Shooting into the light can transform flat, formless landscapes into something much more strikingAs with any photographic technique there are certain factors to consider, the first and foremost of which is health and safety. No, you don’t need a high-visibility jacket and hard hat to shoot into the light, but you should avoid looking into the sun with a medium-to-long lens for any prolonged period of time, since this can damage your eyesight.So, do you need any particular or specialist camera kit to shoot into the light? Well, yes and no. You only need a camera and anything from a wide-to-long lens, depending on your subject matter.Quality lenses are a must, as you will often be pointing your lens straight into the sun, or at least the main and brightest light source.
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Flare and ghosting (non-image forming light) will be your enemy, so modern lenses designed for the digital era with flare-resistant coatings, such as Nikon’s Nano Crystal Coating, will certainly help with image quality. Quality lenses are a must to avoid the risk of flare and ghostingUsing prime lenses rather than zooms will also help reduce the chance of flare, because the optical construction tends to be less complicated with fewer or simpler groupings of elements. From a purely aesthetic point of view, lenses with a nine-bladed diaphragm seem to create a better, cleaner, sharper ‘ping’ or starburst when shooting into the sun, which can be a useful effect. The more you stop down, the better the ‘ping’, but be aware of diffraction at smaller apertures.
Try stopping down your lens to enhance the starburst effect from the sun MeteringContre-jour can be a tricky technique to meter and master, and takes some practice, but the results can be well worth the effort and are highly rewarding.Try taking light readings with a multi-pattern metering mode like Nikon’s Matrix metering, rather than spot metering, as it will be a little more forgiving. The real key is to meter with the sun or main light source not directly in the field of view, in order to retain detail in the subject matter.Simply compose your image and then turn the camera away, so the sun or main light source is just outside the main field of view. Then meter, recompose and shoot, and you should then only need to apply minor adjustments – if any. Of course, this is much easier if you are using a tripod and I strongly recommend that you do. If you are aiming for a pure silhouette and do not want detail in the shadows, meter for the brightest part of the scene.With modern DSLRs having such a huge dynamic range and the ability to retain shadow and highlight detail, even in extreme conditions, you will soon be able to get the hang of what type of subject, light or effect does and does not work. Modern DSLRs have such a huge dynamic range that you can easily retain detailWhen shooting into the light you have to consider the subject matter as well as the technique. Landscapes, architecture or even people shots can be successful, provided the combination of subject, light and composition work together.
The most important of these (as with many subjects) is the light: its quality, colour, strength and direction.When talking about shooting ‘into the light’, it is very easy to imagine shots backlit by bright contrasty sunshine that cast long shadows. Certainly, this kind of strong directional light can be moody and dramatic, but soft sunlight through mist, fog or clouds should not be dismissed. Techniques to tryIf you are photographing a landscape, there are two main techniques to try when shooting into the light.The first is to shoot pre-sunrise or post-sunset when the sun is below the horizon and the light can be soft and colourful with little contrast, especially if there is a clear sky. Think of misty mornings, lakes or coastal images. In this lighting situation a neutral density graduated filter is advisable to help balance the exposure from foreground to sky. Even once the sun has dropped below the horizon, there’s plenty of colourThe second technique, which is applicable at sunrise, sunset or even when the sun is getting quite high in the sky, is to try to hide the sun, or at least part of it, behind a structure, a tree or even a person.If you hide part of the sun you can shoot directly into it and minimise the risk of flare and get a perfect starburst effect.
If shooting woodland, you will also backlight the leaves and still have an illuminated foreground.The amount of shadow detail will depend on the density of the foliage. If you hide the sun just enough you can meter for this kind of scene with the sun still in the image, without it affecting the end result. With a little trial and error this will help you achieve excellent results.Another simple but useful technique for contre-jour is to use silhouettes to convey a strong sense of graphic shape and form. Try thisUsing a neutral density graduated filter is common practice for balancing the exposure from foreground to sky, especially in a big landscape.
If you are shooting directly into the sun there is no reason why the same technique will not work. Meter for the foreground and then use the grad to balance the sky. However, if you are shooting into the light you will often find that instead of a 2 or 3-stop grad, you will be combining filters and shooting with up to 5 stops of graduation. The only downside to this technique is that you may find the upper corners of your image becoming alittle too dark.
One that didn’t work or did it?Shooting into the light can be tricky, with metering, composition and flare all causing problems. Flare can be an issue, especially if you shoot straight into the sun, and it is usually something to avoid. Sometimes, however, flare can add interest to an image. While shooting in Death Valley in the USA (above), I managed to get flare across the image from the rising sun.I didn’t know at the time as I was using a panoramic camera and there was no way of reviewing the image as I was shooting. Ask yourself whether the flare intrudes into the picture, or does it add a sense of oppressive heat and mood to the shot?
Jeremy’s top five tips Look for lines and shapesFind strong, bold lines and shapes that convey a story. Meter for the highlights and let the shadows go really dark. If the sun isn’t quite strong enough a little post-production prodding will help – increase the contrast and push the blacks slider along a little. Shoot in the golden hourShoot into the light about 20 minutes before dawn or after the sun has set. These are optimum times when the light can be colourful but contrast is very low, revealing plenty of subtle detail.
Choose the right conditions and your image will never be flat and dull. Reduce flaring effectsPartially hide the sun behind your subject to reduce flare. By stopping down to f/11 and beyond you’ll create a ‘ping’ or starburst (also with starburst software but a nine-bladed diaphragm prime lens produces better results). Note that stopping down increases diffraction. High angles, high contrastIf you have a high-angle viewpoint down onto water and the sun is creating a strong highlight, meter for the highlight and even slightly underexpose it. The shadows and blacks will go really deep and dark to create a high-contrast monochrome effect. Work with weatherMist or fog will soften the effects of direct sunlight, or even hide the sun.
Find a ‘see-through’ subject with simple shape and form, and use the mist. Meter for the brightest part of the image. Most modern cameras’ dynamic range will create shadow detail anyway. Kit list Quality lensesThe better the lens quality, the less chance of flare or ghosting.
The latest lenses with anti-reflective coatings should therefore be the optics of choice. Prime lensesWith less complicated element groupings than zoom lenses, there will be less chance of image degradation from flare. A ‘Hoodman’or loupe.