What is photography? Light is the basis of all your photographic experience, Without light, we are all left in the dark, no photography.
The challenge is to control the light and there lies the magic of photography.
Light can do more than make an image on film or a senor; it can emphasise, subdue or alter moods.
It can help you say many things about your subject.
Your colour photography experience is a delicate relationship between the colours of subjects, colour quality of light and the source of colour is light which varies throughout the photographic day.
The photographic day starts with dawn which is considered to be one of the most photographic times of the day.
Landscape and travel fair particularly well.
This is followed by mid morning that tends to give us a crisper neutral feel to the sunlight where shadows are shorter.
While midday light is harsh and very intense, expect on cloudy days.
Midday intense sunlight can produce high contrast between bright areas and shadows and can be an effective composition technique.
However, be very careful when metering these scenes to get the right exposure.
Late afternoon brings a beautiful warm glow to the sunlight as the sun sets.
Depending on your particular style of photographic shooting a different times during the photographic day will help enhance your compositions.
Light is constantly changing and the direction of light has a great effect on colour so timing can be crucial.
One of the earliest rules learnt is to keep the sun behind you.
However, making use of the sun from different angles can produce dramatic silhouettes and interesting shadows.
Beware of flair if you point towards the sun and always protect your eyes.
Flair can be reduced if you use a lens hood.
Early in the morning and late in the afternoon, the sun is quite low in the sky and this can produce long raking shadows again ideal for landscapes and bringing out textiles and shapes.
Apart form the photographic day, seasons will have a different feel as the quality of natural light varies.
During the winter months the sun is never directly overhead so shadows stay long and the light is never as harsh.
The colours are predominately rich autumnal reds and oranges.
While in the summer you can get bright contrasts, short shadows and rich blues and greens.
So, to understand what is photography? Learn to see light in terms of tonal values and how the colours in the natural world work together with light to paint an every changing canvas during the photographic day.