When I say photographers, I am talking specifically about those of us who excel in landscape photography. People always say to me, "Oh, you photograph people's yards?" No. We photograph the landscapes, the grand landscapes, of the national parks, the wide open spaces, and the beauty of the earth. So why are landscape photographers crazy?
Because in order to get the shot, to get the really good shot, it's all about the light. The light is at it's very best ½ hour before to an hour after sunrise and an hour before to ½ hour after sunset. So what does that mean? That means that we are out cruising around in the cold and dark when everyone is sleeping, or trudging through the back country when everyone else is kicking back having a beer. But we think we are rewarded for all of our time and effort.
Why is the light at its best at these times of day?
Basically because it is not directly shining down on the subject, but is coming at it from an angle. The angle of light or side light helps define shapes and creates a pleasing three dimensional effect on the photographic subject. The colors in the sky are also the most vivid this time of day.
As a landscape photographer, you can sit at a location for hours and nothing will happen... or you can sit there for hours and then all of a sudden the heavens open and you have magnificence in front of you.
A prime example is this shot, taken in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains at the Whitney Portal. Mt. Whitney is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States.
This particular morning, my husband, Mark and myself, decided to get up early and shoot Mt. Whitney from the portal. The day was grey and dreary, a typical monsoonal rain sort of summer day. We sat there perched on the edge of a hillside for at least two hours as we watched the mountain and the socked in grey clouds behind it. All of a sudden, the clouds behind us parted and rays of sun like a beam began to shine on Mt. Whitney.
What an amazing moment as we realized these beams of light were moving slowly and would eventually light up Mt. Whitney like a spotlight! (We like to tell people that we hired a pack of boy scouts to hike up there and shine their flashlights up at the mountain, but no such luck!)
So people think we are crazy for getting up way too early for any sane human, and hanging out on the edge of a cliff for hours with no idea what we will find. We were prepared (like my friends the boy scouts) and sometimes you are handsomely rewarded!
Holly Higbee-Jansen has been exploring her fascination with light through photography since she was a young child. Holly teaches landscape photography, is a personal guide for Jansen Photo Expeditions , and runs a successful glamour photography business, Natural Light Photography . Sign up to receive our free newsletter at [email protected] .
