I guess, most of the photographer spend most of their time to find out which photography accessories can capture stunning photographs, Which tricks and tips are more important to bring out the best shots. There are endless baseless thoughts that always travel in their back of the mind of the beginner/hobbyist photographer. Whenever I interact with new beginner photographer, all of them are more curious to know the pricing of the lenses, camera body and Megapixel etc. But I would like to mention here that We should not always waste our time on tools because tools and tricks always keep on changing from time to time.

Photography means, Photo is Light, Graphy in writing, the moral of the story is we must focus on the light always. Lighting is the backbone, key factors for the successful, stunning, wow, amazing photographs. Light is not only exploring the brightness or darkness but It also brings out the mood, tone, atmosphere, expression, detailing etc. Now it’s the photographer’s job to bring out the details, better texture, vibrance, luminosity on your subject by MANIPULATING & CONTROLLING the light. This is a continuous process for a photographer to follow in the field of photography.

Let’s discuss the few important basics or advanced tips of LIGHTING, which may help you to control the light for your subject.

Manipulating the light – It is your art how you manipulate the light with the help of the reflectors, diffusers, flashlight, strobe light, gels, sunlight, natural light etc. There are end numbers of things available in the market to use, can manipulate the light at its better, this will really help you to grow as a better photographer.

Positioning the Light – How light falls on your subject from your main source of the lights is also leave an important weightage on your photography. How you position your lighting setup is also an important topic to discuss. But you must know the light coming from behind the camera can give you flat lighting, light coming from the side can give an interesting light the more you experiment with position lighting setup, the more you learn about interesting light to shoot.

Create a right light condition – Manipulating, positioning, shaping, controlling, creating flat or interesting light etc will always help to create a right light conditing for your particular subject and most important thing NO light treatment always work for all the subject, your subject will change your lighting set-up always. Keep experimenting.

Colourful Light – Spacially fashion photography requires colourful treatment for the model shoot, garment shoot, accessories shoot etc. Colour can be added with the help of a colourful torch, colourful gels, sometimes colourful background etc.

Conclusion – Start reading the light and its direction, positioning, shapes, and the most important part to notice. Is light creating an interesting point to hold the viewer for a long? It’s a good exercise to learn when you are inside the home due to COVID. Stay in and stay safe.

Keep experimenting! Have a wonderful and happy photography life to you all.

Photographer and Blogger Prasenjeet Gautam (www.prasenjeetgautam.com) has captured the above image. India.