The importance of lighting

Lighting is the chief component of a good photograph. Sometimes, however, photographers like myself must deal with difficult lighting situations.

Just because a photographer has a professional camera in his or her hand doesn’t mean a good photograph will automatically follow. The lighting must be good, and a good photographer will understand that.

I believe what separates a good, experienced photographer and a less-than-good, inexperienced photographer is understanding of light and knowing how to work with difficult lighting situations.

When I started in photography, the understanding of light was the scariest thing to me. I did not fully understand how to use light in a way to make a great photo. I taught myself a lot about light over the years and have watched a lot of classes on the subject.

Still, good photographers are bound to have experiences with poor lighting situations.

Addressing poor lighting

I will give a couple of examples of poor lighting situations I had to deal with and how I dealt with them. Both examples that come to mind were outdoor weddings.

Both couples scheduled their weddings at a time of day during the spring and summer where lighting was not at its best. It was a totally sunny day and shooting in full sun can be challenging. I believe that a lot of people do not realize this. Many people schedule outdoor photo shoots at noon when the sun is high in the sky.

The result of this will be unflattering shadows. For example, it could lead to what you might call “racoon eyes” with the light casting dark shadows under the eyes.

Examples of difficult lighting situations and how I addressed them

The first wedding that comes to mind was a hot summer day with the sunshine blaring. I did my best during the ceremony but during the formal portraits I used additional lighting to counteract the sun. For bride and groom portraits I placed a large see-through umbrella over them to diffuse the harsh sunlight from them, resulting in a much more pleasing photograph.

The second wedding was in the spring and it too was a harsh sunny day. In this case I posed everyone in a way so that the sun would stay off their face as much as possible, and I used sun reflectors as much as I could.

Part of the job of a professional photographer is to deal with difficult lighting situations and figure out how to still make a great photo. There are ways to do it with additional lighting, light modifiers and light reflectors. A good photographer will know how to handle these situations.