Lighting 101: Ambient

Last blog I talked about the AUTO feature on most point and shoot cameras. How the camera cannot predict if your subject will be moving or not, and almost always thinks that they will not. The outcome is almost always the same: a blurry photo. Of course, outdoors during the day is almost a guaranteed shot - it's indoors that can kill you everytime if you don't have the flash on (but then it's over exposed).

Remember, the best time to take photos:
1. 1 hour after sunrise
2. 1 hour before sunset
3. A cloudy day, but not at high noon.

#1 and #2 should be self explanatory. These are referred to as the "Golden Hours". The light is not so harsh, yet brilliant and can create some good contrast and bring out the most in your subject.

#3 is all about the worlds largest light diffuser: clouds. This is Ambient light (source of light that is not explicitly supplied by the photographer for the purpose of taking photos). Direct sun @ high noon is horrible during the summer equinox. It's like having a harsh light over your head like police use during questioning. Add some clouds, and the light will become evenly spread across the landscape. Choose another time such as 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. and you'll get some shadows and contrast.

Pick a subject close to your work or home and shoot it the same way at different periods of the day and let me know which ones you feel turn out the best.