LIGHT, LIGHTING, & TIMING

Light. It can be harsh or gentle; vibrant or muted. It can come from above or from an angle.    It can be sunlight or human-made light--like from car lights or street lights.

Lighting. It can be from studio lighting. A subject can also be creatively lit by "painting it with light."

Timing. It is extremely crucial in photography. It includes the time of day or the time of year-- the seasons. It can also include our reaction to those quick, elusive seconds in the field.

This month, I will share what I have done with light, lighting, and timing out in the field.

We'll start with human-made lighting. For the image below, I had to be extremely patient. I chose late afternoon after sunset, but before twilight. First, I got my composition. Then, I set my camera to get a long 20-second exposure. A tripod is a must for this! I then patiently waited until that exact moment when vehicles were exiting the tunnel and others were entering the tunnel. It took planning, knowing the basics of photography (small apertures/long exposures), anticipation, and lots of patience.

The result was this surreal image. A friend once commented that it looked like a dragon was inside the tunnel spewing fire.

This scene was much darker than it appears in the final image. Long exposures soak in a lot of light; more than the eye can see. Additionally, the speeding vehicles virtually disappear, while their streaks of light, during twenty seconds, are recorded on the film or sensor.

The natural winter sunlight for this image was very early morning before the sun actually broke the horizon line. At that time of day, we get those beautiful hues not present when we go out after sunrise. Those colors are the reward; they are what make the common uncommon.

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Here is another scene where timing was an intentional factor. I like shooting during that time of year when I see late summer still clinging on while early fall begins to wave its magical wand. I love the combination of greens, golds, and yellows. 

The timing on this next one was similar, with most aspens showing off their colors, the evergreens showing off their greens, and other trees somewhere in the middle. The time of year was the main factor for this one. 

Maroon Bells, Colorado

Weather conditions can also influence the look and feel of scenes. It was foggy the morning    I saw gentle light falling on this stone bridge and pond. Colors don't always have to be bright and vibrant. Like in the movies, the lighting needs to match the moment--no need to create more vibrance than there was in the scene. Enjoy, and capture, those soothing, floating moments. 

The time of day was key for this next example. I saw this scene the day before, at midday. It didn't look like much, but, knowing more or less where the sun would come up the next day,    I suspected this scene would surprise me in the early morn. It did. I wasn't disappointed.

Buck Canyon, Canyonlands, Utah

Do not hesitate to photograph after sunset, especially if you tend to always use a tripod regardless of lighting conditions. I created this image several seconds after sunset, giving it a one-minute exposure. With that much time, the film or sensor just soak up unimaginable light. I love the quality of light and quality of color this time of day gives me.

For this last example, I "painted" these beautiful formations at Garden of the Gods with two off-road emergency lights. I spent five (5) minutes slowly "painting" them, emphasizing the outer edges. The long exposure is why the night sky still looks blue and why the clouds seem to be moving.

Creating images like these I am sharing this month requires getting outside our comfort zone. For many, it's not fun getting up before sunrise or continuing to shoot after sunset. However, as you have seen, it is definitely worth sacrificing sleep and comfort to create images that can often end up being one-of-a-kind images. I doubt that even I, who created these images, can go back to these places and recreate them. All factors that contributed to them will differ--factors like atmosphere, the stage of the autumn season, accumulation of snow, where the sun rises or sets.....the list goes on.

The theme I follow, which I talk about in my Right Brain Photography book and classes, is "impermanence." Get it then! It will change. The moment is impermanent.