Light is Light

There are many popular "movements" regarding the best way to light for photography. The most popular of these include the strobists, natural light, and bounced on-camera flash. Telling any one group that another form of lighting is better just opens up a huge can of worms. However, just about any form of light you can use works very well if you know how to use it. Click the link below for more information.



Each style of lighting is just a tool that we use to acheive a certain look. I can take an outdoor portrait using only natural light, as in this example.



With just that sunlight, I can shoot under shade, in direct sunlight, or under a cloudy sky. I can also add a reflector, shoot with the sun to the subject's back and give the illusion of a two light setup. However, with this setup, I'm at the mercy of how much light is falling on my subject as opposed to the amount of light in the background.

If I add a single, off-camera strobe, I have control over the light falling on my subject, and, therefore, have control over the exposure of the background, just by making an adjustment to either my strobe, the camera, or both. That is just what I have done with this example.



The background was purposely under-exposed to add drama and to draw the eye where I want it. If I had shot this using natural light only, then I would either have to let the sky blow out, or under-expose the subject.

The bounced flash method works great for a run-and-gun type of shooting. If you are shooting an event, setting up a light on a stand and running to it every few minutes to change a setting may not be the best way work. Instead I opt to use an on-camera flash in TTL mode. Bouncing the flash gives you soft but directional light, while keeping your mind and hands free to shoot without making continuous changes to your lighting.

This just shows you that no particular type of lighting is right or wrong. Each has its uses. If you know how to work with each type of lighting, you can create photos that look completely natural, or un-natural if you chose, no matter how you light your shot.