How to shoot with natural light

For photographers, although natural light or sunlight is convenient to use, it is a kind of difficult light, especially in color photography. This is because natural light is changeable and unpredictable. It has not only the change of brightness (which can also be measured by an exposure meter), but also the change of color (which is difficult to detect and actually cannot be measured accurately).

Keane Nelson, a British photographer, believes that photographers should discover and study the different changes of light during the day and throughout the year, and understand its full significance. He put forward a method to observe the effect of light change: find a local scene and take it on a sunny day, one every hour. If you shoot from one position, you can see the changing effect of light when the sun moves. You can also shoot around a theme at a certain time of the day, and you will be surprised by the various lighting effects you get. If you want to know how strong the sun is, you can also try to take the sun into the picture, but be careful not to let the strong light hurt your eyes. After 3 pm or before 9 am, you can take a silhouette photo in the sun. You can move the lens away from the sun first, so as to measure the exposure reading; Then, according to this reading method, all the scenes including the sun are photographed. Then, change the aperture and take another picture as it is. After the film is developed, compare the final effect.

Nelson also warned photographers not to underestimate the light quality at different times of the year. "On a cold morning in' 65438+February, if the ground is covered with heavy snow or trees and bushes are covered with gray frost, then the clear and fresh blue tone provides you with a good opportunity to take pictures.

"In June, 5438+ 10 and June, 5438+065438+ 10, the climate turned cold, and trees fell leaves one after another. In wet season, we should pay more attention to the dim effect of light." Autumn is a foggy season, and getting up in the morning is the best time to shoot foggy scenery. If you can get up at dawn, you will find that the morning air has its own unique freshness and silence. At this time, you can successfully record the charming gesture of dawn on the film. "

American photographer A Faninger divides the natural light into three types during the day and summarizes the shooting experience under different types of light. As far as daylight color film is concerned, "white" daylight is "standard daylight". When Tai 1B is more than 20 degrees above the ground, it is a mixture of direct sunlight and blue sky reflected light with slight white clouds. In this light, the color performance is very real when shooting with sunlight color film, correctly exposing and developing, and there is no need to use correction filter.

Another kind of near-white daytime light is the light when the sun is completely covered by uniform low-altitude fog. However, even in a cloudy sky, a slight change in the flawless air will affect the color balance and make it blue. Therefore, it is best to use 8 1 color balance filter, ultraviolet filter or sky mirror to correct.

Blue Daylight When there are no clouds in the sky, the shadow is always blue, because the light that illuminates the shadow is blue skylight at this time, and the color of the photo taken must be blue. Similarly, on cloudy days, especially when the sun is covered by thick clouds and the sky is mostly blue, or when the sky is evenly covered by high-altitude mist, the photos taken will also be blue. In this case, if you want to correct the hue, you can balance the filter with colors of appropriate density.

Shortly after sunrise and at sunset, the sun appears yellow or red. This is because the dense fog and dust layer in the atmosphere scatter light, and only longer red and yellow light waves can penetrate, which makes the light in the morning and evening have a unique color. The color of the scene photographed in this light is warmer than that photographed in white light. In order to avoid this phenomenon, it is best to take pictures two hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset. This phenomenon can also be avoided by using a blue balance filter with an appropriate density.

Farninger believes that as long as a photographer learns to observe colors from the perspective of photography, he will appreciate the inherent beauty of natural light in different situations and find that the photos taken in the morning and evening have a unique atmosphere and aesthetic feeling.

Through the sunshine of thin clouds, any photographer knows that the best shooting time in a day is before 10 in the morning and after 2 pm. If there are thin clouds in the sky at this time, the shooting effect will be better. Because the sunshine under the thin cloud is soft, and the main body still has obvious shadows, but it is not very dazzling.

The sunlight coming through the thin clouds is like a huge diffuse soft mirror, which can make the dark part of the photo play a gradual role. This kind of light is quite strong, which is a texture that can produce and highlight the shadow part of the subject, or as a modeling light for portrait photography. But you can't create such a shadow, that is, you can't bury any details in the main body. But if you use color film, the photos taken with this light are not as bright as those taken under direct light.

