Hello there my lovely readers, hope you are doing well. In this article, I will explain what is natural light in photography and how you can use it in macro.
Many photographers choose to shoot their photos in a studio because it is more convenient. They don’t have to travel to a certain place with all of the equipment to shoot a specific flower, for instance.
They just clip the flower, put some artificial light on it, and do their job. Personally, I like to go outdoors to shoot my subjects. It is more likely to get a natural look at the subjects.
What is natural light in photography?
Natural light refers to outdoor light. Where everything is illuminated by the sun. But, the light from the sun varies with the time of day.
In macro photography, if you shoot a flower on a sunny day when it provides full illumination, it will end up overexposed. It is better to shoot near dusk when the sun goes down or adjust the ISO and shutter speed for a more natural look.
Many photographers of all genres prefer the golden hour because it provides warm colors to the photographs.
The golden hour occurs one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset.
How to use natural light in macro photography?
Like I said before first of all, you have to adjust the shutter speed and aperture to help you get the right exposure.
Aperture is the size of the opening in the lens which lets a certain amount of light. It is measured in f-stops. The higher the number the narrower the aperture is, meaning that less light comes through the lens. And lower numbers mean wider aperture which creates a blurry background putting emphasis on your subject.
And shutter speed refers to the amount of time the shutter of the camera stays open to let the light into the sensor. The slower the shutter the higher the blur in the image. And faster shutter freezes the motion so you can capture a clear image.
Now that we adjusted the settings, let’s see what equipment we need to properly shoot our subjects.
– First of all, we need a DSLR camera to take the pictures. Of course, you can shoot macro with a phone or a point-and-shoot camera. But a DSLR has more options like changing lenses and several camera settings. Below is a review article on the best cameras.
– Second, you will need a tripod to support the camera. It will ensure that your photos don’t come out blurry or smudged. For macro, you will need a flexible leg tripod so you shoot subjects on low ground. Read the article below for more info about tripods.
– And third, you will need a reflector. This will help you to reflect the light in another direction when needed so you don’t end up with an overexposed image.
If you have your subjects indoors make sure you face them toward the window for better illumination.
Bottom line
So natural light is much better than artificial light. It gives your subjects a look at the way they do in real life. And also doesn’t require a lot of learning and expensive equipment to take professional photos in natural light.
Choose your best hour during the day to fulfill your desires.
Any questions you have please don’t hesitate to drop them below and I will be more than happy to help you. Be safe and take care.
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