Left: 3.2 second exposure at noon Right: 5 second exposure at 8:00 pm |
Photography is the art of capturing light, and the nature of
that light is very important in how the resulting image will appear. Time of day affects the process because of
the angle and intensity of the sun. A
cloudy day may make the difference somewhat moot, but there are still
differences, although significantly subdued.
The above two images were shot from the same point of view
and focal length, but the one on the left was photographed over eight hours
earlier than the one on the right. The
sun was clearly in a different position relative to the scene. Close to noon, the first one has significant
shadows and highlights. In fact, I had
to use a graduated filter to diminish the brightness coming from the far bank,
which was exposed to full sun. That part
of the scene was dodged by a full two stops, receiving only 25% of the light
the rest of the image did. Even then, it
is still a titch on the bright side. Conclusion: midday exposures in full sun suffer from
intense contrast and vast differences in shadow and highlights. Early and late day photos are much less
intense this way and do not require as much in the way of burning, dodging, or
filling with flash.
There is a second difference. The second photo was taken near 8:00 in the
evening. An aperture of f/10 was used
with a shutter speed of five seconds; I needed to use a three-stop neutral
density filter to take it from 0.4 seconds to 5 seconds to blur the moving
water the way I wanted. The noon photo
was at f/11 with a shutter speed of 3.2 seconds. However, it required a six-stop neutral density
filter to achieve a proper exposure.
There are about four stops difference between the amount of light falling
on the image in shade at noon and at 8:00 at night. More if you consider the full sun exposure (about
7 stops). Full sun shots are great for
fast shutter speeds but lousy when wanting to use low ones. Conclusion:
if you are wanting longer shutter speeds, consider shooting early
morning or late afternoon. If you do not
have a neutral density filter, earlier or later is better.
There are subtle differences in white balance, water flow,
and human activity as well. These
factors may play an important part in the final product, depending on the circumstances. In general, I like to
shoot early in the morning for a number of reasons. Good light without harsh shadows, few people
mulling about to get in the way, and my energy level is better. If you can plan when you are going to shoot,
you will end up with better pictures.
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