Five Natural Light Techniques for Stronger Images

[@nickward2922]

Personally I think this is your best and most informative video to date. It’s really interesting how the direction and quality of the light either tie together images in a set or make them so different they could have been shot by another photographer.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks, Nick. Really glad you enjoyed this one.

[@Barfslayer]

When I first started out in film photography I never realized how important lighting was. People often tend to overlook lighting for other elements like composition, gear, etc.. but I think lighting can definitely make or break a photo in some circumstances. Excellent video, I loved hearing what you had to share!

[@KyleMcDougall]

It’s one of, if not the most important thing, IMO.

[@andrewn7329]

I finally found someone who understands photography.

[@nickmoys22]

Pleased to hear you make the point that you can shoot perfectly well in the middle of the day. Photographing mainly B&W in the UK, my favourite conditions are bright but cloudy, when the sky becomes a giant soft box.

[@coltonberry9935]

Always glad to hear photographers I like develop this opinion, which is the correct opinion. As an Arizona native and someone who shoots a lot of similar subjects, this "harsh" bright lighting is especially perfect for such environments.

[@iganas88]

I always struggled with natural light and shadows, at least with having consistently good photos. Now after watching your video I can already feel leveling up my photo game :) This is probably one of top5 best photography videos on KZbin! Thanks a lot Kyle!

[@KyleMcDougall]

That's awesome! Really happy to hear that you found some value in this vid. Thanks for watching!

[@PitNeex]

This is one of the best videos of a photographer explaining the creative decisions behind a photo! It is very useful because the examples help understand every concept! 👏👏👏

[@almostgreen9498]

Truly a masterclass! You’re so generous to provide this for free. Next time I watch, I’ll be making notes to take on location

[@KyleMcDougall]

Cheers. Glad you found it helpful.

[@almostgreen9498]

@@KyleMcDougall You make an important explanatory point with your short aside about short side lighting. Glad I kept thinking about it.

[@BUCKSHOTSTV]

You made me realize that when I make my repeated travels to west Texas, the images that I take mid day have always been my favorite images. I never quite understood why, but you said the color pallet of the landscape is the main reason for that. You made a light bulb go off in my head!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Glad you connected with this one!

[@joeyramirez344]

Holy cow, absolutely going to use the “shooting into shadows”. I feel like I’ve been doing that and liking it but now I know why and I can dial in what I like rn. Thank you so much, informative and fun as always.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Cheers, Joey.

[@fabrypil121]

This video is pure magic! A lot of learning points and full of great things! Thank you once again..

[@lars69lp]

These where the best 27 minutes i've spend on KZbin for a long, long time - thank you! I will watch it a second, third and maybe more times 🙂🙏

[@piergiacomomacri492]

Thank you...Really interesting... love the composition and light... beautiful images...

[@lawrencehorowitz9291]

Nice job using your photographs to communicate your points. Liked your emphasizing the importance of taking the time to look, something I need to do.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks, Lawrence. 🙏

[@SteffenMiethke]

I'm in college for photography. I mostly do cars and commercial stuff, but my teachers always say "You gotta learn to see light" and I think you're doing a great job with embodying this statement.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thank you! 🙏

[@nininin99999hih]

This is incredibly helpful. Thanks a lot! I especially liked showing the middle grey version of the photo at 15:42 to show what your eye could expect to see when you are actually there.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Cheers, Nick. Glad you found it helpful!

[@davidscullbonz]

My flash units are super glued to a dark corner of my camera bag. “Available darkness” is my mantra.

[@jeremyrowlettmedia]

A lot of these technics I use sometimes without even consciously thinking of it. But after hearing you break it down into detail I realize that it makes up for a key characteristic in my style of shooting. I usually gravitate towards certain angles depending on where the shadows are.

[@theatyhannington]

Such a fantastic video. Thank you so much for making and sharing it.

[@NeilBruder]

Very illuminating! :) I really enjoyed this video and appreciate the way you talk through these processes without being prescriptive. I think it makes it very easy for someone, regardless of their style, to take these ideas and incorporate them into their work.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thank you, Neil! Glad you found this one helpful.

[@riverwalkeraustralia]

Fantastic demonstration and approach to light, something I know I should pay more attention to myself

[@norakonieczny7480]

This just opened up a world of opportunity for me. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Glad it was helpful!

