Landscapes: Lighting
Light is a critical component of landscape photography. In many cases, it defines a scene as much as the subject itself. It has the power to transform the mundane into the extraordinary. Therefore, the search for compelling landscapes needs to include both physical settings and lighting conditions.
A key aspect of light is directionality. During midday, the sun is high overhead and produces few shadows. This results in photographs that appear flat (two-dimensional). In contrast, the morning and evening sun comes in at a low angle, casting long, interesting shadows. Photos taken under these conditions will reveal detail and capture some of the three-dimensional feel of the original scene. The two badlands photos below illustrate the difference between overhead midday lighting (left) and evening side-lighting (right).
Another important feature of light is its colour. Near dawn and dusk, bluer wavelengths of light are filtered out on their long journey through the atmosphere. The sunlight that reaches your eye has a reddish hue compared with the white light of midday. This “warm” lighting can add interest and appeal to a photograph, especially in the hour after dawn and the hour before sunset (have another look at the badlands photos above). The pleasing effect of "golden hour" light provides a second reason for timing your outings early and late in the day.
Midday is the least desirable time for landscape photography. In addition to the issues noted above, the intense light creates very strong contrast, making it difficult to achieve a decent exposure. Exposing for bright areas can result in underexposure of shaded areas, and vice versa. For example, in a forest scene you often end up with either properly exposed green trees and a blown-out white sky or a blue sky and black forest. Workarounds exist (e.g., high dynamic range photography), but it’s best to avoid the problem if possible.
The two photos below, taken from the same spot on the same day, demonstrate how important timing is to photography. In the morning photo (left), the sun is not yet strong, so contrast levels are controlled and the sky is a rich blue colour. The air is clear and conditions are calm (as they often are in the morning), producing a glassy-smooth lake surface. In the afternoon photo (right), the sun is much stronger, making the sky look washed out and creating harsh shadows. In addition, the colours are less pleasing and there is a haze in the air reducing detail. Finally, the wind has picked up, ruining the reflection in the lake. Both photos were taken with the same camera and processed in exactly the same way with the same "daylight" white balance.
In summary, to achieve great landscape photos it is important to think about the lighting and to seek out the best conditions. The “golden” hour around dawn and dusk is ideal because the long, soft shadows and red-shifted light add depth and interest to photographs. In Canada, our golden period stretches significantly longer than an hour because we live at a high latitude, giving us more time to work with. The downside is that photographing at dawn on a summer morning implies a very early start. It is a magical time of day though.
An approach for photographing in midday is to search for smaller-scale subjects located in shady areas, such as within a forest. In fact, shady areas are easier to photograph during midday because there is more ambient light to work with.