without good light , why even bother?!

I have been trying to get good landscape shots for years and any good one I have ever taken was because of good time of day lighting.

I am I to lunch here or is this just the way it is?

Its all about light. The light sucks, so does your photo. Like a good model can make all the difference in making a shot, so does great scenery as well. I envy people that live in parts of the country where you can point a camera practically any which way and get the goods.


....or world. I forgets the internet tubes are international

no insult intended, but could it be that you aren't able to recognize good light? I don't mean that in a snarky way, I just don't know how to ask the question so it doesn't sound snarky...

Absolutely. Photography is light! Think about the way light changes a scene--what is boring and blase in the noon sunlight is dramatic and emotive when the sun gets low in the sky and casts a palette of color and shadow on your subject. Ansel Adams would sit for days waiting for just the right light.

I'll shoot in noon sunlight, and sometimes I get some pretty good results. Sometimes I'll get pictures that are BETTER than if I'd waited around for the cliched "right time" to shoot.

Some shots require a PARTICULAR light in order to get the most out of them, but I don't really agree with any of the "rules" about this kind of stuff, like "noon sunlight makes for ugly boring pictures." It'll work better sometimes, sometimes it won't. If the lighting is bad, and one wants to shoot, then one can very often find subjects that DO work with the available light.

Just do what works. Even the "best" light is not necessarily ideal for a particular shot. Let the picture dictate what light is required, not the opposite.

suecassidy wrote in post #11998528
no insult intended, but could it be that you aren't able to recognize good light? I don't mean that in a snarky way, I just don't know how to ask the question so it doesn't sound snarky...

I'll second this.

It's not that any lighting situation is ever objectively BAD, it's just that it doesn't work with what is being shot. But the world is rich with possibilities. I refuse to believe that in the VAST majority of situations, SOMETHING could have benefitted from being shot in that "bad light".

Pick your scene, pick your shooting position, angle, composition, pick your season, pick your weather, pick your time of day, pick your filters. Get set up, wait, pick your moment, get "lucky" or go home empty handed. You do what you can to improve your luck, but the best results probably come from planning, preparation and a mastery of visualisation and understanding of light.

At least I think that's what it's all about. I'm just a rookie at so many aspects of photography and at landscapes I'm not even out of the starting blocks. My attempts at landscapes are seriously lacklustre. I don't put in the effort required, scouting locations, working out sun angles, getting up at daft o'clock to catch a sunrise, and I don't have the skills to pull off a beautiful shot. Maybe one day.....

Shooting in harsh light is often the best way to capture B&W images.

Clean Gene wrote in post #11999141
I'll second this.

It's not that any lighting situation is ever objectively BAD, it's just that it doesn't work with what is being shot. But the world is rich with possibilities. I refuse to believe that in the VAST majority of situations, SOMETHING could have benefitted from being shot in that "bad light".

I'd say by definition, ANY light that flatters the subject is good light....and vice versa

suecassidy wrote in post #11998528
no insult intended, but could it be that you aren't able to recognize good light? I don't mean that in a snarky way, I just don't know how to ask the question so it doesn't sound snarky...

I guess it was from watching all those Peter Lik youtube videos of him taking 15 amazings shots in a 2 minute video..

I can see good light , I am now seeing that it is the most important thing thats all.

shayneyasinski wrote in post #12002192
I guess it was from watching all those Peter Lik youtube videos of him taking 15 amazings shots in a 2 minute video..

I can see good light , I am now seeing that it is the most important thing thats all.

Well, that is certainly something we learn about, and good landscape photography is a field where that makes a big difference.

I shoot in all kinds of conditions for some of what I do, but if I'm looking to shoot some particular types of scenes I do pay attention to both the overall conditions and the time of day.

For other things, it's how you handle the light you have!

Heh! That's one of those

scenarios!

I tend to like overcast light. It really makes for more interesting skies. But being able to see when the light is right for the visual statement you are trying to make is so important and it can really take years to get really good at it. Good light is the light that matched the visual statement that you are trying to make.

tonylong wrote in post #12002518
Heh! That's one of those scenarios!

Haha, sure was. Sweden is usually extremely gray during the winter/autumn. And thats why I have become a novice at colour tweaking and using filters to get atleast a slight pop to my images.


Great Shots Airfrog!