[@sarahdippity]

Kyle your editing is so beautiful and smooth. Always.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thank you, Sarah!

[@edinburghtumuran916]

Awesome tips, Buddy! Indeed, lights and shade are essential otherwise a totally flat image will be captured of no combinations of these two!

[@vincentvincent5979]

Top tip for practicing composition with dynamic/directional shadows (point two): shooting in black and white allows you to focus more of your attention on contrasts in the scene, as it isolates highlights and shadows as well as builds textures based on them - essentially it allows you to train your eye to spot these details and pay attention to lighting as you're not having to put as much attention into colour composition. Training this has made colour photography a lot easier for me too, and as someone who shoots mostly in black and white it's a skill I developed over time.

[@KyleMcDougall]

For sure. Working in B&W can be a very useful way to train your eye, as you mentioned.

[@andersonsantana7358]

Great video man! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I like this longer format videos because your comments are quite interesting. Thanks!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Glad you enjoyed this one!

[@tunajames]

Where are you in your life to give this presentation at thumbs down? Thanks for fantastic presentation, Kyle.

[@KyleMcDougall]

😁 Thanks! Glad you enjoyed.

[@susanneh2207]

Excellent video! So well explained with excellent examples! Thank you!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Glad it was helpful!

[@carbonejack]

This video and your composition video taken together are a master class. Very helpful. Makes me look at some of my previous images in a different way.

[@KyleMcDougall]

I appreciate that Jack! Glad you found these helpful.

[@Jim-BobWalton]

Amazingly beautiful work. Particularly the southern states desert work. How do you - especially given the harsh lighting - manage to maintain a tonal range where highlights are NOT entirely blown out? I think especially of those images of cars.

[@Larpy1933]

This one is revelatory. My eyes have been opened.

[@caiochristofoli]

Most of these photos remind me Edward Hopper !! Great job and thanks for all skills shared !!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Thrice_Greatest]

Great video Kyle. Thank you!

[@LeeChandler]

Great video, your love of image creation shines through. Living in a urban landscape you can get numb to image potential that is around you. This video reminds me that you need to stop and consider the world around and capture the light and tell your story.

[@KyleMcDougall]

I really appreciate that, Lee. Thanks!

[@taehanyoun8126]

This definitely is the most amazing video I've ever seen.

[@stevetaylor3706]

These are my favorite videos of yours Kyle. Way prefer this to film stock or camera reviews. Great job, keep em coming.

[@emanuelsimioana6271]

Agree

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks, Steve. Always nice to know these resonate with people. I enjoy making them.

[@thomasz1543]

I disagree! I like both types of videos!

[@jonstallingsphotography]

Thank you for giving so much info on natural light. You really went deep.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks, Jon. Glad you enjoyed.

[@vincentvincent5979]

I agree wholeheartedly with the first point, especially as people seem to be averse to overcast/grey days or darker conditions - when in fact they have so much potential for creating a dramatic or sinister/subversive mood and atmosphere that can really shape how we view the subject. I really enjoy using the dark to my advantage to create deep or contrasty shadows, and black and white films are brilliant for this. This is a lesson that we can learn from so many directors of classic film, in particular expressionist or pre-code films.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Absolutely. There's so much potential that reveals itself when you start to think about mood and style. And films are definitely a great source of inspiration.

[@jeremoe1]

Excellent video! Gave me a new perspective for looking at light. Thanks.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Glad it was helpful!

[@graydeotto2820]

Shooting in Ontario, my favourite lighting for much of my work is overcast light

[@davideingrosso5702]

As always, extremely useful and inspiring. Thank you Kyle for being a true gentleman who gives great photography tips!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Cheers, Davide. Thanks for watching!

[@richardrizzo_photography]

Excellent video Kyle thank you. Over the past several months I have been working on the natural lighting of my photography while shooting in different lighting conditions, what got me really pushing myself is when I watched a video on cinematic lighting techniques and applied it to my photography, some that you have mentioned here especially the part of shooting into the shadows of a subject, that alone improved my photography ten fold.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Cheers, Rich. Yeah, sometimes the smallest details can make a big difference!

[@chrisjmiller6]

Enjoyable video that has me thinking about how I see subjects in mid-day light. Thanks!

[@johnstarke7319]

Really good work here. So helpful. Thanks for the work put into this one.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks, John. Glad you enjoyed!

[@frame-lines]

Another great video, man. Really useful info.

