Learn to Use Dramatic Natural Light

Submit up to three pairs of before and after photos that show any subject in both drab light and dramatic early morning/sunrise or late afternoon/sunset lighting. Try to capture silhouettes, textures, and the various types of illumination: front, side and back lighting.


Jim's Comments:
Hi Chuck,

Given your weather challenges, I think you did very well with this assignment in showing different effects of light on various subjects. I like the shot of Abbey at sunrise -- and your manipulation in Photoshop did make the sky better. Let's not call that cheating -- how about 'creative license' or 'artistically inspired'. I like the rays of sunlight, and your low, wide angle perspective makes this work so well. The lighting on Abby at noon is obviously much less artistic.

I like very much how you emphasized the texture on the string and the wood. One of the major advantages of a low angled light is the texture it creates, and you took advantage of that and made a mundane subject look interesting. The comparison with mid-day lighting underscores the point I made in the lesson.

The architecture photo is nicely composed and graphically strong. The mid-day light is obviously not as striking as the morning light you used. But note here that the time of your shot was 8:11, which was maybe an hour and a half after sunrise. This light is much better than noon, but not as magical as sunrise. Remember that every minute the sun moves away from the horizon in the morning, the light gets less and less attractive.

Jim