Natural light is one of the most important elements in landscape photography. It shapes the landscape, creates mood, and brings depth to a scene. However, natural light is also highly unpredictable and can either enhance or ruin your shot. For landscape photographers, understanding and ultimately mastering light is crucial, but it comes with several challenges. In this article, I want to explore the complexities of working with natural light and how you can overcome these challenges to improve your landscape photography.
The Challenge of Ever-Changing Light
Unlike studio photographers who have complete control over lighting, landscape photographers are at the mercy of the weather, the time of day, and the changing seasons. Light can shift rapidly, especially around sunrise and sunset, and sometimes this variability can make it difficult to plan for the perfect shot.
For example, you might arrive at a location expecting golden light but find yourself faced with harsh midday sun or overcast skies. This unpredictability can feel frustrating, but it also provides opportunities for creativity. Every cloud has a silver lining, and all that.
The key to overcoming this challenge is flexibility. Don’t get stuck waiting for the “perfect” light. Instead, work with the light you have. If you’re met with harsh sunlight, use shadows and contrast to create dramatic, high-contrast images. On cloudy days, you can take advantage of soft, diffused light that works well for moody, detailed shots.
Golden Hour Versus Blue Hour
Most of us landscape photographers are familiar with golden hour—the time shortly after sunrise or before sunset when the light is soft and warm, creating long shadows. This is a favorite time for us because the light during golden hour is naturally flattering and adds warmth and depth to the scene. However, the golden hour is short, and getting the perfect shot during this time often requires preparation and timing. How many times have you arrived at a location only to find that the light was already fading, and before you knew it, it was gone behind a cloud?
However, an often-overlooked lighting condition is blue hour, which occurs just before sunrise and just after sunset. During blue hour, the light is cooler and more subdued, casting the landscape in soft blue tones. While it’s not as vibrant as golden hour, blue hour provides a peaceful, calm atmosphere that can make for powerful and subtle images. The key here is not to pack up your bags just as the sun has set but to wait and see what the blue tones will do to your scene.
Knowing how to work with both golden and blue hour light gives you more flexibility in your shooting schedule. It also helps to understand the type of image you want to create—golden hour is ideal for warm, vibrant landscapes, while blue hour lends itself to more subdued, moody compositions. On many occasions, I have seen other photographers jump into their cars, only to regret it later when they see the effect that blue hour had on the scene in images taken by other photographers who stayed longer.
Midday Light? No Problem
Many of us landscape photographers try to avoid shooting during midday, right? After all, it’s when the sun is directly overhead, and the light is harsh. Midday light tends to create strong shadows and blown-out highlights, making it harder to capture balanced exposures.
However, midday light isn’t always something to avoid. In fact, there are ways to work with it to create striking images. For instance, you can use harsh light to highlight textures, patterns, and shadows in your scene. The high contrast can work well in desert landscapes, mountains, or scenes with intricate rock formations where the light accentuates details. I was on a shoot with Michael Shainblu last year, and we did exactly that. We found rock formations at the beach that would only work during this harsh light; the shadows and textures were more visible than they would have been in any other type of light.
In addition, if you’re shooting near water or snow, the harsh midday light can reflect off the surface, creating interesting highlights. Using filters like a polarizer can help reduce glare and improve contrast in these situations. Far from ideal, of course, but at least you know the options are there to try.
If you find midday light too harsh for wider landscape shots, focus on intimate scenes and details within the landscape using your telephoto lens. Finally, forests, for example, provide shade and can offer softer lighting even during the middle of the day.
Dealing With Overcast Skies
Overcast conditions present a unique challenge for photographers. In Ireland, we seem to have to deal with this type of light more than in other areas of the world. Flat, gray skies can make a scene appear dull and lifeless, and without the dynamic light and shadows of a sunny day, it can be harder to create depth and drama in your images.
But overcast skies don’t always have to be a limitation. On cloudy days, the light is diffused, which reduces harsh shadows and provides a soft, even illumination across the landscape. This kind of light is perfect for shooting detailed, close-up compositions, like textures in rocks, forests, or waterfalls.
To make overcast conditions work to your advantage, focus on compositions that don’t rely heavily on the sky. Use the soft light to capture rich details in your foreground, like flowers, trees, or water. You can also create moodier, more atmospheric shots in forests or foggy landscapes, where the even lighting adds to the sense of mystery.
Controlling Exposure With Filters
When the natural light is either too harsh or too flat, using filters can help you control the exposure and add depth to your images. Three of the most useful filters for landscape photography are:
- Polarizing Filters – These help reduce glare and reflections, especially when shooting near water, wet surfaces, or reflective leaves. They also enhance contrast and make the sky appear darker and more saturated, which is particularly useful in bright conditions. This is the only filter whose effects you cannot reproduce in post-production, so it’s best to have it with you when shooting.
- Neutral Density (ND) Filters – These reduce the amount of light entering the lens, allowing you to use slower shutter speeds in bright conditions. ND filters are ideal for creating long-exposure shots during the day, such as capturing smooth water or streaky clouds.
- Graduated ND Filters – These are important for balancing the exposure between a bright sky and a darker foreground. By darkening just the sky, graduated ND filters help you capture more detail in both the sky and the landscape, especially during sunrise or sunset when the sky tends to be much brighter than the ground.
Reading the Weather
Understanding the weather is key to understanding natural light in landscape photography. Certain weather conditions can create dramatic, dynamic lighting that makes for fantastic images. Storms, for example, often produce dramatic skies with interesting cloud formations and powerful fleeting light.
To take advantage of changing weather conditions, pay close attention to the forecast and learn to read the sky. Apps like Windy and YR are helpful for tracking cloud cover, wind speeds, and other weather elements in real-time.
Storms, fog, and heavy clouds can add atmosphere and mood to a scene, but they also require a different approach to shooting. For example, in stormy weather, be ready to adjust your exposure settings quickly, as the light can shift dramatically from minute to minute. With fog, you’ll need to adjust your focus and exposure to capture the subtle layers and depth of the scene.
One thing is certain: if you don’t check the weather before you head out shooting, you won’t know what potential lies ahead of you, and you may end up getting soaked to the skin and returning home wet and empty-handed.
Planning for Optimal Light
Good landscape photography often comes down to being in the right place at the right time. To maximize your chances of capturing perfect light, planning is essential. Apps like The Photographer’s Ephemeris or PhotoPills can help you plan shoots around optimal lighting conditions by showing you the position of the sun and moon at any location.
While planning is important, don’t forget to stay adaptable. Sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate, or the light doesn’t look the way you expected. In these cases, it’s helpful to have a backup plan—whether it’s shifting focus to a different part of the landscape or waiting for a better moment later in the day. While on location, don’t just look in the direction you’re shooting; look around and see what trajectory the clouds are moving in, as any breaks in the clouds will likely mean that the light will move with them as well. This approach can help you be ready for the moment the light hits or can also help you change direction as it’s hitting another part of the scene. More often than not, this is behind you.
Finally
Mastering natural light in landscape photography is a lifelong journey. I am still learning and am constantly surprised by how quick the moments are when it comes to fleeting light; you need to be fast and ready. While it’s important to understand the principles of working with light—whether it’s golden hour, midday, or overcast conditions—the key is to be flexible and creative with the light you’re given. With practice, you’ll learn to embrace all types of light and use it to your advantage, allowing you to create beautiful, dynamic images no matter the conditions. But one word of advice here: watch those highlights; you don’t want to blow it.
