I Love Mondays | Week 3

This week I'd like to do things a little differently.

The origins of the word 'photography' is a combination of two latin words:
 foto meaning light; and
 grafis meaning drawing/writing.
So essentially photography is drawing with light.
Photography is all.about.light!

Week 3 | Light

But I am going to ask that you be a little less literal this week (so not looking for images of torches or lamps or the likes) but I want a photo that is taken because of the light source.

Just like light can create a mood in real life, so it does in photos.
It can create drama.
It can create softness.
It creates depth.
It creates interest.

Whatever your first instinct with this is, scrap it.
I want you to really think creatively this week.
Think outside the box.

And if this is all sounding too hard and you're thinking you might just skip this week...please don't.
If you do this week's theme I promise you it will help you to see light, and subsequently photograph it, differently.
For the better.
For awesome images.
Ultimately, every weeks photo should be taken because of great light - but this is week it is our sole focus.

You don't need to know this only if you want to become a professional - even for personal photos or snapshots this will make a world of difference to your images.

Find a light source, or create your own if you must.  But take a photo where it's all about the light.
Put your subject/object IN the light.
Move them if you need to.

This doesn't have be taken indoors at all.  There is amazing light EVERYWHERE!

And if you can't take a photo in good light - don't take the photo!

Move your feet.  Take different angles so you can see how where the light is falling and how you are positioned changes.  How you can change a good photo into a great photo just by repositioning yourself.

What I'd like you to try, as a little side-project for the week, is to find a light source and take photos of something/someone in it but move all around them so you can see the difference in the light.
If you feel up to sharing, create an album in the group and share your photos and thought process :-)
Here's an example of one I took with my little muse yesterday.
They certainly aren't the world's best photos, but you can really see how the light changes the mood and effect of each angle.
These are all SOOC (straight out of camera...so no editing)....well, except the BW conversion!
She didn't move at all.
I did!
And as you can see from the pull back shot - it's taken in a rather messy shed!
It's not about the location, the light is the boss :-)

The messy shed!                                                                                                              Back light - not working here!

Hard side light.

 Moving slightly around and it's softer side light!                                                       See how the crop works much nicer here....the background is distracting and unnecessary.

Much flatter lighting.

And gorgeous rim lighting (always looks striking in black & white!).

In all this remember some of the basic composition rules for taking aesthetically pleasing photos.  This is an easy to follow guide on the top 10 composition rules....it's worth the read!
http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/10-top-photography-composition-rules

You can join in this project at any time....if you are just joining in now, welcome!  You can read the original blog post here - together we will be creating an amazing book for everyone to enjoy :-)  A few more details about the project are here - and all the conditions are listed under the file tab on the facebook group.  Would love to have you all along for the journey :-)