Basic Photo Tip: Light

Light is the most basic element in photography. In fact, the word photography comes from two Greek words meaning light and writing, so it literally means writing with light. The amount of light, its intensity, and its direction can make or break a photo more than anything else, except for maybe focus.

Natural light usually provides the most pleasing, natural-looking shots. This includes direct lighting, straight from the sun, and ambient light. Ambient light is light reflected off of or shining through objects. Examples of this are light reflecting off of a wall, shiny surface, or through thin curtains. Without ambient light, objects in shadow would be completely black.

Sometimes, however, there isn’t enough natural and ambient light to take a photo. That’s when a flash comes in. The camera’s flash creates enough light to take a photo, but it usually doesn’t have much range.

Getting the exposure right for the given amount of light is critical. It can make or break a photo. For more information on exposure, see the lesson on exposure and shutter speed.