[@talalhrout6823]

Enlightening video!!! This one of the best photography videos I had ever watched. Thank you so much for the simple and thorough insights you gave .

[@KyleMcDougall]

Glad you connected with this one and found it helpful.

[@johngang8937]

Would love to hear you talk about the experience and thrill of the actually shoot on film. My favorite feeling is seeing an amazing composition and scoping out a place to park because the light, the clouds, etc. are all working together at the right moment to catch your eye. Then the experience of setting up, finding your composition, pressing that shutter button, and hearing the sound of a giant mirror slap the top of the camera. I live for these things!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Cheers, John. I do post some VLOG style videos every now and then. Planning to make more of that in the future.

[@andygmiers]

Awesome video, thank you. Has helped solidify a lot of my own thoughts about the use of light and shadow. Thank you!

[@christianjohnstevens6176]

Thanks, Kyle! I always couldn't put my finger on why some images have depth to them, but now I know!

[@lolappank4147]

Your channel is a gem. Keep up the great work mate.

[@KyleMcDougall]

I appreciate that. Thank you.

[@MsOnce4all]

At 8:18, I recognize that location from Bisbee, Arizona! Hope you took the time to eat at the Bisbee Breakfast Club, which is just around the corner from the old Shell station.

[@MsOnce4all]

18:47 is also Bisbee (Warren district). So much to photograph on that street.

[@MsOnce4all]

And 22:22. Glad you included multiple photos from Bisbee. I photograph there often.

[@joelp2419]

Thank you to articulate so clearly what I generally like when taking pictures, that is playing with light and shadows. But I often follow my instinct rather than analyze the scene the way you do, and that makes a huge difference ! I'll try to follow your points going forward. Thanks again !

[@KyleMcDougall]

Cheers Joel. Following your instinct is important as well. Just all about a balance of the two.

[@jeffissimo1221]

Back in 2018, while on a trip from New Orleans to Utah, I shot the same motel you used in your thumbnail. It was located at the New Mexico/Texas border, on the NM side. It was at 8:00 am in the fall. The sky was clear so the light was strong and directional. All of the trees around the motel made the shot pretty difficult to expose. Since I was on somewhat of a schedule, I only spent about 30 minutes at that site. I got something I was satisfied with but not thrilled about. I had another day of driving so I couldn't spend too much time there. "Maybe next time."

[@KyleMcDougall]

Such an incredible area there. Sorry to hear the light wasn't working for ya when you were there. Hopefully you can go back at some point!

[@skittou]

Thank you so much for this very interesting and well crafted video. This is just precious!

[@mattbray_studio]

super useful, thanks!

[@TheFilmFellow]

Hey Kyle! Couldn’t agree more with your statement on picking the right light for a subject. It’s not always all about the golden hour. Many subjects here in Texas benefit from midday light. Great video!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed this one.

[@edscannell1019]

Top work Kyle

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks, Ed!

[@ReimannPembroke]

This is such a good and informational video! I love that image at 11:58 the way the light is hitting the faces of those buildings behind the car almost looks like a bar graph 📈

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks, Reimann!

[@ZombieRofl]

Great insights. Really good! Glad that you made the choice to keep making content.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thank you.

[@scottyharp]

Really good info! Thanks for the inspiration!

[@george_edward_]

I honestly love harsh light... they don't sing the same way but I love the cast shadows

[@SoFloCichlids]

Just wanted to thank you for being such a huge inspiration in my journey thorough photography!

[@KyleMcDougall]

I appreciate that, Nick. Thank you.

[@NickSmithPhoto]

It was interesting seeing those old early landscape images, from where your photographic journey started and where it's taken you now, in terms of photographic style and approach to the world in how your mind's eye sees things.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks, Nick. Bit of hesitation throwing those in as it feels like so long ago and my work really changed!

[@JohnKrill]

Generally I don’t comment on these tutorials so I just want to thank-you for them. I may not fallow along soaking everything you say but I do pay attention and when you discuss something I may need help with I’m all ears. So thanks. PS: It was your discussion of shadows that got my ears all bent out of shape.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks, John! Appreciate the comment.

