How to use natural light in nature photography

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A lot of professional photographers use artificial light to achieve the shots they want. They often use LED lights and diffusers to get the kind of intensity they want and the angle of the light source just right. However, some photographers can use natural light splendidly. Photography student Fred Brisker explains that utilizing natural light is one of the skills every photographer should learn.

Light helps define shapes, lines, textures, and highlight specific angles of the subject. The biggest challenge when it comes to natural lighting, especially in nature photography, is that light is often insufficient. And since the light source comes from the sun itself, the quality of light differs from the time one is taking a photo. Light has a different intensity in the morning, at noon, and near sunset. This is why it is important to plan when composing a shot.

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One thing to keep in mind, notes Fred Brisker, is that during times when the sun is low (sunrise and sunset), one can photograph contrasts a lot better compared to sunlight in between these two instances. As the sun rises or sets, a photographer must be aware of the angle of the light source. Good photographers can predict how the light would interact with an object, and they can predict ahead of time how the image would look at a particular time when the sun hits the object at a specific angle.

When considering natural light in nature photography, one should also be conscious of shadows. The shadows created by natural lighting can showcase more of the photo as compared to a shot when the subject is lit from all over. Fred Brisker notes that shadows can often be used to highlight a part of a shot. Keep in mind that shadows can also be great subjects when doing nature photography.