All about light, shadows, and shades

Capturing light — how you want to show and exploit it — truly defines photography.

After all, photography literally means light writing. You can use light to paint, illuminate, mask, shadow, and color your subject almost limitlessly. Use light to your advantage to capture everything from blasting saturated color to ethereal backlit fog and mist to stark silhouettes. For more on reading light when shooting outdoors and indoors, see Chapters 5 and 6, respectively.

For great techniques on capturing light when shooting black-and-white, see Chapter 9. And for shooting in virtually no light, see Chapter 10 for the lowdown on night photography.

You can also use light and shadow at night to add depth to photographs, sometimes making them look similar to paintings. Older buildings that show wear offer your camera’s sensor a brush stroke effect in its interpretation of the light’s reflection on the worn stone.

Many of the best architecture and landscape photographs are shot at dusk. The long shadows, soft light, and reflections can create dramatic results.

Don’t be afraid to exploit contrast when calculating the proper light for exposure. After you get the hang of your camera’s auto settings, master how to set your exposures manually.

Composing an Art Photograph

The difference between someone who takes pictures and an art photographer is that the latter realizes that the cornerstone of fundamental design is composition. Folks easily take this element for granted, getting swept away by coolness or locale of the subject. Composition is more than what your subject is and how it’s posed: It comprises all that plus the background, foreground, color, lighting, and framing. Always remember to compose first and expose second.

All great photographs start with sound composition techniques, which are basic rules of how to put together a pleasing image. When you compare two shots (say, using the same subject and lighting), one of a sloppily composed image with one that’s thoughtful and crafted, you can immediately tell the difference.

And when you follow these rules, remember that you follow in the footsteps of masters of art and architecture: The ancient Greeks and Romans practiced these same tenets 20 centuries before the advent of photography. It’s obvious in their architecture.