LIGHT BASICS :: WHEN ALL YOU HAVE IS ALL OUTDOORS (pt. 1 of 2)

Whether professional or amateur, outdoor photography is by far the most common use of cameras in North American society. Weddings, parties, vacations, field trips, sporting events, family reunions, picnics, and trips to the beach are just a few of the reasons people take cameras along to most any outdoor gathering, whether just two people or two million. Digital photography has more people carrying cameras to more places than ever before.

So, why are there so many bad outdoor pictures? Is it the camera? Is it the photographer? What's the deal? How do professional photographers get such fantastic images?

Honestly, there are times when sheer luck dominates where skill is lacking. For most any setting, moving around, taking tons of pictures of the same thing from a variety of angles increases the likelihood that at least one image will be worth keeping. When one image is all that is needed, such an approach may work, at least until the photographer can figure out what they're doing. More than one overinflated reputation has been made using this very concept. Clicking the shutter a thousand times an hour for a single subject is hardly an efficient method of shooting. There is most certainly a better way.

Assuming we are not discussing landscape or architectural photography, for which a slightly different approach is used, there are three general areas of concern when shooting outdoors: light, subject, and background. Any one of those elements can kill a picture; it is finding just the right braiding of the three that results in consistently successful images. There are ten things to consider when shooting outdoors. For the sake of readability, we'll split the topic into two articles. Here are the first five.

1. Know your equipment. Please notice that there is not a requirement here for super-expensive high-end equipment. Most any camera has the ability to take incredible photographs. What matters is that you know how to use the camera most efficiently and effectively.
   
   Turn off auto-flash. Flash not only changes the temperature of the light, but often causes images to over-expose. While flash sensors are increasingly complex in their calculations, they can't account for reflective surfaces and other elements that effect illumination. Flash can also be over-powering when less than five feet from the subject.
   
   Know how to change the ISO, aperture (f/stop) and shutter speed manually and quickly. Trusting auto-features, especially in partial shadow or under partly-cloudy conditions where light can change quickly, is risky. The more one understands what each function does, the better one can set the camera to achieve the best image.
   
   Know the limits of your lens. If using a point-and-shoot camera, the lens diameter is likely quite small, requiring more illumination than does a larger diameter, SLR-type lens. Don't try to squeeze too much into the frame. Every lens type has its quirks, especially around the edges. Know what your lens likes and stay within that range.
   
   Avoid using digital zoom. It's a false selling point with poor quality results. Stay away.
   
   Know how to adjust and set a custom white-balance. This is especially critical if taking pictures under changing light conditions or when moving from one location to another.
   
   Full-automated features may be helpful to some extent, but the ability to turn them off and make fine adjustments is often critical. There are limits to what every camera can achieve. Low-megapixel cameras will generally not provide the same depth and richness of color as will more-expensive high-megapixel cameras. The more one knows about their equipment from the beginning, the better able one will be to set-up and create memorable outdoor photographs.
   
   
2. Know the space. Location can make tremendous difference in how one shoots outdoors. Everything from placement of trees, power lines, size of buildings, and type of siding materials factors in to the ultimate success of the photograph.
   
   Whenever possible, a photographer should always take the time to walk the location days before the shoot, preferably at the same time of day as when the shoot is planned. There is a lot to notice and consider, from possible backgrounds, to places to pose. How light fills an area, where shade falls, background traffic, nearby noises such as construction or manufacturing, all are considerations that may effect the quality of the pictures.
   
   First and foremost, one needs to make sure that the location is safe. A beautiful looking stream may be bedded with sharp rocks, a home to snakes, or contaminated with waste run-off. The attractive street scene that seems so homespun in the middle of the afternoon may be flooded with traffic at sunrise. Make sure there are safe places for the subject to pose without incurring substantial risk. Be careful and make sure everyone involved will enjoy the shoot as well as the resulting pictures.
   
   Another common error is attempting to pose a person with an enormous monument or in front of a tall building. One can take a good picture of the person or the object, but not both. Any object more than six inches taller than the person standing with it needs to be photographed separately or placed in severe distance. Consider the size ratios carefully before setting up the shot.
   
   Don't force a location to be something that it's not. There are beautiful scenes that are just that: beautiful scenes. They work for landscape photography, but not as backgrounds. Enjoy their beauty, but find another place to photograph your subject.
   