[@kriseric1]

Hey, this is high level information, thanks for sharing 👍

[@patriciophoto]

27 minutes which felt like 5. Great tips and beautiful compositions!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Cheers! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@morrisbagnall2690]

I just got back from visiting the wife's side of the family in the USA. Lots of the type of images you took Kyle when you were out that way and I was saddened that each drive across country was such that stopping was only for gas and food. (I did pop into Chillicothe to see Matt Day's stomping ground for half an hour). The light was so harsh though, IN/PA/WV/VA/NJ/NC and frankly so bloody hot and humid I just didn't feel like venturing outside much. Anyway, just wanted to say I thought this was a great video and my own experiences reflect the points you raised. (I could have just said that couldn't I :))

[@KyleMcDougall]

Cheers, Morris! I appreciate that. Very cool that you were able to do a quick trip across the country. I know how tough it can be on family trips when you want to shoot. But just all the more reason to plan a solo trip to go an make some photographs!

[@BryanDorr]

Good points about the lighting; and fantastic video. The season and location latitude affects the light. I'm around 45.5°N latitude where the sun's elevation at noon is at nearly overhead at 67° during summer and low or off to the side 21° in the winter.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Absolutely. Good point, Bryan. Thanks for watching.

[@mcgreevs24]

So glad the KZbin algorithm helped me find your channel. You are a delight, Sir! Such great info and perspective. So grateful you decided to share your knowledge. 🙏💯🙏

[@KyleMcDougall]

Cheers, Martin. Glad you've enjoyed the videos!

[@rickbiessman6084]

Such good ideas. Thanks so much man! )

[@KyleMcDougall]

You're welcome. Cheers!

[@kevinmorgan7091]

A really interesting and informative video. I always shoot between 8am and about 7pm in the summer; not only because I like my sleep, but also because the variation in light and shadows between those hours is amazing; especially for architecture or urban pictures. I'll certainly take a lot more time to lookout for some of the examples you gave in your pictures the next time I'm out and about.

[@plebbyplebster9595]

I'm SO looking forward to your US South West photobook .... gimme gimme gimme 😭

[@KyleMcDougall]

Coming soon. :)

[@BackFocus11]

Amen on no such things as bad light. Creativity rules.

[@KyleMcDougall]

🙌

[@joseantoniosanchez9057]

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 amazing! Great and very informative vid! This gave me a better checklist to go through in my head when metering/shooting and finding angles. Thank you!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mattiashaggstrom2049]

Thanks for an excellent video. I really like how you describe the shadows as a entity by them selves. As the shadow is two dimensional in reality it plays a important role in the picture as it is also two dimensional…

[@KyleMcDougall]

Cheers, Mattias!

[@johnscratchley3288]

A really interesting video. I'm often in a situation where I am shooting in bright light situations and you make some really interesting points to consider. A great presentation, thanks.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Cheers, John.

[@johanvanvliet9043]

Great video a lot good points I need to work out thanks.

[@NoahBility]

This Was A Masterclass, Kyle I Hope You Know That...Priceless Experience

[@KyleMcDougall]

Really appreciate that. Glad you found it helpful!

[@Dylanwade_]

Such helpful insight, as always. 🙏🏼

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks, Dylan. 🙏

[@SummersSnaps]

Really liked the shadow shape point no. 4. I am definitely guilty of not paying enough attention to them here in Australia (where we have heaps of harsh blue sky days). Thanks, I will endeavor to keep my eyes open for these kind of elements. Thanks Kyle.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Cheers, Eddy!

[@TarrelScot]

What an informative video, thank you. Regarding shooting into the shadows, may I ask; are you setting those shadows as a mid-tone when you meter?

[@oscarmedek7744]

Thank you Kyle! Not sure why this vid didn't pop up when it was first posted ahah but absolutely loved it. Your composition video really made me think differently about my photography just as I was starting to shoot film, and the combination of a new medium and renewed thinking made me a much better photorapher. I've always loved the look of your harshly lit photos and they've provided some inspiration for me in the past. Thanks for the tips in this video, your advice continues to help me grow my skills.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Cheers, Oscar! Really glad to hear that you connected with this one.

[@Oirub]

How are you able to achieve such bright photos without the sky being blown out? Usually when I expose for the shadows and there are say clouds in the sky, they sky ends up white or very very light blue, and I'm not able to pull it back in post without it looking un natural. All of your photos with clouds are overall extremely well lit, while still having the sky look very natural. Thank you for this and all of your videos, the information is greatly appreciated!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Hey Orlando, are you scanning at home or getting it done at a lab?

