Working with natural and artificial light

Photographers spend a lot of time sky-watching because the sky conditions play an important role in all natural light photography, especially if the sky itself is to be included in the photograph. If the sky is featureless, then it may be necessary to crop much of it out by composing the image to include more foreground - although, empty space can create a great photograph. (You will find that there are few immutables in photography: there are equal opposites to most rules of thumb.)

In Australia, from the extreme tropical north to the cool temperate south, there is a vast array of weather conditions. Light is directly affected by the weather, which, in turn, is influenced by topography, latitude and longitude, and season.

Over the many years during which I have battled with natural light, I have learned to defuse my aggravation and, rather, broaden my preparedness to work with varying light conditions. I discovered that different subjects are best shot in different lights, and that angle of view, choice of film stock, lens selection, perspective, and so on, all play a role in enhancing "bad" light.