“Glowing is her Bonnet,” ~ Emily Dickinson
Lensbaby Velvet 85
Atlanta Botanical Gardens
April, 2018
I'm learning to work with natural light.
Whatever light is available.
Even super bright light.
Photographers are told to avoid harsh, direct, mid-day lighting.
It creates lines and shadows you don't want. Highlights are blown out and colors bleach.
Lensbaby Velvet 85
Atlanta Botanical Gardens
April, 2018
Does that mean we MUST hide inside, the day full to bursting with color and life beyond our windows?
Do we HAVE to invest in diffusers and other ways artificially adjust the reality of what the "hottest" part of a day's light can do to our sensors or film?
Lensbaby Velvet 85
Atlanta Botanical Gardens
April, 2018
I choose not to. I hunt for the special glow mid-day and its harsher hours bring.
Consider these options (each which helped to successfully compose one or more of the images in this post):
Sensitive to your environment, search out natural shade with brighter light beyond--offering interesting foreground, middle ground, and background contrast. The focus stack of the above bed of iris is a great example.
Find indoor/outdoor options, like these exotic orchids shot in the the garden's solaria with bright natural light streaming down from above, through clear windows.
Lensbaby Velvet 85
Atlanta Botanical Gardens
April, 2018
Work with deeper hues that absorb/bounce light more successfully.
The color of these orchids held up beautifully to the over-bright lighting that would have leached saturation from something less vivid.
The result is more abstract than literal.
I always have a blast exercising those muscles.
Lensbaby Velvet 85
Atlanta Botanical Gardens
April, 2018
Work with back lighting (or through lighting), as I did with this fun image, where line and curve and glow and exaggerated, and shadowy hues are the goal.
Also a more abstract, less realistic effect.
But this is perhaps my favorite from the day.
Basically, find ways to work with the light available to you. With your camera. With your lens.
Don't hide or worry that it won't work because of conditions.
Practice working WITH your conditions.
After all, practicing is the fun part, right?!