Morning light and foggy morning often indicate sunny days, when there are often excellent lighting conditions. When shooting in this light condition, the color temperature will keep getting warmer, and the subject will become a pleasant warm tone after being irradiated by golden sunlight.

Sunny mornings provide photographers with an opportunity to shoot in bright light but low sunlight angle, so that they can take photos of Gao Fancha and saturated colors. At this moment, how to correctly grasp the exposure is a major issue. Generally speaking, metering is not based on the strong light or shadow part, but on the main part to be highlighted. It is usually best to measure the average light between bright light and shaded parts. Noon light is generally not suitable for outdoor photography at noon, especially in summer. If you shoot a light-colored subject in the hot sun at noon, the hot sun will drown all levels of the subject. In addition, when shooting at noon, the sun is at the highest point, so the shadow of the subject is very short and almost absent.

People used to think that the afternoon light was the best at sunset. In fact, this is an old concept, because there are many good shooting opportunities before sunset. After noon, the sun sets slowly. At this time, there are many opportunities to shoot various themes from the side, so that the photos taken will have a three-dimensional effect.

When the sun has dropped to a very low level, you can also take a backlight photo. The subject is almost a silhouette and the background is the correctly exposed sky. If you want to overexpose the background part, but the subject is exposed correctly, you can increase the aperture by two steps.

For some photographers after dark, when the sun disappears on the horizon and the last afterglow of the sunset disappears, it is the best time to shoot. At this time, the sky is dark blue and the lights on the street are beautiful. But the shooting must be fast, because the scene lasts for a short time. When shooting, it is best to balance the color temperature with daylight film, which can not only capture the natural color of the sky, but also reflect the warm color light of tungsten lamp in buildings and streets.

The photos taken in direct sunlight on foggy days give people a bright and clear feeling. However, photos taken in the mist can produce completely different effects. It gives people an unpredictable dreamlike feeling, just like a car driver driving in foggy days with white eyes. In the photos taken at this time, the level and light and shadow of the subject have been erased. Far fog can soften the background of landscape photos, but at the same time, it can make the foreground of photos more eye-catching and separate the objects in the foreground from the background obviously. In this case, the gray-white particles in the picture will be obviously coarsened. But if you don't want the above phenomenon, you can use a slow film and a tripod.

This is what photographers are most worried about in cloudy and gloomy weather, because the photos taken in this weather lack shadows and contrast, the lighting effect is not good, and the depth of field is generally shallow, and the subject is very dull. If the sky doesn't change much, you can use contrast filters to improve the shooting effect of black and white photos. Color photos can be taken with a gradient filter. Exposure can directly refer to the reading of the exposure meter, because the light is very flat and there is no need to use auxiliary light. If you want to contrast the shooting effect by strong light and shadow, don't shoot in cloudy and cloudy conditions. Generally, photographers always think that strong sunlight is one of the most difficult rays to deal with when shooting. Because shooting in direct sunlight will make the picture look very dazzling, so that the bright shadow part and the strong light part will have obvious boundaries like spotlight lighting. Therefore, the contrast of the photos taken is very large, the color range is very narrow, and there are no other colors under the shadow and strong light. They also warned photographers not to shoot portraits in direct sunlight, because such light would obviously expose facial defects; And make the subjects unable to open their eyes, thus causing skin wrinkling and other phenomena.

However, Keith Wilson, a British photographer, told people that under strong sunlight, wonderful photos can also be taken by using blue sky, high-hanging sun, reflective surface and vivid colors. The first problem in photographing in strong sunlight is the large contrast. The central button metering system of many cameras will fail because of obvious contrast. In this case, it is difficult to measure the average reading that satisfies both the strong light part and the shadow part. This phenomenon will be more serious if you take pictures at the water's edge, on the beach or even on the road with strong reflective surface. Exposure based on average photometric readings usually leads to underexposed or overexposed photos.

