It is morning and not yet light. The world around me is quiet. My hair is wet from the shower, my daughter Sarah is downstairs on the treadmill … running. Waking in the morning, I have found to be quite a pleasure this year. The quiet before the sun rolls over the horizon is a different kind of quiet. There is, also, a different kind of light.
When a photographer uses light in a photograph, a natural photograph in natural light, there are different kinds. The two I mainly think about are morning light and late afternoon light, which is often referred to as the golden hour. I have been awake, some, for the morning light. It is said to add a bluish tint to images. The one I have used most is the golden. Golden light adds an orange element. It is also warmer, most of the year, in late afternoon and I admit that has been an encouraging factor. It has come most naturally for me.
In the golden hour of late afternoon, when you are taking your kids to the park or you are outside contributing to your day, look around you. Notice the light. Notice when it gets dark. And the next day, go back in time two hours and start watching the light. Notice that you can tell time of day by where the sun is positioned in the sky. Consider not wearing a watch.
There are many things to learn about photography. I will pass along, in my blog, the things I have learned over my lifetime. I took my first portrait, in natural light, in Hawaii when I was in kindergarten. I was 5. I still have that image. My doll was on a wooden chair, with natural vegetation in the background. There was much inside me and there has been much to learn. Learn about light. It is here for you to see.
Live today,
c.s.
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