Genesis - The Importance of Light



Light is Good

 Genesis 1:3-4 says, “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.”


The point of photography is light; Photo-Graphy = Light-Writing or Light-Drawing. So many people seem to have forgotten that basic yet important principle. So many people are focused on post processing, subject matter and composition and thanks to High ISO, Aperture, Shutter and Auto modes seem to be leaving light as an afterthought. Light is life. Don’t ever forget that.

We are human. As humans we are drawn to light, much like an insect. Light compels us. Light attracts us. Light draws us in. Light makes us say, “Awe…” So why is it that we tend to put Light behind the rule of thirds, the golden ratio, gorgeous subjects and noise vs. grain? I don’t know the answer to that question myself, it is more of a hypothetical question for you to answer for yourself. So let me ask it that way; why do you focus on Light last; as an afterthought?

The Bible starts with Genesis 1:1 by stating; “In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep….

So what was God’s second action of choice; second only to creating the heavens and the earth? Anyone? Anyone? I’ll give you a hint; it is the opening quote of this post.



Light is my subject

 That’s right, He said, “Let there be light: and there was light.” According to the bible, God created light before he separated the land from the water. Light was so important that God created light before the creation of the sky (heavens), vegetation, plants, seas and even before creating those little beings that would be meant to worship him; man and woman. Light was so important that God’s fourth action after creating light and separating it from darkness was to add more light in the heavens to shine through the darkness, that’s right stars. Light was more important to him than creating beings to worship him. Light; second only to the heavens and earth.

So as a Light Writer where should my priority be focused? Should my priority be on form? Should my priority be on composition? The bible closes the all of his creations with the words; “God saw that it was good.” Form and composition are good, but without light is void. And a void is empty. A void is dead. You can have the world’s most beautiful subject in front of your lens, but without light the subject is dead. We are not creating the heavens and the earth so light should be our first priority.

Light became my priority over a fluke of purchase I made. I have been blessed and cursed with a camera I purchased several years ago. It is a Canon Digital Rebel DSLR. I believe that it was one of Canon’s first DSLR models. I purchased this as a second body that I was going to convert to an IR camera. I paid $75 for it and Canon EF USM 50mm F/1.4 lens. I call this camera a blessing and a curse because it has been both in the time I have had it.



Light is not an afterthought

 The Curse: When I first purchased it I learned that the camera over exposes by nearly four stops natively and it doesn’t shoot raw. When I place the camera in Aperture or Shutter Priority, ISO 100, I get images of pure white, even indoors. I have tried everything short of sending to Canon to fix the camera. I was never too worried because my other DLSR body functioned fine and the Canon proved to be my low-light-go-to body. The catch was I always had to shoot in manual mode, even when the subject being shot was not the best subject for that mode. I missed hundreds of shots because of this camera. In the beginning, it was a curse.

The Blessing: In the last six months, I have started shooting more and more with this cursed camera. These days, this camera is the camera that goes with me everywhere. Over the last six months I have learned more about light and controlling light than I have with any other experience in my years of interest in photography. This camera has made me a better photographer because it made me learn more about light. It forced me to learn how light works and interacts with the sensor. This learning has spawned a new sense of understanding and interest in light.

I've got light, yes I do! I've got light! how bout you?

If there would be one project I would encourage you to try it would be this: Place your camera in manual mode for thirty days. On the first day, take as many photographs as it requires to get the light right. Keep that number in your head as the next thirty days go by. For the remaining days shoot at least 3 different scenes a day, shooting as many images as it takes to get the light right. On the last day of the project, count how many images it took to get the light right. Was it two or three? Was it half of the number from the first day? Less than half? Regardless, if you improve a little or a lot, improvement mean you have understanding. Understanding means control. Control in photography means results.

With the six months I have been shooting with my over-exposing canon, I can get the light right in 2 frames or less. That is; first adjustment, then first shot, then second adjustment if needed (and the second adjustment is needed less than 30% of the time) then second shot. It is almost second nature for me now. I am not always perfect; by I am definitely tenfold better than I was six months ago.

Where is light in your list of photographic priorities?