   
3. Time the light. Sunlight can be your best friend and your worst enemy all within the span of five minutes. An over- and mis-used maxim is that one hour after sunrise or before sunset makes for the best photographic light. Depending on one's specific location and the time of year, however, that maxim could be quite wrong.
   
   Optimal sunlight occurs when the sun is less than 45 degrees above either horizon. In certain locations during winter months, there is less than 20 minutes available for best shooting. Know when the sun is in the best position and how long it is going to be there before scheduling a shoot.
   
   If the time of the shoot is not within the photographer's control, such as is often the case with weddings, it is still advisable to check and time light movement across the areas in which one anticipates shooting. Doing so allows the photographer to more carefully choreograph when best to do large group shots, which inevitably create more complex shadows, versus shots involving smaller groups.
   
   
4. Pay attention to shadows. Shadows are inherent to shooting in sunlight, but there's no need for photographers to be caught by surprise. The angle of shadow being cast by nearby trees and buildings is the same angle of shadow cast across a subject with identical orientation. By observing nearby shadows, one can accurately determine the best angle at which to pose subjects so as to deliver shadow exactly where wanted.
   
   How much difference does orientation make? Consider these three photographs, taken literally seconds apart.
   
   
   
   The three images each have a very different appearance as the shadows fall across Jade's face in various manner. What makes the difference in each shot is her orientation to the sunlight and the resulting angle of shadow. With literally seconds between each shot, the shadow itself doesn't change. Watching nearby relative shadows does a lot to tell the photographer exactly where to position the subject so as to receive the desired result.
   
   It is also important to note that all shadow is not created equal. Given the size of certain structures, the North-facing sides of some buildings may be in constant shade, making them tempting places to shoot. However, the light intensity within the shaded area changes throughout the day not unlike it does on the South side of the same building. Therefore, what may be a workable location at one point in the day may be too dark and unusable at a different time.
   
   
5. Look for diffusion and reflection. Elements such as concrete or limestone walls, large glass windows, and painted decorative pieces can all effect the quality of a location. Reflective light can be generated most frequently from large, often tinted, windows. The result can cast a very bright, sometime spot-light effect onto an area, generating a light source from the opposite direction of the sun's rays. Just how effective the light is depends largely on the size, angle, and height of the reflection. Generally speaking, low-based reflections typically illuminate an area immediately in front of them and at such intensity as to make getting a good, balanced image difficult. Higher, slightly angled reflections will send a warmer more usable light across a greater distance, giving the photographer more flexibility with the light. Below is an example of an image utilizing reflective light.
   
   
   
   With normal sunlight, the area for this shot would have been completely in shadow. The reflective light is coming from third floor windows on a building approximately seventy-five yards away. The result is a very soft, very warm light that is perfect for taking pictures. However, since it is reflective, the window for photographic use is extremely small, about twenty minutes during summer. The photographer has to know exactly when the be at the right location to get these shots.
   
   Water and snow are also reflective elements that can produce tremendous amounts of light. However, as water moves it creates rippled intensity such as one observes in the image below.
   
   
   
   Look at the reflection as it appears across Jade's abdomen. The movement in the water doesn't exactly create shadows, but a varying light intensity across the areas closest to the water. As the subject moves further away from the water, such as the upper shoulder and face, the light evens out.
   
   By contrast, diffused light does not reflect direct sunlight and is not as susceptible to the sun's rapid motion (though time is still limited). Finding quality diffused light in locations that make good picture scenery can be quite difficult, though. In order to achieve good diffusion, the light needs to bounce continually off multiple surfaces such as adjoining walls, bridge supports, or even fog. Below are three examples of images illuminated with naturally diffused light.
   
   
   
   In the first image, light is diffused by adjoining walls, one of which is made of limestone. As light reflects and bounces around the area of the connection, it creates a soft diffusion with almost no shadow.
   
   The fog is the second image both diffused and muted the sunlight. The natural diffusion softened but didn't eliminate shadow, giving a greater sense of depth to the picture.
   
   The third image, taken under a bridge, uses the concrete construction to diffuse light. Regardless of the time of day, the amount of concrete provides a constant diffusion and even light. While light intensity does change modestly with the sun's movement, the level of diffusion remains constant. [Note: having a concrete "floor" is critical to the overall quality; dirt floors absorb light rather than reflecting it.]
   

In the next article, we'll discuss backgrounds, fill light, depth-of-field, tripods and wardrobe.

To be continued.