I've been back in Sydney, Australia for a bit and decided to create this video. The topic of natural light is very important but often misunderstood, in my opinion. I'd love to get everyone's thoughts on the ideas I share here. Or, maybe you have an interesting approach to natural light in photography yourself.
Very good video. Pointing out that changing your mind about the light allows you to take photos is so important. I do a lot of indoor late night party photos using flash, and multiple, often moving, light sources so changing my mind about light and rules regarding it is the only way I can get interesting photos. It's part of our job as photographers to work the light and not let it work us.
Hi Mitchell, I stumbled upon your channel and the last two videos were fantastic, I subscribed and I'll definitely take inspiration from your videos to use in my own photography. BTW pictures you've shown in your videos were beautiful and I loved how you explained about composition and such. Can't wait to see what else you will bring! Take care and have safe trips!
Completely changed my mindset...I always believed that pictures are meant to please eyes..but there is so much beyond that! It is not always about the happy brighter side but also about the darker and not so happy side of life...all those pictures of the deserted land tells u so much about a life where there is no comfort but still so much to admire!!
I don’t have the right words to describe how inspiring I find your teaching. I already have the natural light course and a some of your books and they are incredible. Your photographs are so impactful and I wish I could someday produce something as beautiful
What a fantastic thing this video is. It makes you want to get up, take the camera and go out taking pictures. Thank you very much for raising an unusual subject like this. Really if only we photograph when the light conditions are great we will be missing a fantastic world.
This is an excellent lesson on how to use - and even to benefit from hard and seemingly photographically-bad natural light. Basically, what you teach us is, that there is no bad natural light for photography; just use the existing light as is, to your purposes and benefits. A lot of thanks, Mitchell!
Exactly right....I always told my students..."A good photographer is able to create a good image under any type of light and any given time of the day!" (One has to know and master his camera perfectly.) Plus...in post-production, you are able to change up to 85% of all images to the exact mood you desire. It is a steep learning curve though, but in photography, like in any other profession, constant education and never-ending improvement are the secret of success and will set you apart from the (unsuccessful) rest. (Purchasing an expansive camera will make you as much a photographer as buying a real sharp knife would make you a surgeon.) Photojournalists, Wedding Photographers, and Travel Photographers have one thing in common..very often, they have only one chance to take the image! Right there and right then. Only a very well trained professional will be able to handle that, all the time and under all circumstances despite the stress that most are under.
Makes one think more, instead of being a tourist/ photographer. Such a beautiful thing is all natural light. We just need to embrace it within our images by thinking just that little bit more. Thank you for this video.
Thank you Mitchell for sharing! At least one known photographer on UA-cam who speaks out the truth about natural light in photography and not only the standard sentence all over again.
I think I just learnt the most important lesson in photography: “adapt to the lighting”! Thanks, Mitch! Enrolling in your “Behind the scenes” course soon!
Thank you very much! And yes - we have to adapt, because as far as natural light goes - that's all we can do. 🙂 We can't change it without carrying more gear.
First time I hear a prof photographer come up with a statement like this and I like it! Being a travel person myself I always wondered how it is possible/sensable to apply the "rules" that every photographer spells you out.... "only early morning or sunset time is appropriate for good photo's". So I like your point of view Mitchell, and the way you present it!
Hi Mitchell, first of all you have a fantastic body of work that I constantly find inspiration in! The fact that you also take the time and effort to share your approach to photography is wonderful. I really enjoyed the video and look forward to the next! Keep up the great work and many thanks!
Thank you. Although I am not a specific travel photographer, but a wildlife, equine and pet photographer I come across the same kinds of natural light and hearing from somebody else always helps to improve my photography. You never know everything.
For sure. Agreed. The stuff I say does apply to other types of photography, I just talk from the perspective I know and understand. Thanks for watching. :)
Hi Mitchell, honestly speaking one of the best photographic UA-cam videos EVER! I live in the UAE and I always make excuses about the hard light , you just changed my perspective the way I should look at light. Like you say" Their is no good or bad light, it's the way you approach it" Keep the videos coming, I am certainly going to check out your course. Regards Tony
Thanks a lot for your video. It changed my view of light and actually makes me a bit more relaxed about not always trying to catch the golden hour or wait for good weather conditions.
