Photography tip: Balancing the light

Todays photo blog entry is more of a tip than a technical lesson. The example photo is of exterior architecture, but the same principles can be used for many different styles of environmental photography.

Have you ever taken a photo of a building and the formerly blue sky turned out completely white? Or, the sky was a proper exposure, but the backlit building came out shadowy and dark? The problem is the great difference in light levels between the dark shadow of the building and the very bright light of the sky. The easiest way to correct this problem (if you have the time) is to wait for the sun to go down. Approximately 1/2 hour after sundown, depending on your location, the light in the sky will be about the same brightness as the artificial light emanating from the buildings.

The window for getting balanced light is very short, sometimes only 20-30 minutes. As an experiment, place your camera on a tripod, and take the same photo every 5 minutes. When it is too dark to see any sky, you can pack up and review your photos at home. You will find that maybe 3 or 4 photos look excellent, and they will probably be the ones taken in the middle of your session.

This technique is very popular with photographers who specialize in house exterior photography. They simply turn on all the lights in the house, wait until the outdoor sky is the same brightness level as the indoor house lights, and the result is a beautiful warm interior with a cool dark blue sky. Try it out on your own house!

This photo was taken in Ebisu, a part of Tokyo, Japan.

Thanks to professional photographer Mark Hemmings (www.markhemmings.com) for writing this photo tip.