i upgraded my camera and bought my first "glass" lens this past winter because i had out grown my other dslr. i wanted to take my photography skills to the next level so that i could continue to improve the quality and style of my photography. the results have been amazing and i have been having loads of fun playing with the new aperture, iso and shutter speed abilities of my canon 7d and 35mm 1.4 L lens. however i have also become more convinced that i do not know enough about light - the kind of knowledge that is really going to make me a great photographer. many times i simply get lucky but every once in while i find myself in not so great lighting conditions that result in less then my ideal results.. and i am better than this!!!
two of my biggest lighting challenges usually are direct full sun (too much light), and indoor low light settings (not enough light)!!! my job is very easy when the sky is overcast or the room i am photographing in is full of windows that diffuse harsh sunlight. but how do i create good lighting conditions when i my ideal is not reality??
this past week i spent a many hours watching tutorials on youtube, reading articles and reserching lighting equipment in an effort to find solutions for my lighting dilemmas... i have committed myself to learning everything i can about light - how to see it, bounce it, reflect, diffuse it... and most of all how to create it. great photographers are masters at creating light and making it look natural! i now have a list of items needed for my starter light kit and will be saving up to acquire these goods in the next month or so (who knew that being a photographer would also include something i love to do - shop!).
my biggest goal as a light seeker is to make the lighting look as natural as possible because i always always want the subject of my photographs to be the people not the techniques i used to achieve that photograph!
one of the things i also did this week to get my mind into lighting was get together with my friend genevieve who is also a photographer, and who will be working as a photojournalist this summer for st. stephen's university study abroad trip to europe. as we walked around town we talked about the different lighting condition she may encounter while roaming the streets of paris or venice or rome, or while photographing students inside cathedrals and the pantheon, and etc. all similar lighting conditions that i might encounter when photographing weddings in backyards or old churches. it was great to stop on the street corner and look to see when the light was hitting and what shadows were being cast. just from that one walk i was encouraged about my newly acquired abilities as a light seeker! ah... i can't wait for more opportunities to get it right with light!!
here are a few photos from our walk together!
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