Looking For Light

Looking For Light

by William Lulow

It seems like this is an impossible subject, because isn’t light all around us? It surely is, but when it comes to making images, it is one of the most important elements. When I say “looking for light” I mean that we have to train our eyes to look for unusual light, light that only occurs at special times or in special places. The ability to “see” this light takes a bit of practice and a knowledge of artificial light and its applications as well. I have always told my students that once they learn studio lighting, they will never look at another scene again without noticing the light! I know this to be true because I have seen it over and over again.

Here’s my latest sunset picture. I waited for the sun to be just below the horizon so that it would illuminate the under sides of the clouds. This kind of image cannot just be made of any sunset. The clouds have to be positioned high enough off the horizon to create a clear strip below them to allow the sun’s rays to poke through, thus providing light to the clouds. If you make a picture of a sunset without clouds you will get a brilliant sunset with a clear blue sky. It always needs the clouds to reflect the sun’s rays.

It took time for the sun to descend in the frame enough to provide this result.

Knowing about the artificial lighting setup called BACK LIGHT, allowed me to see this scene:

As long as your lens is shielded from the light source, you can make these kinds of images. Here, I stood in the shadow of the trees to capture the light coming through them.

This was almost a SIDE LIGHT caused by the position of the sun to the west of Manhattan. Here’s an example of a SIDE LIGHT created in the studio:

Notice the shadows created in both images. Look at what sides of the buildings are lit by the sun.

Here, there is no direct light – only diffused light from clouds. But it created a great reflection in the water.

Here is a studio image that make use of reflection as well.

When you learn to see light applied in a studio setting, you will be better prepared to find it in the world as it occurs naturally!