Cool and Warm Light

To answer a question posed a while back. I shoot a Cannon EOS Rebel 1i. It was the latest edition when I bought it in December or I thought it was but they've come out with a 2i now. I'm still learning to use this one though so it will be a long, long time before I need another. Lens, that is another matter. I wanted a much better macro lens than the one I just recently bought but at the time I didn't have the money and couldn't justify getting anything but the bottom of the line which is a 50. Oh how I'd love a 100 or even sweeter a 180. Sigh, someday when I'm selling photos maybe I can use the money to purchase one. $500 to $1500 is just out of my range. money to purchase one.

Let me know though, if most of you have a point and shoot. We have an old one of those and this camera will do that also. I think I'll take some pictures with this camera and that one to compare. I know the color and mega pixels is much much better but most people can do so much more with what they have if they just understood lighting and composition.

Of course there is a whole other level that can be accomplished on the computer. Me, I'm computer illiterate so besides darkening a little or lightening a little, or cropping on rare occasions, what you see is what I took.My daughter on the other hand within minutes can change the above photo which was taken in the evening in the shade. Shade gives you blue tones unless it is very light shade. I shot roses the last two mornings using my body to throw a light shade because it was just a hare too late in the morning to be shooting them but my husband and I were up at 4:00 this morning hauling bees and yesterday morning---.



So if you can't get just the right light but your close, then you could always tweak the photo. Of course you also have to have a more expensive computer program. I've have it since I have our oldest daughter's old lap top from photography school but the know how I don't have. This weekend I'm suppose to take my first lesson. Remember, I'm a slow learner so don't expect any great things coming soon. Yet, our daughter with all her knowledge can't make a poor photo great, just better. That is where you have to do a pretty good job in the first place.

The key is knowledge and practice, practice, practice.

I know some kids who do some amazing things playing with photos and a computer program. I'm not in to putting peoples faces on potatoes etc. but I can appreciate the creativity that went into it. I want my pictures to reflect what I actually saw so that those who view them are transported there.

So your first lesson on light is that if you want warm tones, then early morning and evening are when the air has a warm golden glow. Scroll back through the photos of our middle grand daughter. All these shots were taken within a few feet of each other and within few minutes also. It was pretty late, too late really and so the sun was setting. The golden glow was a bit much in this photo and not enough in the shade from the shed.

The first photo was using the shade of the shed and the sunset to cause an accentuating shadow upon her face. There is different types of use of light and shadows and they have names but I can never remember them. I have to ask my daughter. I just know how to get what I want.

Water can be tricky. Because it really reflects what is around it and the sky in particular. That is why I have spent so much time at the pond trying to catch the correct light with the geese at the right composition. This first photo was taken with an overcast sky. That can be perfect for so many shots since the light is even.

Note the orange in the water. This had it been a little bit earlier with the geese in the right spot could have really accentuated the photo BUT.
Things weren't all in the right location at the right time. This is what made the orange glow.
You will also notice that the neck of the goose is causing a distracting shadow. Shadow are a big issue in the middle of the day and photos have a tendency to look over exposed or in other words blow out. Some times we just don't have a choice when we have the opportunity to take a picture. That is when you can do a bit of fudging if you have a more complex camera. Of course if you are doing a photo shoot you can use reflecting boards and diffusers which are really just big white sheets in a fancy form. I've used white poster boards, poster boards covered in gold foil or covered in silver foil to reflect light where I want it and reduce shadows or cause them.

Once again knowledge is your best friend. But today I want you to pay attention to when the light changes from a cool blue to a warm yellow. That is another reason why I often shoot something more than once. I also pay attention like with the rose bushes when the sun hits them and when they are in the shade. There position at the neighbors makes it impossible to shoot them in the evening since they are completely in the shade.

So let me know how fancy your cameras are and I can tailor my photo lessons to fit you. And if you haven't learned anything else it is that I most of my pictures find there way into the camera's trash can.