Tips for Lighting a Nature Photograph

There are several types of lighting to be aware of when taking nature photographs. Direct and indirect lighting can greatly effect the way a picture turns out.

Direct Lighting for Your Pictures

Direct lighting on a subject is when the sunlight is shining directly onto the front of the subject being photographed. This type of lighting is usually not desired for a picture, as it can make the subject appear washed out. 

Direct lighting is so harsh that it usually isn't as pleasing to the eye. In addition to washing out the subject of the photograph, direct lighting is sometimes too bright looking. It can also create large shadows through the photograph. 

Sometimes, direct sun lighting your photograph can seem to flatten the subject and remove many of the details. This seems to happen especially when photographing things with small details, such as the petals on flowers and the fur or feathers on animals.

You can see in this picture of some of the 'wild animals' in my family, the harsh lighting makes what would otherwise be a nice picture, harsh. The shadows on the face are very stark, the baby is squinting from the bright sun, and my daughter's skin is washed out.

There are times, however, when direct lighting may be the most appropriate choice. For example, to highlight the weight of a desert sun, a sharp, direct light would enhance the photo.

Indirect Lighting in Your Photography

Indirect lighting, on the other hand, has a softer feel and can make for a more beautiful photo in many types of nature pictures. There are different types of indirect lighting that can create a variety of looks for your photography.

Indirect lighting types include shade, diffused light and backlighting. With careful timing and by changing your camera angle, you can switch up the lighting in your photographs.

In this picture, my daughter is in bright shade and the features of her face are much more clear. Her eyes are no longer cast into a deep shadow, and her fair skin is no longer blinding white and washed out.

If the shade had been any deeper I would have used a forced flash setting on my camera to make sure the details of her face were visible. Using a force flash setting allows you to place the subject in shade, on a sunny day, and use the camera flash as an additional light source. Sometimes this is also called the fill flash setting.