It is called "sweet light", that light that comes right after dawn and just before sunset. It is warm and low in the sky, throwing long shadows and sculpting the beauty before you. Make the best of it and shoot on until it is all gone, because such a gift should not be wasted!

Waxing a lttle poetic I know, but it is hard not to when talking about that magical time for photographers and models.

A lot of photo sessions are scheduled early in the morning and late in the afternoon to take advantage of that light. Professional models know that sleeping in is not an option when on a location shoot as long as the weather is good.

This is not to say that good photos cannot be taken at any time of day, because they can be, if you adapt to the conditions. After 10 AM and before 4 PM the natural light on a clear sunny day is cold and harsh. Highlights can be blown out and shadows are ugly. This situation can be modified with screens to filter and diffuse the sunlight and with reflectors to soften the shadows. This however, calls for a larger crew than if you waited for the sweet light.

Swim suit photos can be made to work during the middle of the day because the harder light seems to be more acceptable for that type of scenario. For more romantic photos we tend to wait for the light! If you can find shade with a suitable background head for it. A silver or gold reflector can be used as the main source of light bouncing the daylight to illuminate the model while a white reflector can be used on the opposite side to provide a soft fill.

If you are lucky enough to catch a light overcast sky, you can shoot all day long.The light will be soft, the shadows mild and shooting will be fast and easy. You'll only need to concentrate on the background, pose and expression. As dusk approaches the light will still become warmer even if there are no shadows to deal with and the sweet light will be there.

Shooting glamour outdoors has a lot of advantages. Everybody looks good when surrounded by nature. You don't have to build any sets or set up strobes and softboxes or any of that stuff. If the light is good everybody will be happy!

You will notice that if a photographer has one or two assistants, he will tend to use reflectors and screens to control the outdoor lighting. But if he is working alone he may prefer fill flash to get good exposure. This is probably not as good as working with the other light modifiers but it is a lot better than nothing at all.

In order to use fill flash effectively the shooter has to be careful that the flash does not overpower the ambient light. It is important to capture the natural tone of light but soften the shadows, keeping exposures within the dynamic range of the sensor or film.

Most photographers consider a hand held light meter a must for working outdoors. There are too many variables and only a good calibrated hand held meter can be trusted under those circumstances.

So get out of bed and get out there, if you can convince your model, and get those sweet light photos.

Till next time!

Good shooting,

Len

www.sweetlightphotomastery.com