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Exploring Time & Light- Digital SLR User
Light is one of the key factors in landscape photography and plays an important part in making a successful image. The way the scene is lit and from which direction, determines its mood and appearance and although good composition is needed to hold the picture together, the light can make or break the final picture.
 The classic time for the perfect landscape photograph is the one hour after sunrise or before sunset. This is when the light is at its best and only a great view is needed to make the most of it. The time of day at which this magical light appears obviously varies throughout the year. During winter this will be around 8am in the morning and 4pm in the afternoon. Whereas in summer, it can be as early as 6am in the morning and around 8pm in the evening. Despite these time differences, the premise is the same and the quality of the light is at its best in these two windows of time. That is not to say however, that the rest of the day should be seen as time-out to put your feet up and relax. Oh, no! You can still make use of every hour in the day to make great images, you just have to change your style and approach to make the use of each hour. So, lets have a look at how light changes throughout the day and how as a landscape photographer, you can maximise your use of the whole day.
Dawn 5-6am
Right from the very start of the day, the landscape is ready to be photographed and images at this time are quite unique as well. This is a magical time, with an air of calm and solitude. The sun has yet to rise and so the light is soft and shadowless, with a subtle blue tone to it, giving images a cold, yet tranquil mood. Water at this time of day is often completely still, creating mirror-like reflections on its surface of the wonderful colours developing in the sky overhead.
Sunrise 6-7am
The best time to shoot the sunrise is before the sun actually hits the horizon, so that you can make the most of the dawn colours in the sky. Once the sun comes up, things start to happen very quickly. Warm rays of light strike obliquely across the landscape and the contrast levels rise, making images looking into the sun very difficult. Only if the sun is partly obscured by cloud will you be able to continue shooting the sunrise and then you have to be quick before the colours of dawn subdue and the sky turns its natural blue colour.
Early morning 7-9am
Now you have the best light hitting your landscape. The light is low in contrast especially compared to other times of the day and the colour temperature has risen so subjects look wonderful bathed in this warm glow. Shadows cast by the sun are weak and soft and compliment the areas lit by the sun, whilst texture is revealed in the landscape. The sky will have become a rich blue and as the sun is still close to the horizon, polarising filters are ideal to make the most of this.
Mid morning 9-11am
By now, the sun is reaching its maximum height in the sky and the colour temperature is also reaching its maximum of around 5500K. It’s time to start changing tack and look for subjects that suit the less forgiving light. Although the light is past its best, it’s still possible to take good landscape images, but of course, they won’t quite have the same quality and atmosphere as two hours ago. Shadows are becoming more dense and shorter in length and contrast is greatly increased, which also increases glare and reduces colour saturation. You can still shoot what I call secondary landscapes, which is views that still work as a photograph, despite their less than sympathetic light.
Midday 12pm
This is usually the time that the landscape photographer can take a break and get something to eat or catch up on some sleep after the early rise. But, if you keep changing your approach, then you can still take some excellent photographs. As the sun is now at its highest point in the sky, colour saturation is reduced, so look for strong colours to compensate. A polariser will have little effect now, so you are relying on the strong colours of nature to make up for this. The landscape will look flat and have little definition, so look for strong shapes as well. You could use the suns glare to shoot silhouettes and shimmering highlights across views of lakes and rivers. Fluffy cumulus clouds appear in the sky, which will help break up the almost whitening of the sky at this time and these can convey that typical summers day look to an image.
Early afternoon 1-4pm
Although still close to midday, we are now slowly on a downhill again, as things start to go the other way and the light will slowly improve as the hours go by. Start looking for those locations again that were not lit in the morning, but now the sun has moved west, they are also becoming suitable for photographs. These subjects may have been backlit in the morning, but now the shadows are slowly disappearing and strong side lighting is revealing their detail too. Keep the strong shapes and colour in mind whilst the sun is still high in the sky, but often this is the only time a subject will be lit by the sun before once again, the shadows appear across the land as the sun sinks back towards the horizon. Hilly or mountainous locations are an example of this and for deep valley’s, this is their only chance to catch the suns rays.
