One of the biggest mistakes in landscape photography is thinking that the best light is only around sunset or sunrise. You can also get the best light you’ve ever seen in your life around noon. Here’s what you have to consider.
After rainy days in Slovenia, I decided to drive down to Italian Tuscany. It also rained there the day before, which increased my chances of getting good landscape shots with the best light during the day.
I came to Tuscany, I wanted to start my photography at one of my favorite photography locations, Gladiator’s Alley in Pienza. Over the years, I have learned to use my camera not only to take various snapshots, but also as a tool for exposure after I have thought deeply about composition. This is why I decided to explore my expected sunset location at noon to prepare for an excellent composition for the evening. The rain of the previous days created a lot of lonely clouds, so I decided to bring it Sony A6500 camera with me. You know, in case there’s a sort of “emergency camera” if the lighting is going to be great.
I was writing a vlog and at that moment as I was explaining the importance of light to my audience, I saw clouds rolling towards the scene I wanted to capture. I just threw down my vlog camera, grabbed the emergency camera to take a picture, framed the composition and shot. It was already one and a half hours and the light was outstanding. A few minutes later, everything looked flat and dull. What happened?
Light quality
It is a big mistake to think that the quality of light in landscape photography is provided only through the sun as low as is the case with sunrise or sunset. However, this will result in more oranges and reds in the light spectrum, as the blue is scattered in the atmosphere. And this really leaves the landscape in a mesmerizing color, but there are other criteria that determine the quality of the light. The most important thing in my experience is contrast. And this is what creates the first image above.
I simply used the gaps between the shadows as highlights to illuminate parts of the composition that added to my flow. The illuminated grassland at the bottom left is quite important. It has a high visual weight and captures the viewer’s attention. This only works because the back area is darkened. Here’s how contrast is determined: the difference between highlights and shadows. Since the thicker cypress trees on the bottom right are quite dark, they also draw the viewer’s eye to that area, and the bright spot on the left side of the middle grassland aids visibility along the path, back farm. I see the clouds forming this formation and only wait a few seconds to get the entire grassland in the left foreground in the dark, but the bushes in the foreground are still illuminated, to get necessary contrast to create this wonderful sense of depth. The light is wonderful. It couldn’t even be better, especially for this ingredient.
Light as a component of your composition
I was happy with the first photo I took around noon and I knew it would be difficult to get better lighting for that scene. But I was planning to go back there in the evening with Sony a7R IV Anyway, as I know one important thing: light alone is not enough. You also need to finalize the composition.
Honestly, I’m lucky I started thinking about a rough composition before the midday cloud hit, so I did a little bit of preparation to get a strong composition, but I’m sure I’m sure I’ll get an even better layout. component when I try again later. Even so, I think I finished the composition by noon, but I’m sure the same composition wouldn’t be suitable for a sunset. Why?
The light in the midday shot doesn’t build texture in the landscape, created by a lower light source from the side. The sun is high and the texture of the grassland looks flat. The only reason it didn’t look flat overall was that the contrast of the cloud shadows created interesting textures. But they also lead to a very specific visual weight. For the first photo, it all boils down to balancing the three highlights in the bottom left, in the meadow in the middle left, and right next to the farmhouse.
In the evening, the darkness does not penetrate the clouds, but through the hills of the landscape and through the bushes and trees. This results in a completely different look of the entire scene. The left side of the hill appeared with deep shadows drawing in with the distant mountain to a greater visual weight on the left side of the frame. This is why I decided to include more of the right part of the illuminated grassland in my frame for the evening shot, to get a nicely balanced shot. Lighting changes everything, not only the mood but also the visual weight in the composition.
Great light doesn’t just appear at dawn or dusk. You can use a thinner layer of clouds to cast shadows over your landscape for great contrast and, in the best case, aid in the flow of your composition.
To enjoy the whole adventure and for more tips on landscape photography, check out the video mentioned above. And don’t hesitate to leave us a comment below about how you experienced the most amazing light you’ve ever seen in your life. What’s the best photo you’ve taken that wasn’t in both golden hours? Share it in the comments section below.
