The quality of light where you live.

[davidnewtonguitars]

I live in Southeast Texas, the summer sun is so strong, and directly over head, I find it hard to get anything but burnt-out looking photos. The late afternoon and evening photos are the ones I like.

Now the fall is here, the sun is lower on the horizon, and it is a bit cooler too. My photos should have more middle tones now.

What is the light like where you live?

 

[PaulDalex]

That's the light I seek and love most, tropical light at noon.
I have been four times in Hawaii and I wish I could return there
Unfortunately I am too old by now to stand the travel ( I live in Rome)
Cheers
Paolo

 

[brennanphotoguy]

NYC is kinda cool some of the time. Generally it sucks pretty hard though. I just got back from a trip to Joshua Tree and Costa Mesa and those SoCal people have hands down the best natural light ever. No wonder everything looks so damn good out there all the time.

 

[John Bragg]

Usually variable due to time of year. Low and directional this time of year and high and harsh in summer. I develop to boost shadows and hold back highlights. Film choice is important as well. HP5+ or Tri-X both are very flexible in changing light.

 

[charjohncarter]

In the San Francisco, CA, USA, at least East Bay, the sun seems to be out every day. We don't even get clouds, only maybe high Cirrus. When it does rain or become overcast I load a camera and go for a shoot. The light here is not like Texas sunlight, I remember how hard it was to photograph there. Our light at least has seasons; right now the sun is lower so it is very different from July.

My days in Panama' were really difficult. I couldn't get Tri-X or Plus-X to work there because of the pounding sun. Finally, I decided to change EI and development/agitation schedule and I was able to succeed.

 

[Dwig]

I did part of my growing up in Beaumont (FPHS class of '69) and also spent a decade in Houston. I now live further south in Key West (further south than Brownsville TX). Mid-day lighting this far south is rarely conducive to good work, even in winter. The sun's position at solar noon here in late December is similar to that of southern England in mid-summer.

I do most of my shooting mornings or late afternoon.

 

[sevo]

Hard to tell whether the light is actually octarine or merely stained by the upwind chemical industry. It has been a rainy day - dark, cloudy, smelling of iodine and with a correspondingly poisonous colour.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I'm in south Ontario. If Sun is out it is very bright. Or it is behind of something foggy in the sky sometimes. I struggled with too bright sun with cheap cameras and cheap lenses.
Once I switched to DSLR and good lenses with deep hoods on them, Sun became my friend.
I also love midday street photography on bw film with Leica. Nothing is burned out. Way better comparing to overcast to me.

This under foggy sky and Canon 50L and vND filter on it. FF camera.

This is under crazy mid day sun and with foggy lens and old developer 🙂

This is with bare Sun in the sky above Toronto, +40C (sorry, I don't know what F is) and sun heating camera black top plate within few minutes to hot to touch.

 

[raid]

Living at the Gulf of Mexico coast offers me plenty of awesome light conditions throughout each year. No complaints here.

 

[robert blu]

Variable lights in Italy, depending on seasons. Sometimes sunny, sometimes overcast...iso 100 or 400 are ok for most of outdoors works
robert

 

[Arbitrarium]

I'm in the North of England so it's grey, grey, grey all year 'round. Actually suits my photography, but I'd sometimes like a bit more sun for dramatic B+W shadows.

 

[brennanphotoguy]

I'm in the North of England so it's grey, grey, grey all year 'round. Actually suits my photography, but I'd sometimes like a bit more sun for dramatic B+W shadows.

I'd be all about that. I love shooting in grey weather.

 

[lxmike]

I live in north east England, closer to Scotland than London, here it gets very dark very early in the winter months

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

Southern Austria: something in the middle between Italy and England, so to say 😉

Seriously: we have four quite distinct seasons, the IMHO most difficult light is during the winter months (above 1,400 m [4,593 ft] elevation we have snow at least half the year), and especially at noon the light, due to the snow's reflections, can be really complicated.

 

[Steve M.]

In Florida, generally the light is diffused due to moisture in the air, especially if you live near the ocean. Lots and lots of sunny days here all winter and summer long. Winter is not winter, it's perfect weather, while summer is pretty miserable. The best light I ever saw in my life was in Arizona and New Mexico. That light is very strong and clear, and the shadows and contrast are something else. New Mexico is known the world over to painters and photographers due to the quality of light there. The worst light I ever saw was in Portland, Oregon. Gloomy, rainy, overcast. Very depressing, and made for dull photos.

I may be moving back to New Mexico when I find a tenant for my place here in St Pete due to the recent political regime change. Democratically controlled house and senate there, my kind of people :]

 

[Kent]

Not that nice here. Often grey and overcast, sometimes nice and sunny, but even then the light is not "special". The only light situation I like around here is the moment after a thunderstorm when sun comes out again.

The more we go up north, the better the light gets IMHO. Love the light in Scandinavia or Scotland...

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

I may be moving back to New Mexico when I find a tenant for my place here in St Pete due to the recent political regime change. Democratically controlled house and senate there, my kind of people :]

😀 That was my first thought too, this is a «HELP! Wherever shall I immigrate?!» thread 😉

 

[kxl]

I live in So Cal and can probably shoot ISO 100 all year long. The quality of the light is a bit harsh though, especially inland.

For photography, I prefer gray skies with silver linings. Think the Pacific NW, Western Canada or Alaska during certain seasons.

 

[Bill Clark]

I have good light where I live. I sometimes need to look around to find good controlled light. I can use modifier(s) to get controlled light.

What are you photographing? It sounds like scenes, is this what you are asking with your question?

 

[Prest_400]

I had to open a Latitude map list to find out. I am in Spain and my town is at 41ºN, along the line of Barcelona.
Then it's down to environment and weather too.

Here summer noon light is harsh and high sun but fall and winter has a quite gentle lower sun. Summer can be a bit scorchingly boring, with 30º and humidity. Good time for a nap, as the better light appears around 8PM (in summer we are 2 hours forward of solar time)

There's the weather too, quite stable. I like the deep blue sky of colder days.
IMO, september had really nice light. It is also that sunset times around 8PM are favourable to see prior to dinner.

NYC is kinda cool some of the time. Generally it sucks pretty hard though. I just got back from a trip to Joshua Tree and Costa Mesa and those SoCal people have hands down the best natural light ever. No wonder everything looks so damn good out there all the time.

Turns out that NYC is just 1º further North than Barcelona in latitude, so the light arc of the sun should be quite similar and thus its seasons.
NYC does have the spectacular scenery of buildings which shape light a lot. I was there last December (talked about Cal about the weird light) and

The more we go up north, the better the light gets IMHO. Love the light in Scandinavia or Scotland...

Was in Sweden (200km south of Stockholm) late summer to fall last year and the very short, cold and clear sky days were simply beautiful. There's something very nice about sitting amidst a frozen field, at 2PM with purple hues in the sky.
And in the same Location, seeing winter lights from further north thanks to a radiation surge. Now, the dark 2-6PM times are a bit hard though.


Don't forget about this month supermoon! Night light is also very interesting and I used to walk at night with a friend without artificial light.