13th June 2009 - Catching the best light

If you want to take landscape photographs that stand out from the usual family snapshots, then you have to find and catch the right light.

There are many types of light, dictated by the time, weather and sometimes the activity of other people. In a general sense, the more unusual the light, the more the photograph will stand out.

You have probably seen unusual light in many fine photographs and not readily recognized that the light was special at the time. Early mornings before and just after dawn, as well as late evenings just before and after the sun sets are the usual times for landscape photographers to capture their best images. In addition, unusual weather such as storms and fog also offer great photographic opportunities - but you have to catch them. It's no good lying in bed while a golden mist rolls across the landscape if you want to capture an image of it to hang on your wall!

The image below illustrates the point in question. I slept relatively late last Sunday morning getting out of bed at 8:30am. On opening the curtains I found the landscape wrapped in a substantial fog. Not stopping for anything (except to dress) I grabbed two cameras and drove a short distance to the local bush. The photographic opportunities were there, but I had already missed the best time and the sun was fairly high in the sky. By the time I chose a composition and set up my large format camera the fog had just vanished like it had never been there.

Fortunately I was able to capture a few images with a digital camera while I was looking for the best composition for the large format. This image was captured with a 200mm lens, looking into the forest which was back-lit by the sun shining through the thinning mist.

Misty Forest Doorway – Perth Hills, Western Australia, June 2009

Canon 5D MkII with Canon 70-200mmf4 @200mm; ISO 200
1/800 sec @ f4.0

I find the bush and forest of the Perth Hills difficult to photograph as I would like to, and I am always looking for different light and/or techniques.

A misty morning gives many opportunities for good photographs - but you need to get out of bed to capture them!