Finally what I have been waiting for. I love shooting in different light and atmosphere to get something different. Nice and easy to listen to. Thank you so much.
You are “preaching to the choir” here with this very instructive video. Your thoughts are beautifully and very logically presented, putting words to things I have only thought. EXCELLENT!! And Thank you. Five Stars.
This video is absolutely one of the best videos I’ve watched. You’ve made me think about photography in a new light. Everything doesn’t have to be beautiful but still have a big impact. I enjoy your videos. Immensely.
You just remembered my about a think that I believe in, don't find excuses, work everything with what you have and make it the best", and now I see that can be applied in photography as well. Thank you Mitchell for this great and inspiring video!
Thankyou for many amazing thoughts & photos you shared . One of my most ever favourite photos, I'd seen somewhere before, the child with little nose pushed against the glass while raining outside, little pink lips, pondering eyes & yellow top & it's yours !!!!. Thanks again for all you are willing to contribute to photographic community much appreciated .
Wow, I don't normally comment on videos but you're an amazing story teller through your photos and actually story telling. Love your work and learning from watching/listening.
Now, this is a video that can help me grow in my photographic journey, watching youtube videos can be a beneficial exercise, but videos like this are beyond beneficial as they not only teach me how to look at things from a different perspective and with a new outlook but they challenge me to step up my game. Thank you, Mitchell, for this awesome teaching video
As I'm always traveling on other projects, I mostly shoot in the light that is presented with some surprising and unexpected results. Although I do wait for certain lighting when I can. This gives more food for thought as I'm upping the photography more and more. PS arrived at Uluru in the rain! The following morning overcast, mist etc, created a beautiful difference of colours.
Thank you Mitchell. This is the best video I've learned on "bad light". Amazing, amazing photos of your travel. I keep reading and hearing about shooting at sunrise and sunset for amazing photography and this has kind of change my perception of natural light in a way. I come from a tropical island where the weather is always beautiful with blue sky and I used to naively shoot in very bright light (and occasionally at sunset) thinking it was the best light but when I started to really getting interested in photography and studying professional photographers' images, it didn't take me long to understand that my photos suck and lack many things but I didn't know at the time what these were. I've spent thousands of dollars to learn more about camera functions, exposure, composition, technique, isolating subjects etc and light (that's the hardest one for me). Because I've seen, read and heard so much that shooting at sunrise and sunset for landscape make the best photos this has slowly and eventually become ingrained in my mind that I disregarded other kind of natural light condition until I came across a video by Mitchell "Behind the Scene" which blew my mind away. Then his video on "Natural Light" completely changed my thinking and the information in it opened up my eyes and I thought hey, this is pretty good, why haven't I come across this before. I am forever grateful for your videos as now I see the world differently and think I am on a better path to better myself and better my photography. Your tutorial is much appreciated. One request though: To expand my learning, I would love to understand the exposure you use for your travel photography (ISO, aperture and shutter speed). Thanks.
Hello Mitchell. I find your voice and the pace of your delivery to be very calming and informative. I never had the urge to scroll along on the timeline to see how much time was remaining on the video. Your mastery of delivering a message, along with the injection of text graphics help nicely to keep my attention and not feel like a lecture, but more like a "mentoring conversation". As a former corporate video producer, I know how much work goes into a production like yours, and for this I say, "keep up the good work", you are making a difference!!!!
Mitchell - your videos are thoughtful and original. Your vision is clear and this comes across in the points you make and also the photos you take. Most of all your photos show a life well lived and someone following his vision. Makes me want to travel but also makes me a little jealous, keep them coming please!
Thanks for your thoughtful comment, John! A few more videos are already up and there's gonna be a looong one, but, I think the most interesting one so far. 🙂
I've never thought of using natural light for setting mood in the way you conveyed as I tend to use off camera flash(es) and modifiers to control and set mood when shooting portraiture outdoors as I and most people like to be in control. You shed light on the fact for you as a travel photographer you have to roll with the punches and use whatever natural light that is provided in that moment to convey story and mood. Something I've done unknowingly and never given thought to and usually I tend to hold back or shy away from doing portraiture when weather is not what I envisioned or anticipated. And you Sir have given me food for thought. Thank you!
