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Sunlight comes in a variety of hues and on a bright day one has to move around the subject to shoot from the best angle of view. The physical labour involved in this effort is well worth the effort. Amateurs invariably assume that bright light gives the best pictures – a conviction that fades with experience. Because it needs the smallest apertures, a short exposure is not necessarily the best situation because shots of people or objects taken in strong light mean dark shadows and consequent loss of details. A flash fixed on the camera prevents harsh shadows, especially while taking portraits. Sceneries or landscapes, on the other hand, are almost always a good subject for photography in sunlight.
The other very likeable variation of sunlight is the soft light seen in an overcast sky. When the sun hides behind the clouds, the colour balance gets neutralized; the contrast in the scene matches the contrast rendition of almost any type of film. Pictures taken in such light have a good colour balance and colour saturation is at its peak. Perhaps, the only drawback is the slower shutter speed required to capture the light which is weak in intensity. This drawback can be overcome by using films of a higher speed. A tripod is handy since a longer exposure is needed.
Another variation of a sunny day is taking the picture in complete shade. However, there is a blue tint in the shade which can be eliminated by using filters of 81 series as these impart a warm glow to the scene with their amber colours. In colour negative films, this can be removed at printing stage. The filters are useful only when using slide films.
A step beyond an overcast sky is the fog. Fog has the unique quality of giving depth to a photograph if one subject is close and the other at the distance. Metering and getting the right exposure is a bit of a problem here as the camera meter underexposes the fog images. A tripod, fast lenses and higher speed films are helpful in such a situation.
Sunrise and sunsets are other times of the day which present photogenic situations, although some people find these too difficult to capture. When the sun is about to rise, centre-weighed metering can be used to obtain ideal shots. It is wise to bracket the exposures to ensure obtaining one that is the best. During sunrise or sunset each shot will carry different hues if photographed at short intervals.
When the sun sets and darkness descends, by no means it is time to say goodbye to the camera because twilight can provide very interesting images with long exposures. This necessitates the use of tripod and a cable release to obtain sharp pictures with a fine depth of field. For the technical minded photographer, unduly long exposure may produce distorted colour or ‘reciprocity failure’, but a fine image of the sun behind the city-lights or a silhouette of trees against an orange glow in the sky can make your day.
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