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Times of the Day
The quality of light varies tremendously during the course of the day depending on the angle of the sun in the sky. Early morning and late in the day are the magic moments for capturing dramatic pictures on film.
Dawn has wonderful photographic properties. The light is clean and fresh with a stillness in the air. Subjects appear shadowless with little difference between highlights and shadows.
Sunrise brings a warm, romantic light with an emphasis on red tones. The sun's rays are sharper than at any other time of day producing high definition on directly lit subjects. Sunrise will often contain a special mist or fog that will give your photographs a quality and mood that only early morning will offer.
Midday is not the best time for general photography since the sun is too directly overhead. Contrast becomes extreme and it is difficult to get both shadow detail and highlight detail in your finished prints. In portraiture, shadows can be harsh making it difficult to obtain pleasing results.
As the sun lowers in the sky in the afternoon, the warm quality of light begins to return and back or side-lit photographs will work well.
Sunset photos are, of course, some of the most dramatic and exciting pictures. All photographers love to take them and just about everybody loves to view them. The sky glows in a palette of color as the sun descends towards the horizon. Try to plan your sunset shots in advance. Know where the sun is going to go down and get there well in advance. Place trees, rocks or other foreground subjects in the viewfinder and take your meter reading off the sky next to the sun.
Don't pack up your camera gear right after the sun sets. The glow that remains at dusk provides further opportunities for you and your camera. The light quality is similar to pre-dawn but softer and full of wonderful colors.
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