Finding the Light | Photography

I am a lover of light in my photography and my world in general for that matter. I could not have enough windows in my house, my cars must have sun roofs and if possible (once I talk dear hubby into it) I would live somewhere sunny and tropical. Natural light is a dream to work with and I adore exploring it and pushing its boundaries every chance I get.

Sadly we do not always have bright sunny days, a home full of south facing windows, or natural light 24/7 for that matter. So what are we left to do as photographers when we find our days lacking the beacon of natural light we adore? Do we just set our cameras down and wait not so patiently for the gassy star to grace us with its presence? Not me. There is light to be found or light to be created. And I am not talking about studio lights, flashes, etc. Nothing against them, but they are a production and not always on hand to capture the simplicity of life as it is. We do not wander through our homes with strobes and light spheres bouncing off our walls at all times. Instead our homes are lit by candles, lamps and the low light of a cloudy day or north facing window. Do we pass by capturing the perfection of our children because the light is just not right? Or do we embrace the grain of high ISO’s, yellows of tungsten lights, softness of slow shutter speeds? I have found some of my most treasured images I have captured were in the worst (assumed) lighting conditions. But I am a rule breaker. I don’t mind a shutter speed below 1/125, I adore a good grainy black and white image, and even more….treasure some of the moments I have captured with nothing more than a single flash light, and my kiddos.

So I challenge the photographers (amateur & pro) to Find the Light. Use everyday objects to create your light, or push the dim light coming in from a north facing window. Make magic…without the sun.

Here are some of my favorite images I have shot in low light situations with no flash, or strobes. I am including the specs to help those trying to figure out the technical side of things.

These were taken in my empty dining room, very low light (you can see the dark outside of the window area at 11:00 am ish (cloudy day). For the record I never (well rarely) shoot at this Aperature. I had to use my kit lens due to the tight constraints…yuck…still a fav image though.
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture: f/5
Focal Length: 31 mm
ISO Speed: 400

Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 55 mm
ISO Speed: 400

My kitchen sink north facing window at 5:00 pm.

Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 24 mm
ISO Speed: 400

Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/800)
Aperture: f/1.4
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 800

My daughters bedroom 8:45 pm lit with flourecent camp light

Exposure: 0.033 sec (1/30) (I think some may squirm at this)
Aperture: f/1.4
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 800

Under the sheets this time (so I did get some reflection from the sheets giving me more light)

Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/1.4
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 800

Last but not least…end of a rainy wedding day at 9:26 pm lit by sting lights

Exposure: 0.02 sec (1/50)
Aperture: f/1.4
Focal Length: 50 mm
Exposure: +0.12
ISO Speed: 1250