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​Way back when when I first started taking photographs my father was the one who introduced me to how to use his camera and then the basics of photography.
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One of the lessons, if you can call it a lesson, that he imparted to me early on was to avoid harsh directional light.
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This idea about having perfect light with smooth shadows and lovely warm soft light bathing the scene in front of you in its comforting glow seems to be as popular today as it ever was.
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​Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun - Noël Coward
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​Growing up as I did in South Africa, I was subjected to harsh midday sun on a daily basis. Think back to when you last went on holiday somewhere that had that baking sun, burning down on you. It didn't really feel very conducive to taking awesome photographs.
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That's an extreme example of light a lot of photographers would dismiss. However, when you start to embrace the unique qualities that harsh directional light gives you it adds another dimension to your photography.
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​So what is the difference between hard and soft light?​
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Hard light has that focused, often bright quality to it that creates very harsh shadows.
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If you see a shadow where the transition between the light and the shade is extremely harsh and well-defined then you are in a hard light situation.
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Soft light is that light where the transition between the light and shade has far more smoothness, in fact, there are often no shadows at all.
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As I'm looking out my window here today writing this letter there's a collection of abandoned farm buildings, some trees and clouds fill the sky. The scene barely contains any shadows at all it also lacks any drama, depth, or dimension.
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But the same scene on a sunny day contains all of these elements.
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​How do you go about making hard light work for you?
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First of all, you need to be quite mindful of your exposures. Especially if you're working in a priority mode, or full auto, this extreme range between shadow and highlight can really confuse your camera.
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If you are in doubt about your exposure then I would suggest that you under-exposure images just a little bit. Often details in the shadow areas may not be as important as capturing highlight detail.
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​The importance of perspective
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​For me, the joy of hard Is to be found in the shapes that it creates with shadows.
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Because we're leaning into working with these shape, the shadows, they are the real subjects of these images. The rest, what we traditionally think of as subjects, are the seasoning.
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So to really make the most of this you have to start thinking about different perspectives in your images.
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Try taking a leaf from Alberto Cabanillas.
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In this photograph, Alberto has created a very strong and dynamic image by changing his perspective to look down on the subject and then accentuate those shadows. The shadows are really what is making this photograph work and holding it all together.
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​Colour or Black and White?
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​You may be familiar with Fan Ho. When talking about dramatic light and the use of shadows his name always seems to crop up, and it's going to crop up again now!
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When you photograph in black and white it's a lot easier to make the image have a far stronger graphic shape and feel to it.
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Mostly because it's easier to create an image where you're not having to juggle the impact that colour has on it.
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That contrast between extreme highlights and dark inky shadows just seems to work beautifully in black and white.
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When we start thinking about photographing in colour there is something else that comes into play.
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Think about when you have been driving down a road, and the sun is behind you. On a clear day, the trees and the buildings just seem washed out and faded. However, if it’s a stormy day, and there are dark clouds on the horizon, it makes the buildings and trees come alive. Same light, different result.
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This is because when you contrast the color with something dark that color becomes more vivid.
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Bear this in mind when you are trying to photograph in colour. To make the harsh light work for you, find colour contrast and shadows first.
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Look at this photograph by Pete Turner of a simple trash can on the beach photographed in the middle of the day. This is a great example of using harsh light but also thinking about how colors interact with each other. The red is more pronounced because it's contrasted against the deep blue of the sky.
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Look at the glorious tones of this sand dune. Why do you think they are so rich? What is the element in this photograph that is making the colors simply sing?
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​Putting it all together
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​We've only looked at natural light in this chat. The same principles hold true when you are photographing with artificial light.
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Don't be afraid to experiment with making shadows the subject of your photographs.
Play with contrast.
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Also bear in mind that a lot of the work that we have seen today is the result of not just the photographer's initial vision but also using the tools at their disposal, to create the final image.
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Just have fun playing around both in the camera and in your digital darkroom to see what you can come up with. Forget the rules, forget perfection, just go with your gut and see what you can find hiding there in the midday sun.
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Thanks again for taking the time to be here today.
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Alex