Photographers use light to paint their subjects.  We’re constantly looking at the direction and quality of light at different times during the day.    Whether it’s natural light or artificial, paying attention to your light will help you create the kind of shots you’re looking for.

When I’m shooting outdoor portraits, landscapes or architecture only shoot at times during the day when the natural light is soft and warm; this limits shooting to early morning or late in the afternoon for the ‘golden hour’.  Since most of us use our iPhone cameras to capture moments in our lives it’s not practical to wait for the sun, we want to capture that moment and move on with our day.  So with that in mind, here are a few little tips to help you adapt to the light you have.

Full afternoon sun:  Photographing people in the middle of the day with full sun is tricky.  It can create pretty harsh shadows on their faces.  There are a few tricks to help you navigate harsh lighting conditions.  Turn on your trusty flash.  This one of those moments where your flash comes in quite handy and can really help fill in those dark contrasting areas.

If you have an option to get out of that sun, find some shade, perhaps close enough to a bright object so the sunlight will actually “bounce” on to your subject.  Your iPhone should asses the darker conditions and give you a correct exposure but if you keep getting dark images, refer to the focus/exposure lock feature on the first day of these tips.   Press and hold the area on your screen (your subjects in shade) until your camera locks in the correct exposure and snap your photo.

Look for back light:  This is tricky, you definitely need the right quality of light but if you’re shooting at the end of the day and there’s some soft beautiful light available. Shoot a few shots with the sun directly on your subject, then flip you position and put the soft sunlight either behind your subject or slightly behind and to the side.  You’ll see a lovely highlight on their hair.  Use the focus/exposure lock again to make sure you phone exposes your subject properly and snap you shot!

Lighting too harsh – shoot for black and white:  You can’t really control the quality of natural light during the day.   Some days it’s cold and foggy, other days it’s bright and harsh.  On days when I get harsh light but still want to shoot,  I switch my eye to finding contrasts and I shoot my images knowing that I’m shooting for black and white photos. Black and white imagery can be very powerful when you embrace the shadows and contrasts.

Using light without your flash indoors: If you’re shooting snapshots and people having fun, use that flash and capture some great moments.  But, sometimes you just want to get some interesting artistic shots with your phone.  Look for interesting light sources to light your subjects.  Candles, lamps, daylight streaming in through a window all create some drama and some fun creative shots!

Coming tomorrow –  Day 4, Must have iPhone camera App’s