Superb! I’m new to photography. I found this video to be an amazing source of information. The photography was exquisite and certainly illustrated your point. However, equally brilliant was how clearly you articulated your ideas and how to use them; how to assess the light and adapt the art to the light. Thank you. I look forward to more of your videos.
This is my favorite photography video I've ever seen. Out of hundreds. I'd love to see more. In the meantime, I'm forced to watch this one over and over again. Happily, of course.
I'm a macro photographer practising four years from nowadays I personally like to photograph portrait too after watching You're documentation & presentation Of each scene is upgrading Each days is setting my mind that just do it on different photographs from different regions
I feel that your videos are themselves works of art. They are beautiful, thoughtful and considerate. Love your work more when you illustrate things with images.
Inspiring video! Thank you for helping me out of my creative rut. A nice reminder that this also gives us more than 2hrs a day to make photographs. My Family will appreciate that I no longer have to disappear at dinner time for that Golden hour!
Great video. The most honest, practical and informative material from any pro photographer I follow. I’ve read all of Mitchell’s ebooks and watched his other videos and they are all just as inspiring. Please keep the videos coming.
Thank you very much for the wonderful video explaining the most powerful tool. I has landed on my consciousness as a transformative principal. You are very kind and generous with your knowledge. Good journeys.
Watching this video months later and still finding it packed with info gems. Light surrounds us always and it's up to us to understand and work with it. Our popularized preconceptions work against us. Thanks for busting that bubble.
it's the first video of yours that I watch and seriously, I think you've just changed the game and raised the bar up high for all the other youtubers in the field of photography!
This was actually the first time seeing a video about using light Outdoors and it was awesome. Thank u for makeing such good Content. Every one is always talking about "photographing is painting with light", but Nobody ever showed so many aspects how to use it. rly appreciate it.
Hi Mitchell, the photos you are using to make your point, the explanations you are giving and the tone of your speech, all together with the subject make your videos captivating. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
Thank you, Michell. I've used to upset when travelling and got a bad light, overcast, raining. Somehow, just like you've shared in the video, I have changed my mindset. I love taking photos with natural light. Your video has got a useful information. I love it.
Really nice video! I appreciate also the format you use, not some quick tips explained in 2 minutes. Some things require time so don’t worry if the next video is long I will watch it!
Really put a sense of confidence in me from your talk to have a positive attitude about lighting conditions and how to make the best of it in challenging times. Enjoyed it and learnt from it. Thank you.
Really appreciated this video, am so tired of other photographers going on about golden hours. Your approach is realistic and pragmatic. Images can be taken under any lighting conditions, its about being creative and mindful - appreciating the moment. Thank you
Thanks a lot Mitchell! For me, as an enthusiastic ever learning amateur photographer, this is by far the most inspiring video about photography I‘ve watched over the last couple of years. Thank you very much!
After watching couple of your videos... I am (or can i say was?) the guy who always wanted a super sharp lenses, great cameras, not shooting during the great light opportunities at all, leading to not shooting and capturing moments at all and... I just wanted to say thank you to opening my eyes and giving me the impulse to photograph anything anywhere again!
Hey Mitchell - awesome video. Just like Steve Mccurry, I have always struggled with the harsh midday sun and avoid it like the plague. However, you have given a different perspective here and much to think about. When I am on my trips, I hate wasting time sitting around waiting for 'better' light. I think now I will just get out and shoot. My favourite light is actually cloudy days - no harsh shadows or highlights, just very even light and easy for metering. Keep up the great work and I eagerly await the next video. Philip
Your videos are absolute gold! What I like about them is that they give info about the actual process of taking an image, rather than gear reviews. And also the way you teach is really understandable. Looking forward for new ones. :)
Well done, someone needed to say this. Shared to someone who is well known you only understands "blue" & "golden" hours. Thanks for you efforts and sharing your photos.
Thanks!! watched a couple of your videos now. Great content and tips/mind sets to use. I was just hearing about how some photographers refuse to shoot in mid day "harsh light" but loved how you framed not as a constant negative (like rain, or other challenging light situations) but as a tool to be used depending on what you want to communicate in the photo (communicating the harsh environment/lifestyle or making weather part of the photo). Thank you for taking the time to create this for us!!
