Improve Your Photography

To help you understand light, find a subject that is close to your home, something that you find interesting to photograph that is easily accessible to you. Photograph that subject at various times of day under different lighting conditions and analyze the results. How does it look when it is photographed with frontlight as opposed to soft diffused light? Or does it look best with sidelight? This is a project you can keep doing throughout the year to see how the light changes over seasons.

The images below show my results photographing the Legislative buildings in Victoria, British Columbia, during various types of light. You may like some of these better than others. The point is to understand how the light affects your subject.

To continually improve your photography, become a student of light. Even when you do not have your camera, be aware of the type of light in your surroundings and how the light changes. Take notice when sun changes to shade or, even better, when shade turns to sun.

With a heightened awareness of light, not only can you seek out the best quality of light for your subject, but you can decide what subject to shoot based on the quality of light that is present.

The next time you go out to photograph, instead of looking for subjects, look for light. Let the light that is available to you tell you what kind of photograph to make.

I would love to hear from you! See my contact details on the next page and let me know how the techniques in this eBook worked for you. I hope you join me on my blog where I discuss photography and share my travel stories and images.