P | P4 | EX1: Daylight
- Amber Houbara
- Nov 12, 2024
- 4 min read
Taking the photography of Mann, Atget or Schmidt or a photographer of your own choosing as your starting point, shoot a number of photographs exploring the quality of natural light. The exercise should be done in manual mode and the important thing is to observe the light, not just photograph it. In your learning log, and using the descriptions above as your starting point, try to describe the quality of the light in your photographs in own words.
Research
I read the interview with Sally Mann on American Suburbx, I really liked the way she was describing hoe the light was bringing a mysterious effect to the scenery.
"From the moment I passed into Mississippi, my time became ecstatic. A radiance coalesces about the landscape, rich in possibility, supercharged with something electric. Time slows down. Time becomes ecstatic… I broke through into that dimension of revelation and ecstasy that eludes historical time."
"Because of this unique sensation of suspended time, of eluding historical time, Mann’s southern excursion into the Mississippi Delta afforded the opportunity to study and photograph in sharply defined geographical miniature the particular history and culture of the Deep South. Furthermore, in Deep South (1998), Mann’s landscape series that includes the Mississippi images, the landscape becomes uniquely held by a photograph which is itself a practice of time travel. Through the photographic image the past is brought into the present with a promise of existing into the future."
I feel like the trees seem like they are floating in fog and it brings such a mysterious element to this series.
On my previous research about shadows on part 3, I came across a video which showed how images without shadows can be actually a bit 'boring' or just plain. I feel like Michael Schmidt's photography is nice but I don't feel like starring at his work as if it was something very special to me (that's just my own opinion).
However, I did like what he said about the selection process -
The charm, but also the danger, and the great responsibility of the photographer lies in the selection. Selection in documentary photography can only be successful when the viewer recognizes the credibility of the image with regard to the authenticity of its contents. It is essential that the document should never be in doubt, either in our own or in later generations.
I really liked Eugène Atget work, I found it very pleasing.
I also don't mind photographs which are taken in mid day, I think everything is beautiful and can be captured beautifully.
Tacita Dean The Green Ray
I actually didn't know what Green Ray means, so I checked the video on Vimeo Tacita Dean’s short film on the ‘green ray’.
I loved Tacita Dean's storytelling in words and visuals, so I researched her a bit further.
I researched a few inspiting videos on YouTube
As I really liked his other tutorials in the previous past, I checked Frederik Trovatten's video about daylight. How To Use Natural Light As A Photographer.
This video led me to another interesting video - 8 Natural Lighting Tips From National Geographic Photographer Bob Holmes.
I really love Bob Holmes Photography, I also liked his approach as he's traveling and photographing, so he has to use whatever light available. I feel this is very relational to my photography so far, as it is mainly around my travels and I have shot always in any hour of the day, taking advantage of whatever was in front of me.
I also took a few SkillShare courses to enrich my knowledge:
I wanted to take photos in different times of the day with different sun lights.
I took a few photos at the end of sunrise (about 6am), few at about 8-9am, few at 4pm and few at sunset.
End of Sunrise 6am
I liked using the back light with the soft end of sunrise hour light, I liked how it highlights the grass.
8-9am
I was looking at how the sun brings the beautiful colours of the ocean and plants, and shadows are falling creating some contrast.
4pm
I tried shooting into the sun and creating siluettes and also working with textures and shadows taking advantage of the harsh sunlight in roughly middle of the day, when photographers usually avoid shooting.
6pm
I absolutley love the golden hour, it always inspires me to take a lot of photos as everything is so pretty and bathing in golden light.
From all my research and learning online courses I wanted to shoot into the sun and see what I can do with it, I also love when the sun paints the water with glitter on the waves or patches of moving water. I always finds it so pleasing and mesmerising.
There was a moment which I am so glad I caught which there was a little golden reflection of the sun inside a rock pool and it was so pretty. The back light of the sun against some grass same like in the morning highlighted them with such a beautiful golden halo.
I was down at the beach with some friends so I was also playing with their silhouette shooting into the sun and seeing how the sun drops a beautiful golden highlight around their silhouette.
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