Wilson pointed out: "If the camera has a spot metering device and a device that can measure both strong light and shadow, you can gain more control, so that the subject can be exposed correctly in strong light. Remember, you must use exposure meter to measure the light of the subject and determine the exposure time accordingly. If your single-lens reflex camera only has central focus metering, you can put the camera close to the subject for metering to eliminate the influence of background light. "

When choosing the background, Wilson pointed out: "If you are shooting ordinary street scenes, landscapes or buildings, you should carefully observe the surfaces and colors in strong sunlight. Although the white wall is highly reflective, if it is in the shadow, it looks gloomy, and the photos taken will be dull. The general rule that should be followed when dealing with buildings is never to photograph the surface of buildings or objects in the shadows, but to wait for the sun to shine on the surface of objects. At this time, the colors are saturated and the contrast is full and rich. You can also try to find a low point of view and bring part of the blue sky to the top of the picture. One of the most important issues to consider when taking photos under strong light is to choose the appropriate background. Clear blue sky can create a beautiful background for any theme. Squat down when shooting until you see the sky behind the subject. Such a low angle often leads to unusual photos. Shooting like this, the portrait looks very moving. In addition, you can also try shooting with a camera with a low viewpoint, a high viewpoint or a tilt. "

Wilson believes: "The advantage of photography under strong light lies in the color that this light brings to natural and industrial landscapes. Because contrast comes with color, the most expressive photos are not those with color spots, but those with several contrasting colors in vivid form. "

Photography with natural light; Sometimes the shadow part that can't be illuminated by light will destroy the overall aesthetic feeling of the subject. At this point, a simple solution is to take a small white reflector and put it outside the camera's shooting range when shooting; Reflect light at the subject. This allows unrestricted control of natural light.

How to use natural light in indoor photography? Photographer Philip Thomas thinks: "A room facing south with sufficient light is the first choice. At the same time, it is best to choose a room with a large window, and the window facing southwest is better. Because at night, the afterglow of the warm sunset poured into the room, creating a better opportunity for shooting. When shooting, it is best to dim the indoor light, because it is much easier to increase the light than to reduce it. If there is strong light everywhere in the room, you can't take pictures according to your own wishes. "

With regard to the use of natural light from windows, Greg alcock, a British photographer, suggested that outstanding painters should always pay attention to the use of light from the north in their works. He thinks this kind of light is special, probably because it is very stable. As long as the weather remains the same, this light does not change much during the day and its quality remains the same. Mike Pierce, a British photographer, feels the same way. He pointed out: "Indoor use of light from the north window can produce satisfactory results. It will produce a very soft and uniform light, which is difficult to simulate with artificial light. In fact, most outstanding artists have been using this light until they are old. If your house has a window facing north, you have a good light source for taking portraits. If equipped with a tripod, that is the best, even if using is0400/27. The shutter speed can still be set to slow. If you use color slides or color negative, you may wish to add a Leiden 8 1B filter or other corresponding filters in front of the camera lens, which will eliminate the possible blue phenomenon. " If you can't use the light from the north, if you can make the window produce diffuse light, then any window will do. Therefore, it is necessary to stick landscape oil-proof paper or single-layer cotton paper on the window glass. If you need to add color to your work, you can use colored paper.

How to control indoor natural light, Thomas also suggested using a reflector to guide natural light from the window to where it is needed. The mirror can be moved closer or farther, and the angle can be adjusted to obtain the appropriate amount of light. It is also possible to use objects with different masses as reflectors to obtain light with different masses. The most commonly used is white cardboard. White cardboard can reflect soft and just right light. Cardboard can be cut into large or small sizes. The light reflected by silver foil is stronger than that reflected by white cardboard. In order to save materials, you can hang silver foil on one side of the cardboard, which can serve two purposes. Two cheap mirrors can reflect strong light, which can be used as eye lights (bright spots on people's eyes) and can also illuminate dark corners. Golden objects can also be used as reflectors. When shooting portraits, gold will increase the charm of the subject's skin color and make the subject look radiant. In addition, black cardboard is sometimes used. When the indoor light is too strong, which is inconsistent with the light and contrast required by the envisaged work, black cardboard can be used to absorb some light. Thomas believes that having one or two such blackboards at hand may sometimes "revive" those works that may have failed.