The first skill that every photographer should master - understanding natural light, and how to make full use of it. Full guide - http://xlightphotography.com/beginner-natural-light-photography/

1. NATURAL
LIGHT
PHOTOGRAPHY

2. HELLO!
I am Damon Kukacho
I love to give presentations and
share photography knowledge.
You can find me at
@damonkukacho
2

3. “Let light shine out of darkness.
- 2 Corinthians 4:6

4. 1.
DIFFERENT TIME
DIFFERENT LIGHT
4

5. SAME SUN DIFFERENT LIGHT
▸ Most people are so used to sunlight to even notice
the changes throughout the day.
▸ Sunlight has a different quality and color tone
depending on the time and weather conditions.
▸ Photographers need to understand sunlight in order
to take good photos – sunlight is nearly everywhere
on the surface of the Earth.
5

6. MORNING
▸ Bluish light, maybe
with a touch of
orange.
▸ Soft and good for
outdoor shoots.
▸ May need a little bit of
color correction in
post process to get
rid of the slight blue
tint.
6

7. MIDDAY
▸ Harsh and intense
white sunlight.
▸ Casts very defined
shadows.
▸ Photographers avoid
outdoor shoots during
this time.
▸ But this is the only
time you can possible
get blue sky and
clouds.
7

8. EVENING
▸ As the sun slowly
goes down towards
night time, it becomes
warmer and softer.
▸ Not quite the best
time to shoot, but
better than harsh
intense midday sun.
8

9. SUNRISE/SUNSET
▸ About a 1 hour time
frame.
▸ Soft golden gentle
light.
▸ Perfect lighting that
makes everything
look good.
▸ Also called the
“golden hour”.
9

10. DUSK
▸ Blue, if you are lucky,
you can catch pink or
magenta.
▸ Weak sunlight, but a
nice shade and
interesting color tone.
10

11. NIGHT
▸ Just dark.
▸ Best time to do all
your light painting,
light trails and all
kinds of creative stuff.
11

12. THE SUMMARY
▸ Light during sunrise/sunset is soft and golden.
Perfect for photography; The golden hour as we call
it.
▸ Light is bluish in the morning, but still pretty soft and
good.
▸ Midday sun is the worst which is intense white. It
casts very defined shadows and is very harsh.
▸ Dusk may offer some shades of pink and magenta.
▸ Twilight falls back to extreme blue.
▸ Night is… dark.
12

13. IN A NUTSHELL
13

14. 2.
BAD WEATHER
14

15. GLOOMY/OVERCAST
▸ Make full use of the
storm clouds!
▸ Epic drama.
▸ Cloud rush.
▸ Use filters or
Photoshop to add
some contrasting
colors back.
15

16. RAIN
▸ Only time you get rain
puddles.
▸ Rain puddles = good
chance for taking
reflections.
16

17. STORM/TORNADO
▸ Just keep safe, find
shelter and stay
indoors.
17

18. 18
THANKS!
You can read the full guide at
http://xlightphotography.com/beginner-natural-light-
photography/

19. Credits
Special thanks to all the people who made and
released these awesome resources for free:
▸ Presentation template by SlidesCarnival
▸ Photographs by Startupstockphotos
19