Photography, Travel

The Importance of Good Light

4 Comments
Another copy of the same photo used in the monthly wallpaper and my printed calendar.
Another copy of the same photo used in the monthly wallpaper and my printed calendar.

I have received a number of compliments on the photo from my last post and for the same photo that is on this month’s print calendar.  This truly is a wonderful photograph, one of my all-time favorites.  This is a location I have visited a number of times, at different times of the year and in varying conditions.  The particular evening that I made the photograph that became this month’s calendar, I had exceptionally nice light.  It only lasted for a few moments, but that light, combined with very still water, made for just the right conditions.

The same location in really good, but not spectacular, light.
The same location in really good, but not spectacular, light.

I remembered a similar photograph that I had taken at this same location several years earlier, and went back and pulled it up.  While nice in it’s own way, it was a more cloudy afternoon and the light is much more subdued.  The lighting was much more subdued, which is what I would typically favor for a lot of the photography I do.  It is still a very nice photograph, but not on the same level as the later one.

Another photo taken the same evening as the first one. A little more water movement, but similar light.
Another photo taken the same evening as the first one. A little more water movement, but similar light.

It is a good example of why we return often to a familiar location.  Because you just don’t know what conditions you might encounter.

4 thoughts on “The Importance of Good Light”

  1. Oh yes, having the possibility to re-visit a place gives a lot of options to refine what has been identified as a scenery with high potential. From the three images that you show here, the selected one certainly offers the most serene mood, perfectly suitable for a calendar. But especially the 2nd image gives a lot food for the eyes – it maybe needs more pointed light – yet for a calendar it’s probably too “active” for lack of a better word.

    1. Thanks, Marcus! That’s the great thing about visiting a place over and over – you get to experience different conditions, some better, some not.

  3. Yes, indeed. The light can make a huge difference, as we all know. I think that I’m more drawn to the third photo because I like the ripples in the water as well as the stern of boat – it’s wider, more to look at, but then again, I’ve always been fond of rear ends. 😉

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