Seeing the light (Neil Blair)

Question - “What is the most important thing about photography?”
LIGHT - Without it there can be no photography!
The word photography means ‘writing with light’ Greek. Phos - light; graphein - to write.
All of photography can be discussed in terms of light. That light can be many things; natural, artificial, warm, cold, direct, indirect, reflected, diffused are a few.
A photographer uses light by evaluating it, anticipating it and finally capturing it.
Because of the importance of light all serious photographers must be sensitive to it. Sensitivity to light can be equated to level of skill. No one can be insensitive to light and expect to take good photographs.
Sensitivity to light exists at various levels. At the most obvious level a photographer must decide whether there is enough illumination to show on an image. At a higher level a photographer can recognise subtle differences in light quality and use that quality to convey the message they want.
At the highest level a photographer has learned to visualise how the scene he sees in front of his camera will be altered by the photographic process. The image created is always different from the scene viewed with the unaided eye. The glass in the camera lens, it’s focal length, the aperture and shutter speed used, the quality of the inks and the type of paper used all influence the final image. The beginning photographer may be oblivious to the varying effects that the photographics have on the image, a sensitive photographer not only anticipates image alteration, he exploits them! That is to say he controls the ‘photographics’ and therefore is master of light and the medium.
How does a photographer gain a feel for photographics? Through experience. There is no other way. Only by taking thousands of exposures can a photographer hope to become sensitive to the role played by the photographics. Experience is the foundation on which knowledge is built.
Light is the Subject
Light is so important to photographers that many feel that the objects within a photograph are really nothing more than surfaces by means of which light can be seen and captured, in other words the subject of every photograph is really light. Unless the light is right, there is no photograph (only a record shot). Eg. To take a photograph of a child blowing out candles in a birthday cake, no sensitive photographer would consider using flash. The essence of the image is the candlelight, the quality of light from the flash would fatally alter the scene.
Most good photographers develop a light style; that is, a preference for a particular light quality they find pleasing, then look for that type of light and exploit it when they can. All photographers must realise that the quality of light used to illuminate a scene directly contributes to the statement the photograph makes.
Conclusion
Light is vital to the picture taking process. The extent of the photographers understanding of light determines their ability to produce ‘good pictures’!!
by Neil Blair