Late afternoon 4-6pm
Welcome to The Golden Hour, the last hour before sunset, when you have the best light of the day. It’s a slow build to this pinnacle of time, as the light is getting better again and the shadows are getting weaker and softer as the sun starts to drop towards the horizon. The light is once again beginning to shape the landscape and you can make the most of your subject with this light. The sun is also casting its light across a warm landscape rather than a cold one of early morning, giving a very different look and feel to it. The colour temperature is rising rapidly beyond 5500k and so the light now is also warmer than after sunrise and so colours are even more intense.
Long shadows are forming and the light reveals texture and detail once again and this is a good time to shoot a beach at low tide, as the ripples in the sand are revealed by the raking light.
Sunset 6-7pm
Everybody likes a good sunset, a moment full of romance and a time to reflect back on the end of a hopefully, memorable day. You should arrive at your chosen location early, allowing plenty of time to set up and prepare for the sunset. Sunsets can be pretty hit and miss however, as several factors are needed to make a classic one. A clear sky for instance will result in a lame sunset, with no obvious colour. The sun needs plenty of cloud in the sky to light with its last rays, as it disappears below the horizon. Too much cloud however, especially on the horizon, will block out the suns rays and again, will lead to a disappointing sunset. Ideally, you need a large bank of cloud heading west, effectively chasing the sun and this will provide the colours for a classic sunset, with the sun lighting the underside of this cloud.
Contrast will stay high until the sun hits the horizon and shooting before it sets will result in silhouettes, which can of course make a good image on the right subject. Water is a good sunset-subject combination, as it will also reflect any light from the sky and help fill in the black mass of dark foreground.
Dusk/ afterglow 7-8pm
Once the sun drops below the horizon, whether it was a perfect sunset or not, make sure that you hang around for at least 30 minutes to see what happens. The afterglow of a sunset is often the best time to shoot and the pastel colours in the sky reflected in water often make the best and most beautiful images. The sun will continue to reflect its light on cloud left in the sky and this reveals colours of reds and oranges, as well as pinks and mauves.
Night 8pm 
For the landscape photographer, this is usually the time to pack up and go home, knowing that you have had a successful days shooting. For the determined however, then looking for shots after dark can add a few more images from the days shoot. Moonlit images can be very effective, although exposures will of course be very long. The best thing to look for then is floodlit buildings that are situated in the landscape. Castles, lighthouses, and floodlit monuments can all make great subjects in the landscape, without having to head into town to find something suitable.
If all has gone well, then having taken your last exposure, then you can congratulate yourself on making the most of a beautiful day. Careful planning and adapting your subject to suit the light conditions, rewards you with a memory card full of successful images. Use the changing light throughout the day to work in your favour and the results will speak for themselves.
Tech Talk
Equipment
To be prepared for these wide range of lighting conditions you need will need a basic kit of equipment.
- DSLR (of course!)
- A range of lenses from wide angle to telephoto. A 24-70mm and 70-200mm would be ideal
- A good solid tripod, plus cable release and hotshoe spirit level.
- Polarising filter
- Some ND grad filters
- Plenty of memory cards
- Maps and a compass to plan your shots throughout the day
- Suitable clothing to last the whole day
Tech Talk
If you can’t find suitable landscape shots at a certain time, then consider other options. The same applies if the cloud increases and the sun disappears, use these ideas for alternative subjects.
- Silhouettes
- Abstracts and natural patterns in the landscape
- Shoot black and white (works just as well on overcast days)
- Telephoto landscapes- exclude the sky if its boring and photograph interesting shapes and patterns in the land
- Waterfalls, woods, flower close-ups and geology details all benefit from overcast light
© Craig Roberts
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