A Study in Light, Directionality and Mood

In the first of a series of follow-up articles to The Quality of Light, I have posted this article to share a series of photographs (along with the thought processes behind them) that I hope will accentuate the interplay of light, directionality, shadows, and mood in landscape photography. As previously discussed, the directionality of light is a powerful factor in defining the quality of shadows, the contrast, textures, and three-dimensionality of a scene, as well as the mood and emotion that the photograph will convey. In particular, unidirectional light qualities (e.g., side lighting and backlighting) serve this purpose well in landscape photography.

Unidirectional side lighting sweeping across the landscape, creating long shadows, revealing textures, and imparting depth Nikon D800, Nikkor 28-70mm f/3.5 – 4.5 D