{Light and Color} Taking Pictures Without A Flash

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{Winter Frost} by Tonia @TheGunnySack
February 4, 2012 at 9:20 am with heavy fog

To start off my series of photography tips, I want to talk about light. Because to me, it is the most important element when taking pictures. It is more important than the subject or even what kind of camera you have.

Photography literally means “drawing with light”

Different kinds of light sources will give your pictures completely different looks. You can use various kinds of light to get a “certain look” that you want. I have a vintage sewing machine that I am going to take several pictures of without using my flash or adding additional lighting so you can see the differences. Let’s say that for these pictures, I am trying to get a good photo of the sewing machine that I could use to list it on Etsy.

You’ve probably heard that you should take pictures next to a window so that you can use natural sunlight as your light source. This picture was taken on a table with direct sunlight through a window. It was taken at 9:18 am and the sun had risen at 7:27 am. But the picture doesn’t look so great, does it? Direct sunlight on a subject is harsh light where there are bright highlights and dark shadows. The bottom part of the sewing machine is completely “blown out” meaning there is too much light on it. Yet, other parts of the sewing machine are black with shadow.

I turned the sewing machine so that the sunlight is coming directly from the right. Now you can see most parts of the sewing machine ~ they aren’t too white or too black. But there are major shadows and the light isn’t even or soft across the sewing machine.

Indirect Lighting means “Illumination by reflected or diffused light.”

In these pictures, I moved a chair so that the sunlight is not shining directly on the sewing machine but rather it is being diffused by the sheer curtains. The chair and the sewing machine are turned at an angle to the window. You can see on the lower right corner of the black tag board where the direct sunlight ends. Photographers will often place subjects in the shade but just outside of the direct sunlight so that the subject still has plenty of light. Out of the pictures shown in this post, this is the picture I would choose to use in my Etsy listing.

Next, I moved into a room with 100-watt light bulbs. I took the picture on the left with the same white balance setting as I used for the indirect light picture above. Look at the color of the picture. It has an orange tint to it. In the picture on the left, I manually adjusted the white balance on my camera to include more blue. If you have a point and shoot camera, you might have a setting specifically for this that looks like a light bulb. I’m not going to go into white balance right now but will save that for a different day. But you can see how you have to be aware of the kind of lighting in the room where you are taking the picture because it can affect not only how much light is on the subject but what tint the picture will be.

These pictures were taken outside in direct evening light. I took them at 4:37 pm and the sun set at 5:34 pm so this is during the “Golden Hour”. The golden hour for photographers is typically the first and last hours of sunlight in a day. The light is usually softer with a warmer glow and the shadows are longer. Some photographers will only shoot during these hours but for me that isn’t possible. Now, I wouldn’t say this picture is golden or spectacular but it is a pretty good picture of the sewing machine.

I made this chart, not to make your brain hurt, but to give you an idea of how the color of light changes based on the light source. I compiled this chart from a few different sources and I understand that they might not perfectly match your Kelvin Scale. Again, here is my disclaimer…I am not a professional photographer. I just want to share some of the things I’ve learned that have helped me when taking pictures.

So, turn off that flash, pick a subject and try moving it to various places and see what happens to your pictures!

If you want to see what camera I use, you can check out my So You Think You’re A Photographer Because You Own A DSLR post.

Sharing this at some of these sites.

Due to stolen content, I have found it necessary to only show a snippet of my blog posts in my feed. Thank you for understanding that I want to keep the content I work hard to create on my website where it is originally published: thegunnysack.com

Comments

Anne @ Domesblissity says
February 11, 2012 at 11:20 am
You’re such a clever thing Tonia! This explains a lot. I’ve got a DSLR camera and have never really known how to get the most out of it. I’m going to take your advice and have a play with my camera. I’m looking forward to hearing more photographic advice from you Tonia. All your photos are always perfect.
Anne xx
{Adventuresindinner} says
February 10, 2012 at 3:37 pm
This is an awesome tutorial! I love when you do these spots.
I’ve just gotten my best friend (a natural light photographer) to agree to run a monthly photography class on my blog. She’s set up a flickr group and will be helping everyone out with their pictures.
So very hoping you can join. Our first one is on the 21st.
Lindsay says
February 10, 2012 at 1:57 am
Oh, this is great! You have a lot of knowledge with this, you’ve definitely got to do more of these posts, it helps the rest of us out. 🙂 Thanks friend, I know it helps me a lot!
2busy says
February 9, 2012 at 7:48 pm
Thank you for these tutorials! I would really like to become a better photographer and can use all the help I can get.
Cameron Meerdink says
February 9, 2012 at 7:18 pm
Thanks for all the great tips! I recently discovered the P setting on my Canon and now I almost never use my flash – just adjust settings for the light source! I think my pictures have improved for it!
Jennifer @ Delightfully Noted says
February 9, 2012 at 6:40 pm
Great tips! I couldn’t agree more about using natural sunlight and turning off the flash. I have a window seat that sits slightly below a large window in our living room so there is LOTS of natural light but bc the bench is below the window my items aren’t washed out in direct light. I find that is what works best for me!
I can relate with Mary above! I hate this time of the year bc it is dark by time I get home from work. So all my photographing for my shop and blog have to wait till weekends. It’s a bummer although I have been known to set up photo shoots in my car at lunch in parking lots…LOL
Mary Sullivan Frasier says
February 9, 2012 at 6:32 pm
Hi, Tonia
I have an older Kodak Z740 that works surprisingly well for a point & shoot. (Hubby’s the one with a DSLR) Right now, I’m just flying by the seat of my pants in auto mode, but I’m trying to learn more about taking better photos of the food I post on my blog.
At this time of the year, it’s already dark by the time I’m ready to plate the food and photograph it. To be safe, I usually take several shots, with and without the flash and from different angles and then pick the one that looks best to me. (Thank God for digital cameras… Delete!)
I’m definitely going to try out the tips you’ve given and see what happens. Thanks so much for sharing this!

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