There is no such thing as bad light...

I think it is somewhat dependent on the situation. As a photojournalist, I've run into places where there's just too little light for the images I want/need to make. Sports is primarily where I run into this situation. I've shot in gymnasiums/fields with uneven light, badly-placed hot spots, etc., which make it very difficult to achieve the images I need for the newspaper.

By the same token, if you're seeking a hard look for a portrait on and overcast day, or visa versa, an argument could be made for "bad light." But, I think it's more about what I/we do with the light that really makes the difference. Outside the studio, where i have total control over the lighting setup, working with the light I find is the challenge. And that's what makes it fun.
 
Bad light and light used badly are both correct. If I were to shoot a portrait in "bad" light, I could could find ways to manipulate it to offer good light or at least minimize the light's poor points. But if I were to photograph a landscape, I might have to wait for good light because I can't alter it or change camera position etc. to take advantage of the situation.
 
Depends on what you mean by bad.

If you mean that all light is good light, then you could make an excellent portrait/landscape/whatever photo any time of any day. I don't believe that.

If you mean that all light can be manipulated and/or used to make a picture that is matched by that light, then why not. We can extend this argument for everything - there is no bad anything, bad food and wine simply tastes different rather than tasting bad, bad people just act differently rather than being bad, and so on to the ridiculous.

So no, there is bad light and good light. But sometimes we can (and have to) make do with what we've got.
 
With older film cameras, which don't have very fast shutter speed options, extremely bright sunlight can make photography almost impossible.

OK, there's filters, but I don't use filters.
 
This was pretty dark and stormy


Mini in Snow by unoh7, 75 Lux

Of there is bad light, tons of it. Sun high, or no Sun, etc. But the right subject and kit can turn it to a nice shot.


Covered Creek by unoh7, on Flickr

These won't win pulitzers, but neither will my work with gorgeous low light LOL


L1026408 by unoh7, on Flickr

My feeling is life is full of all sorts of moods, light, subjects, before you bring any camera into the picture. Perhaps "bad" is not the best term, but no doubt much of the day is not optimal for one reason or another, just to the eye, yet interesting just the same. Some shooters just give up in these conditions. But snow storms and heavy rain are wild and beautiful, and that harsh mid-day sun is crushingly stark.
 
My only thought on this is that I have learned the most about photography when I've been ISO limited. My first serious shooting took place on a D200, which gets damn near unusable above 800 ISO. That and a healthy lack of pushing tri-X have taught me so much about finding light. Granted, in the moment was cursing my equipment.
 
If there is light, even a tiny bit, you can photograph. This is a 5 minute exposure on Fuji Acros!

pure-sealed-dairy-2.jpg


That said, I often wait to photograph something until the light is what I want, and that has meant waiting weeks in some cases for landscape shots!
 
Echoing others, but to me 'bad light' is light which makes the image I want to create more challenging than it ought to be (or impossible if I have the wrong gear).

A motion stopping shot is difficult in candle light. A soft portrait in an open field is difficult with mid day sun.

There are plenty of options. Change the image, the gear used, the light... and each can work in different situations. In the end though, the photographer is fighting with the light instead of leveraging it in those situations.
 
For me there is no ‘bad’ light, just light that I don’t have suitable equipment or the time to make the best use of.

If I was pushed into a corner and I had to define ‘bad’ light, for me it would be portraits taken with on-camera, flash. Horrid. :(
 
There is definitely such a thing as bad light .. to say there isn't is rather naive IMO.
 
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