I did a similar exercise on May 3rd of 2009 for a course I was taking, so I’ve pulled these examples from my photo archives. All of the images were taken at various times of the same day, the point being to study the quality and the effects of the light on the landscape throughout the day. I hated getting out of bed so early in order to travel to this fairly remote lake but I will say I learned more by actually doing the exercise than from the reading I had already done. There is no learning method as good as experiencing things for yourself and this is especially true for photography!
Early Morning (8:15 am) Mid-Day (1:05 pm) Evening (6:15 pm)
I was photographing three different parts of the area so I wasn’t early enough getting to this scene to catch the earliest light. However, morning is definitely my favourite time of day for landscapes – the light is softer, the details (especially the water reflections) are crisper, the colours deeper and the shadows open. It also just feels good to be out there in the morning even if it’s cold, which it bloody was!
The sun begins behind and to the left of me - ends in front and to the right of me, in these images.
Note: the mid-day shot would normally be even more bland; I suspect at least part of the sun had slipped behind one of those wispy clouds and helped out with some nicely diffused light.
The biggest thing I remember from this day, is to be aware of the direction of your light and the effect that will have on your image. Get out with your camera and do this!
Metadata: f/22 @ 35mm, using a GND filter for the sky and a tripod.
