Sunlight on Water

First, a few words. Then pictures.

One of the simplest but most profound things I ever learned about painting is that painters aren’t depicting objects, people, buildings or landscapes; they’re painting the light reflected from them. The craft of painting demands mastery of illumination, reflection, color, tone and shadow.

So does photography. A large majority of people are now photographers thanks to the ubiquity of cameras in phones, computers, tablets, doorbells, refrigerators, and, yes, actual cameras. But few people snapping selfies in front of Angkor Wat or the Grand Canyon think about capturing light. They’re “taking pictures” of objects, people, buildings, etc. As a result, with each day that passes the human race generates another few billion images washed out by bright sun, obscured by dense shadow or missing the superior view of something had the picture-taker simply walked ten steps to get the light at a better angle.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with a number of superb photographers, videographers and lighting directors. The man who was my first mentor in the biz, G., was the head cameraman where I had my first corporate job. Do you know what he said to me one day when I showed some impatience about how long it was taking him to set up a shot?

“This is what video’s all about. You’re painting with light.”

That’s an exact quote from nearly 40 years ago.

Living on this planet, we have a big advantage as photographers. The distance from the sun, the diffusion of our atmosphere and a number of other cosmic elements combine to provide us with an enormously powerful and highly variable source of illumination, free. Sunlight gets screened by clouds, tinted by its elevation above the horizon, etc. etc. All you need to do is walk outside when the sun’s up, figure out where the sun is and look at whatever’s around, bouncing back some light at you. A photo awaits.

Take sunlight on water. You need the sun, and some expanse of water, large or small. Decide where to stand. You’re set.

Enough words. Let’s look at light on water.

Admittedly, I stuck a night shot in there. It’s permitted to shoot photos after sunset if the light’s good.

Capturing Light

Typically, the soundest advice is to photograph subjects with the light falling over your left or right shoulder, ideally at a time of day when there are at least a few shadows to give your subject some shape or definition.

Shooting light on water is another matter. If you want to catch boats silhouetted as I did above, the sun is in front of you.

If you have a camera that permits you to attach filters, invest in a circular polarizing filter. It can do a lot to emphasize or minimize reflections or sharpen objects surrounded by reflections.

The business of photographing scenes with placid water reflecting mountains, trees, etc. is a world of its own, and requires patience, time and a certain amount of luck. The last image above, Lake McDonald, Montana, in Glacier National Park, at dawn, was made extremely early, before any breeze had stirred the lake. The only light is the glow from the sky, well before the sun was up. I like to point out that when I got there, another photographer had beat me to it, standing at the end of the dock with his camera on a tripod. I didn’t dare step out on the dock lest I shake it and spoil a long exposure. The early bird and all.

Most of all, you have to practice, and be prepared for disappointment. The more settings you know on your camera, the greater will be your ability to deal with demanding lighting. Don’t be surprised when your photos don’t look like what you saw. The combination of your eyes and brain vastly exceed the ability of highly sophisticated cameras to deal with contrast or shades and tones of light and color. Your brain makes all those adjustments thanks to a few million years of evolution. Your camera has no brain, and relies on yours.

In the end, remember you’re recording light, not things or scenes. That’s why it’s named PHOTOgraphy. Mother nature’s painting with light, and you’re trying to capture it.

With the following exceptions, all photos are from the California coast near Los Angeles or the Port of Los Angeles.

3rd photo: Clear Lake, Washington, near Mt. St. Helens; Last two photos: Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park, Montana, midday and dawn.

Licensable, high resolution versions of many photographs in this post, and select images from other Under Western Skies posts are available on Shutterstock.com. Click on the linked photos, or CLICK HERE to view the Underawesternsky photo portfolio.

© Brad Nixon 2018, 2019