How to use light in photography?

What time of day is best for outdoor photography? What lighting produces the best results for photography?

Selection and use of outdoor natural light on sunny days

The light source on sunny days is the sun, which is a luminous body and is the brightest among all light sources. Sunlight is direct light (concentrated light) and its nature is hard light. Throughout the day, the intensity and color temperature of sunlight are constantly changing as its angle with the ground changes and as it travels through the atmosphere. Mastering this rule is of great significance to photographers. The changes in sunlight within a day, according to the angle between the sun and the ground, are roughly divided into four moments and are described as follows:

The first moment: 0- Around 15 degrees. Called sunrise and sunset times. The lighting characteristics of natural light at this moment are:

①The color temperature of sunlight is low and the color temperature of sky light is high. The light of the lighting scene contrasts with the warm and cold light. Since the sun travels a long distance through the atmosphere, the blue light with shorter wavelength is diffused by the atmosphere, and only the red light with longer wavelength is transmitted. Therefore, the sun at this time appears orange-red, with a color temperature of about 2500K-3500K, which is equivalent to the color temperature of a tungsten lamp. If you add a 5600K color filter and adjust the white balance with white light, the picture will be orange-red, with a distinct morning and evening atmosphere. Because the color temperature of sunlight is relatively low and the color temperature of sky light is high, the light-receiving surface is warm and the background surface is cold. The contrast between cold and warm is obvious, and the scenery is rich in color.

②The light projection angle is low, the scene projection is long, and the light received by the vertical plane is weak and the light received by the horizontal plane is weak. And it has a strong and obvious aerial perspective effect. Its long projection is often a favorable factor in composition;

③ Sometimes clouds appear in the sky and are backlit by the sun, presenting charming scenes of different shapes. At this time, the sun is often the subject, and it is easy to take pictures with artistic conception;

④The light is soft, the light ratio is small, and the color temperature is cold and warm, which is the best time to take lyrical pictures;

⑤The characteristics of this moment are that the time is relatively short and the light changes quickly (brightness and color temperature) which are difficult to grasp. Generally, you can only take one or two atmospheric shots. This moment, due to the above characteristics, is called the effect light moment, and some people call it the golden moment of photography.

The second moment: around 15°-60°.

The light characteristics at this moment are that the spectral components of the light source are relatively stable, the brightness does not change much, the contrast is normal, and it lasts for a long time, which is called the normal lighting moment. This moment is one of the most shot-for-shot moments in film and television. Secondly, at this moment, the difference between the horizontal and vertical illumination of the scene is not obvious, the light ratio is moderate between 1:4-1:8, and the color temperature is about 5500K-5600K.

The third moment: around 60-90 degrees.

This moment is called the top light moment. The sun shines directly overhead. In the summer in the south, it is almost vertical to the ground, and the contrast between the sun and the sun is large. This time is top lighting, which is generally not suitable for shooting close-up shots of people. Actors' faces will be distorted due to overhead lighting. Some long shots can also be shot at this time.

The fourth moment: below 0 degrees, this moment is called the twilight moment (or dawn or dusk moment). The light illumination characteristics at this moment are:

① The sun has not yet risen or has set, and all shadows on the ground are illuminated by the sky. The sky is the brightest part, serving as both the light source and the subject. At this time, there is a great contrast between the sky and the ground shadows. Its brightness range greatly exceeds the exposure tolerance of film or video cameras. If you expose according to the sky when shooting, the ground scenery will appear in silhouette (without layers). If you focus on expressing the scenery, use a lower angle to superimpose the scenery on the sky with clear outlines;

② This moment is the ideal moment to shoot night scenes. Night scenes with the sky are often shot at this time. The main light of the character should be higher than or equal to the brightness of the sky, and should be supplemented by artificial light. A good night scene effect can be obtained;

③The brightness of the sky changes very quickly at this moment. When the brightness of the sky does not reach the minimum brightness value of the camera or film, only the night scene without the sky can be shot. Otherwise the sky will be completely black. At this moment, the sky is brighter where the sun rises or sets (i.e. early east, late west), so the shooting angle should be taken into consideration.

The sky on a clear day is a scattered light source formed by the scattering of sunlight by atmospheric particles. When sunlight passes through the atmosphere, the blue light with shorter wavelength is lost more, so it appears blue. If the sun is used as the main light, the sky light is the secondary light. It illuminates the shadow parts of the subject, so the shadow parts appear bluish. The contrast between the main light and the secondary light is related to the brightness of the sky. When the sky is blue, the brightness is low and the contrast is large. When there are thin clouds, the brightness is high and the contrast is small.

When illuminated by sunlight on a sunny day, the direction of the projection formed by the object is always opposite to the direction of the light source, and the length of the projection is inversely proportional to the height of the sun. A large area of ??projection will form a shadow area without direct sunlight and only illuminated by the sky. The brightness is generally 2-3 blocks lower than the sunlight area. The light under the shadow is scattered light, and shooting in the shadow area will also form a smaller contrast between light and dark due to the influence of the surrounding ambient light.

There is no such thing as bad light, only bad choice and use. The light that helps the subject matter is the best light. There is no such thing as bad light, only bad choice and use. The light that helps the subject matter is the best light.

Photography can be done in any weather. There is no bad light, only bad use. The key is to grasp the light.