Sequence viewing > Light & Lighting - Resource - © Lloyd Godman

Light in Photography -   LIGHTING - Sunlight

The sun is the most important and widely used of all light sources. Until faster film emulsions were developed, the popular belief was that it if the sun was out it was an ideal day to take photographs.

This is one source of light everyone recognizes as bright enough to take photographs. Sunlight however, is extremely variable and can change dramatically from location to location and minute to minute. Although the subject might be the same - the resulting image can be quite different as the inherent factors of light alter - this includes the following:

 

Location - where on the earth you are taking the photographs -

In the tropics light is quite different to temperate areas and again at the poles it has another quality. Clouds and pollution break up light and make it diffuse - they can give it a different character and colour. Even humidity in the atmosphere means we get different images in the humid tropics to the images we might make in the clear air of the desert on a sunny day.

 

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Consider the rays of light from the sun strike the globe at different angles. In the equator this is closer to 90° while at the poles the angle is more acute.

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Because light at the poles penetrates through a thicker layer of atmosphere the quality of light changes.

Kauai - Hawaii

Kauai - Hawaii

Lake Mungo - Australia

Lake Mungo - Australia

 

 

Want to learn more? - do a workshop or one on one with Lloyd Godman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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