Photo Creative

Current Challenge: Separated by Light

I want you to create an image where light makes your subject stand out from its surroundings. Your subject can be anything. What matters is that the light falling on your subject is appropriate for it - and noticeably different from the light around it.

It might be a person caught in a shaft of sunlight against a darker street, a house illuminated against a shadowy hillside, or a shaft of sunlight catching a single element of a landscape against a dark stormy sky.

You could go in the opposite direction with a bright high-key background. This is harder to make work well, though when it does it's beautiful. See the last two examples opposite. Either way, the challenge is to notice the light and use it deliberately.

Don't just find a subject and hope the light works. Look for situations where light naturally creates separation, or decide on a subject and return when you know the right light will be there.

A few tips

• Look for contrast in light. A brighter subject against darker surroundings is an obvious approach, but differences in colour, softness and direction can create separation too.
• Choose light appropriate to your subject. Hard, dramatic light may suit one subject while soft, gentle light works better for another. Think about the feeling you want to create.
• Watch the background. Great light on your subject can be wasted if the background is cluttered, distracting or equally bright.
• Move around. Changing your viewpoint can place a lit subject against a darker area and completely transform the photograph.
• Be patient. Light changes constantly. Sometimes waiting a few minutes, returning later or coming back another day makes the difference.

Don't rush to submit your first attempt. Use your camera skills, composition, focal length and timing alongside the light to create the strongest and most engaging photograph you can.

The subject doesn't need to be extraordinary. Make it extraordinary by putting it in the right light.

Dates and info below ⬇️