Homebody Photo Tip: Haunted by Great Light

     Like a ghost, great light haunts me.  But instead of filling me with fear it fills me with joy.  And sometimes regret.

     While light can often be good and abound, great light is an apparition.  You can try to predict when it might appear.  But like a ghost, it shows up when it wants to. 

      The golden hours and the blue hours are frequent hosts for this apparition.  That’s why I like sunsets.  And the time after sunset even better.  I was once asked if I “specialized in sunsets.”  I thought it an odd question until I realized that, yeah, I do take a lot of sunset pictures.  But great light can haunt me at any hour of the day and night.

       So when great light should make its appearance, I’m ready.  I have the camera with me, out of the bag, turned on, lens cap off, the settings set, on the tripod, and ready to go.  Great light only lasts for moments.  Minutes, if you are very lucky.

       Of course, more often than not, I’m not ready.  I’m going somewhere, doing something.  Too distracted to see the ghost until it’s too late to prepare.  I can’t even grab my cell phone out of my pocket.  And then I’m filled with the regret.  I hate the regret.

       I once saw some advice that said when you see great light at a sunset, quickly find something interesting to put in front of that great light and photograph it.  That advice never worked for me.  I’m not quick enough (“one speed, slow”).

       Here’s the advice that works for me:  Look for that interesting thing well before the sunset, even days before you plan to go.  Lay in wait for the ghost.  Be out there as many days as it takes to finally capture great light in that expensive little plastic and metal electronic box.  Carefully transfer its image to another expensive plastic and metal electronic box.  Prepare its image to be seen by the world (and don’t mess this part up).

       Then spread that joy around.

 

     Kings Park Photo Club:  Our next meeting is Thursday April 17, 2014 at 7 PM at the Kings Park Library.  Jeff Mantell will be making a presentation on lens perspective.  Check out our members’ work on display at the People’s Bank on Indian Head Road. 

     Thanks for reading, if you have any suggestions for topics please post them in the comments.