How to Take Control of Natural Light with Photography

We’re all familiar with natural light. But have you ever actually stopped for a moment to think about the effect that it has on your photography? Or how you can use it to your advantage?

You can take breathtaking photos using natural light. But you need to understand how to use it.

You can read our complete guide to photography lighting here

What’s the Time of Day

You might have heard before that you shouldn’t be shooting in the middle of the day. Even though the sun is bright, it’s hard to control and has a very harsh appearance.

While this is true, it would be a shame not to use this time of day to get some decent photos. If you know how to handle the light, it ceases to be a problem.

There’s two things you can do. Either use a polarising filter (I recommend following that link). Or shoot in an area where some of the light can be diffused.

The harsh lighting isn’t going to be a problem if you follow either of those options.

Here’s a photo of the harsh midday sun diffused by a polarising filter

Angle of Light & Location

So we’ve established the best time to shoot. You’re now left with three main options.

The first and most obvious option in regards to the angle of the light is to have it shine straight onto the subject. This provides very good outdoor photography lighting.

In the photo below, the sun went down over my right shoulder. You can see how the soft evening light floods over my models face, casting a warm glow.

Because the sun was low in the sky, there were no big and nasty shadows beneath the chin either. I like this photo but there are better angles to shoot the light from.