simply to get the quality of light and the right amount of shadows that give texture to the landscape..