sarahraananphotography's blog by Sarah Raanan

Seeing the Light –

By Sarah Raanan

"Only the print contains the artist’s meaning and message." – Ansel Adams

As we approach the Winter season, we find ourselves with some perfect outdoor photography opportunities. The weather is no longer scorching hot outdoors, but we can still photograph outside comfortably without having to bundle up! What better time to brush up on your photography skills and take better pictures with your camera!

Have you ever heard anyone say that good photography is all in the lighting? Granted, you need a great eye, artistic creativity, talent and good equipment amongst other things, but if you don’t understand how to manipulate light, you will never be able to exert true control over the images you capture and your photography will always be very ‘hit & miss’.

So, to get down to basics, the word "photography" originates from the two Greek words ‘photo’ which means ‘light’ and ‘graphy’– which means to paint or draw. So, when we take a photo, we are literally painting with light.

We can use light to convey a message – what time of day is it? What is our mood? What kind of space are we in? Light can add depth, mystery, drama and direction.

Now that we have established how important light is to our images, here are a few points for you to think about before you next press the shutter button, regardless of what camera you have!

Time of day

Most of my sessions take place outdoors in the early morning or early evening. This isn’t because this is the best time for me but because it’s the best time for our images. Taking photos in the bright midday sun is the absolute worst thing you could do if you want to capture images that you will love.

Next time you are out photographing, pay attention to the difference between your images at 7am (go on, try it some time!!) and midday. You will see that your midday images are harsh, with unflattering shadows on your subject’s face.

We are blessed in Israel, in my humble opinion, to have beautiful light for photography during the late afternoon and early evening. Watch how your images develop a more golden glow the later on in the day you photograph.

Positioning

Think about where you are in relation to the light. If you have a willing model, pose them in different positions – with their back to the light, facing the light and light to the sides (not possible during the middle hours of the day as the sun is over head). What difference does this make to the overall look of your shots? Remember, you cant move the sun, but you can always change position yourself to change the look and feel of your images.

Weather Conditions

Most people’s natural instinct when planning for a portrait session is to pray for perfect clear blue skies, but actually, a slightly overcast day with some clouds is perfect! The clouds are blocking some of the sun, so we loose some of that nasty contrast and harsh shadowing. With this kind of weather, we don’t really have to worry too much about where the sun is!

Even when it rains, you should try taking the kids outside in their raincoats, boots and umbrellas. You can capture such amazing memories of rain days – the sheer delight of our Israeli children (and their cries of ‘geshem! geshem!”) when it rains!

Flash

I very rarely use flash if I can avoid it, but of course it has its uses! It can come in handy for outdoor photography sometimes. For example, if you happen to be out at midday and you’re faced with those nasty lighting conditions we talked about earlier, flash can help to lift the midday shadows from your subject’s face.

Experiment

Outdoor photography can be unpredictable as we are at the mercy of the weather and the time of day. Take the time to experiment with light at different times of the day and from different positions and you will see a vast improvement in the quality of your images!

Sarah Ra’anan is a portrait photographer living in Ra’anana. Her style is fresh, contemporary and natural. Sarah specializes in photographing babies, children and families. She is also available for group or private workshops. Her website is www.sarahraanan.com