As a photographer, I’m always fascinated by light. It amazes me at how it can change the way an object looks. I love the way it can change a room, or the shape of things. One of my favorite things to do is light one thing in a lot of different ways, just to watch the feel and shape change and transform.

When I was new to photography, I spent hours playing with light. I used flash lights and candles. I used a dish towel as a bounce board, or a white shirt. I loved putting things between objects and a light to change the shape of light or to dapple it. I really miss taking that sort of time to just explore. I believe taking that time in the beginning has helped me over the years in using light to create the images I do. Even outside using natural light, I mentally refer back to my times experimenting. What better way to learn?

Today, I’m sharing a flower shoot I did. I just ran down to my neighborhood florist and bought a few pretty flowers and just played around with a utility light while I sat on the floor. My back drop was my kitchen island. It’s just an example of what you can learn about how light behaves when you move it around, changing your depth of field and angle of perspective.

I feel like flowers are the number one subject people like to take pictures of. If the subject is something very common, then maybe we need to find a way to make them special or not so common. Light them, look through them, or under them, or just share something about them that maybe not everyone sees. Isn’t that really what the craft of photography is all about?

Let me encourage you to play with light. If photography is your passion, light needs to be a bigger passion. Light is what makes or breaks an image. Knowing how to control it, use it, or misuse it is what makes the difference.

Enjoy! PS I encourage you to click on the images for the bigger is better version!