Work Shops

Morning/Evening Light & Finding Faces

August Out and About: Two Topics this Month! : by Neva Kittrell Scheve

Out and About is back! When we took the club survey, the most mentioned comment was to do it every two months instead of every month. So that’s what we’re going to do. There was also some discussion at the board meeting about whether the topic should be more “fun” than “technique”. Since the original purpose of the Out and About was an attempt to answer a previous survey where members had expressed an interest in more learning-type opportunities we didn’t want to give it up yet.

So this month, we are going to offer TWO topics. One is a learning technique and the other one is for fun. You can choose one or the other, or both. Just click to see the slideshows below. These are examples of each topic.

Topic 1 - Morning Light/Evening Light

The quality of light is very different as the sun comes up than when it sets. The window of opportunity is also much smaller to make a good image in the morning light.

Sunrise shots aren’t the only way to use morning light. Using the morning sun as a backlight also makes some special images. This is because of the quality of the light. The direction of the light is coming from a low angle. The lower sunlight is softer than when the sun is higher in the sky and the atmosphere is acting as a filter and coloring the light. Morning light progresses for a little while throughout the early day. Dawn changes to the “Golden Hour”, and for a little while longer, the light will still be soft and warm, unlike the harsh light of midday.

The warm ground, cool air and damp conditions frequently make for morning fog or mist in the fall. Shooting just before the sun has made it up high into the sky gives you strong directional light which will light up that mist.

The evening light also creates wonderful opportunities for lovely images. Like in the morning, the sun is low in the sky and becomes soft and warm. While the evening sun is still low in the sky, it creates highlights on landscapes and buildings. . Of course sunsets can be dramatic, but don’t put your camera away once the sun has set. The twilight “Blue Hour” is a photographer’s dream. The left over glow can also create spectacular colors in the sky and on the land.

The great thing about morning and evening light is that it will be different every day. No two sunrises or sunsets are alike. Clouds, and other weather conditions will make a difference, both good and bad.

The links below will have more detailed explanations. As before, you can do your own search.

Topic 2 - Finding Faces in Everyday Objects

This is the “fun” topic. Use your photographer’s eye to find faces in everyday objects. Where can you see something that looks like a face? Close up or far away – human or animal. Show us some faces.

Start here

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/natural-light-photography.htm

Good discussion of light in general

http://www.australianphotography.com/news/photo-tip-of-the-week-understanding-light-part-ii

Sunrise - sunset photography

http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-sunrises-and-sunsets/

http://digital-photography-school.com/tips-on-early-morning-photography/

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/photograph-nature-in-early-morning-light.html

Golden Hour definition – rather technical

http://digital-photography-school.com/tips-on-early-morning-photography/

Blue Hour – definition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_hour