[@Oirub]

@@KyleMcDougallThanks for the reply Kyle, I scan on an epson v550, I have the lab do the developing.

[@maxstussi]

great video Kyle! love the shot of the odeon

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks, Max.

[@young1868]

Beautiful images^^^

[@alhOOO2O]

7:48 Was this image shot at midday? Was it a winter's midday? Based on the shadows the sun seems very low in the sky...

[@yannmurzeau722]

Tremendous !

[@alanpods______8260]

Damn. Much like your composition techniques video, this is an absolute masterclass in how to use light. I feel as if I've been practically stumbling around in darkness all this time! Thanks!

[@KyleMcDougall]

Glad to hear you connected with this one as well!

[@hukumongdu]

very interesting, I made similar transition from avoiding harsh light to really enjoying harsh contrasty shots ❤

[@ras2010]

Really inspiring video thank you. Was trying to guess what you metered for throughout - would love something, anything (an arrow or any indication would do). Would that be possible for the images you used in this brilliantly informative vid?

[@KyleMcDougall]

Cheers, Rasmus. I'd say that for most of the images in this vid, I likely just used the internal meter in the camera. Multiple cameras were used, but they were probably all center weighted.

[@geofff6671]

Great tutorial. I think Kodak films were designed to look good in bright sunlight as opposed to golden hour, because that was when most people’s snapshots were taken given slow aperture lenses and slow film that dominated for most of the film era.

[@rogerregor2489]

Thanks Kyle, appreciate your personality and knowldge! One quick question: why do you use a white background in lightroom?

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks! I use the white background because most of my content is against a white background when it's online (website and IG). I actually did a section talking about this in my processing video that I posted a few weeks back. I go into more detail there.

[@jasonblake5576]

Awesome, thanks!!

[@Adrian-wd4rn]

How do you manage to get such lifted shadows, while keeping highlights in check, with out increasing grain in the shadows. ?

[@KyleMcDougall]

Depends which medium I'm using. But with colour negative film, especially Portra, on a bright sunny day with a contrasty subject, usually a stop over middle grey from an average reading will produce a negative with enough shadow detail. At one stop over, highlights hold up just fine.

[@Adrian-wd4rn]

@@KyleMcDougall Got it, will try that out on a test roll, thanks! Do you get your reading from the highlight and bump up one stop? or do you get from the shadow and bump up one stop.

[@Bigtbone205]

​@Kyle McDougall thanks for the amazing video Kyle. For digital shooter do you have any suggestions for retaining the shadows without blowing out the highlights?

[@Adrian-wd4rn]

@@Bigtbone205 Meter for your highlights, not your shadows. But modern sensors post 2016, it almost doesn't matter. I've been able to turn blinding bright high lights into midnight even on my xpro3.

[@chrisjames1924]

Where is that Odeon cinema located? Were it not for the cinema sign saying 'Little Women' (movie from 2019) I'd have said it was a ghost town. Very true about how light works differently in UK to how it works in the US. Took me years to figure this out.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Hey Chris, that was in Tucumcari, NM.

[@edwincampos7142]

I’ve been following your journey for a couple of years, and what I truly love about your photography is your color palette, they are just sooo soothing. Thank you for your inspirational videos! Just one question, are the photos you are using as examples shot on film or digital?

[@KyleMcDougall]

I appreciate that, Edwin. Thank you! As for the images, there are a mix of film and digital in here.

[@ruudmaas2480]

Good creative advise !!

[@millerviz]

Those taillights were delicious!

[@NunoAlmeidaPhotography]

Loved this one, Kyle! I'll about using natural light and shadow play, so it's great to see another artist's perspective on these subjects as well.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@fyzd3r]

Hi Kyle. Thx for that great video! I was wondering, in that last picture, 25min, there is a lot of different shades and midtones in the lighting so what would be the better place to meter for to be sure to get most of the details in the picture? I know some film would react different about overexposing and underexposing. Midtones would be my guess, but I would be scared of not getting enough details in the dark areas. Maybe the answer is just, use good film stock.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Hey John, so yes, definitely depends on the film type/stock you're using, but this scene was actually quite simple. I was shooting TMAX 400, and I just used the Pentax 67ii built in center weighted meter, with it set to 320. So just an average exposure of the scene, knowing that the film stock is quite flexible and the highlights will usually hold up.