Natural Light vs Artificial Light
There are basically two types of light -- natural and artificial. Natural light is any light that occurs naturally such as sunlight or candlelight. Artificial light is any light created by humans. Artificial light has a different color than natural light.
Hard Light and Soft Light
You may have heard the terms "hard light" and "soft light" before. Hard light is caused by a small directional light focused on the subject. Soft light, however, comes from a large or filtered light source. Hard light creates harsh shadows and accentuates textures whereas soft light creates soft shadows and creates a range of tones bringing more detail to shadows. On a cloudy day, the harsh light of the sun is diffused by the clouds creating soft light. Reflected light is usually considered soft light as long as it is reflected from a large source.
Depending upon the time of day, the position of the sun creates either harsh light or soft light. During sunrise and sunset, the sun creates soft light across the sky due to its position in the sky. When the sun is low in the sky or right above the horizon it generates soft light, which can be perfect for catching those golden images. In the afternoon, however, the sun is at the highest point, which results in harsh light.
While some people say that you should avoid harsh light, I believe the type of light you use should depend on your subject. If you are seeking to highlight the textures in a flower, for example, then you might want to use hard light. However, if you are taking a portrait, you will usually want to opt for soft light to create a more even image.
Color Temperature and Direction
Color temperature is the temperature at which a black body would emit radiation of the same color as a given object. Color temperature relates to the color of light produced from a particular light source. Color temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin (or K). Warm colors are those at the lower color temperatures and cool colors are those at the higher temperatures. Color temperatures change from orange-yellow, at the bottom of the scale, to blue-white, at the top. For example, candlelight (1200K) casts warm colors on subjects while light from the sky (10000K) casts cooler colors. Your camera's white balance is meant to read the light in the frame and adjust the camera to ensure that the colors in your image are reproduced correctly. While the "auto" white balance setting on most cameras will usually render accurate results, occasionally the colors in your image will look slightly off and you will need to adjust the white balance manually. If you want to understand your various white balance settings further, my advice is for you to experiment shooting the same object using different white balance settings for each shot.
It is also important to be mindful of the direction of your light and the relation of your subject to your light source. Generally, it is best to position your subject so that light hits the subject from the side, which creates maximum texture and dimension in your image. Particularly when shooting people outside on a sunny day, you should always try to position your subject(s) with the sun to the side to ensure even lighting on the face, unless you are trying to create a silhouette of course.
Conclusion
I hope you have enjoyed this short tutorial about light. In order to better understand light, you need to really understand your camera and gain experience taking pictures in a variety of settings. While there is a variety of lighting equipment available on the market, I recommend you experiment with the light you already have available to you before investing in new equipment. Once you really understand light then you will be ready to make the investment in lighting equipment. Happy Photographing!
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