If you are interested in nature photography, you will know how important natural light is. If you have read anything about this photographic style, you will have come across suggestions that you must take pictures when the light is soft and low, which is early morning or late afternoon, and on a sunny day. You may have seen this so often, in fact, that you believe your opportunity to take pictures is ruined the minute there is a cloud in the sky. However, photographers like Allen R Hartman want people to know that there are still plenty of opportunities, even if there is no sunlight. It is about making the best of what you’ve got. They cite a few specific types of photography that you could consider.
1. Rainforest Photography
This may not be possible for everybody, but any forest will do. Forests, even on a sunny day, have patches of sunlight coming into them, so you need to learn to take shots without relying on the sun. In fact, you will find that it is easier to take pictures on a cloudy day, when the sun doesn’t shine between every leaf and branch. You can also try out new concepts using the same subject using different lenses. You can rent Super Baltar lenses to create surreal photos.
2. Wildlife Photography
If you want to shoot wildlife, which includes people or pets, you will quickly find that the bright light of the sun can cause issues. The shadows can be so heavy that it gets really hard to find the right exposure. Not just that, the subject’s face can end up covered in shadow. Last but not least, the sun hurts the eyes, which means your subject is likely to be turned away from the sun anyway. It is certainly true that a bright day makes for the best wildlife photographs, but don’t despair too much if there are clouds, or the sun has started to go down. There are plenty of opportunities for you to create something beautiful using other props.
Photography is an art, and artists develop their own style and follow their own set of rules. While some rules are here because everybody agrees on the, others are clearly there to be broken. The rule that beautiful photography can only work if it is sunny is one such rule. If it wasn’t, then no beautiful pictures could ever be taken in Ireland, for example.
You need to feel confident about picking up your camera, going out, and shooting anything that catches your eye. The worst thing that could happen is for the picture to not look as good as what you would have hoped, but all that is, is an opportunity to learn more. Experiment with different lenses, different filters, different macros, and different settings. You have to find your own personal style, after all, not one that has been done a million times before. Other photographers are there for you to be inspired by, not for you to want to copy them. After all, if you were only able to copy images, you wouldn’t be much of an artist.