John Fjeldsted Photography - Finding Natural Radiance

Finding Natural Radiance

Every photo begins and ends with light that first falls on the scene and then reflects or radiates back to us and our camera. It is in the quality and nature of this light that we see and sense that story behind the picture.

Soft Light to Illuminate Faces

Last year while photographing the 90th birthday celebration of a dear friend - and as the happy occasion was coming to a close, I found Norris and his wife, Mary, standing in the front doorway of their lovely home giving well wishes to the many guest that attended that day.

Their stance, look and expressions speak for themselves - giving any viewer a keen sense of the nature of this wonderful couple. The years of joy are communicated through the open sky lighting that falls on their faces resulting in Natural Radiance contrasting against the backdrop behind them.

Mary and Norris - Leica SL2-S + Summicron-M 28mm/2.0 @ f/8.0, 1/50, ISO 1600

Soft Light to Enhance Color

On the Isle of Oahu, Nikki and Cameron were fortunate to have a light cloud cover during and after their ring ceremony which offered nice diffuse lighting. This made it possible to take this environmental shot with little concern for strong shadows that would detract from their movements against the forever green backdrop in Hawaii. Their beautiful skin tones, wedding dress and blue suit create a beautiful contrast and separation against the saturated background and together achieve a sense of Natural Radiance.

Leica M240 + Summicron-M 28mm/2.0 @ f/8.0, ISO 400

Hard Light for More Punch

There are also times when direct sunlight is effective in our images. One example is when we want to communicate the emotion that only sunny day can bring. The trick is to have the sun at the right angle to the subject, which increases the specular nature and adds energy to the scene.

Leica M240 + Summilux-M 50mm/1.4 @ f/5.6, 1/3000 ISO 200

Shooting into the Sun

We may have always taken pictures with the adage, "have the sun shine from behind you". In reality, there's also great opportunity to have the sun be behind our subjects to create a "rim" light which provides an outstand accent and increases the dynamis of teh image.

Leica M240 + Summilux-M 50mm/1.4 @ f/5.6, 1/750, ISO 200

What's important is to consciously think about and actively use various lighting situations to create the images you want!

Continue reading: Creating Natural Radiance

Table of Contents: Fundamentals & Techniques

Note: Indicated f-stop are nominally correct, but as with all M lenses, the camera estimates the value from the exposure and does not provide a direct lens reading.

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