I like this. And sometimes the situation also is such that we either shoot in harsh, midday light or we do not shoot at all. It helps if we can be flexible, I think, and try to make the best of whatever situation we are presented with. Sometimes we just cannot control it.
Great video! Being able to recognize the value of different light conditions allows us to shift gears and refocus our “compositional attention” based on weather conditions. When I shoot on dark, cloudy days sometimes the images turn out flat and/ or muddy in color. Shifting to a different subject or element opens up possibilities to the creation of interesting images no matter what light we find ourselves in. Thanks!
I have only just recently subscribed to your channel but I must say it is without doubt one of, if not the best photography channel I've used. Excellent content and very well presented. Top Mark's on making the content and the educational value in it.
Yes, thanks Mitchell. I’m new to the world of photograph, and have Had a very limited mindset of it too. Your videos I have watched are changing that. To me it looks like You somehow include your life perspective into taking photos. Purpose, mindset etc all things in living a superior fulfilling life. At least for me it is. Thanks again, hope to do your coarse one day.
You must have been the son of an Australian diplomat. I'd love to hear your story. These are incredible videos, so glad I stumbled on them. In two weeks, I'm heading out to spend two years on the road in the US and Mexico.
Hi Mitchell, I have recently subscribed to your Full Package and I am totally enthralled by your excellent presentation and the way that you demonstrate your ideas. If this is one of your early UA-cam Videos, all I can add is keep up this excellent standard, I'm already hooked and waiting for more. Thanks, John
I have always avoided taking photographs at midday. This video helps open up new possibilities in my mind for using a different kind of light. Thank you!
Hi- I have always loved natural light and its FREE as a posed to using flash. Your video highlights some very good info. is really logical and all makes perfect sense to me. I have become a bit lax over latter years eg. not going out in the rain to photograph. You have inspired me, thank you.
I’ve always wanted to start pursuing my passion for photography but I always back out because I feel overwhelmed with the videos that I watch. Thank God I was brought here in your page. You help me understand in a simple way. Hope you can add more videos. 👏
I can only thank you for this video I'm a totally starting in this world and this video is so brite and clear, photography would be nothing without light, and your ideas and examples can't be better explain, I found all this information incredibly helpful once again..... thank you
I really like your video and how you make your points. Photography is not only about beautiful light. Conveying a message, a mood, a sensation is not inseparably paired with "nice" light. I always felt it would be wrong to not touch the camera outside of golden and blue hours (as some suggest). But I could never have explained it so well. Looking at the "good" photos on the internet I'd even say that "nice" light is used to the point of getting boring. I hope that many photographers take your advice and explore the possibilities of other lighting situations.
Hey Mitchell, thank you Lord for helping to find you!! :-) Your video is great!! I'm glad I'm not the only one that sees the Light the way you do. When I'm outside I can see the light and the shadows and there effects but I need to lesrn how to use my capacity to create great images. When I say great I mean images with a purpose. Not just a click, I'm learning and I want to learn more about how to become a travel photographer like you! I see light as being always good, you just need to know how to use it creatively. Thank you for your light guide also!! Have a blessed day!! Ps: Don't forget, God loves you!!
I agree with you. After shooting in my projects for few years I realized that for the meaning of this I had to avoid the blue sky. Beautiful light and colours are good for your photos , but this light could take you out of the meaning of the object on itself that are you taking the photoof. So, yes all dependece of the meaning of your photo.
You come across as a lovely person who takes amazing photographs. Thank you for your contribution. If I could take one photo as good as one of yours I would be happy forever :)
This video might actually change the way I photograph. Using and understanding light to create deep and powerful photographs the way you explained here was kinda eye opening! Thanks!
I've been back in Sydney, Australia for a bit and decided to create this video. The topic of natural light is very important but often misunderstood, in my opinion. I'd love to get everyone's thoughts on the ideas I share here. Or, maybe you have an interesting approach to natural light in photography yourself.
Very good video. Pointing out that changing your mind about the light allows you to take photos is so important. I do a lot of indoor late night party photos using flash, and multiple, often moving, light sources so changing my mind about light and rules regarding it is the only way I can get interesting photos. It's part of our job as photographers to work the light and not let it work us.
Absolutely!
that kind of videos its the reason why you tube's cool
Thank you
Hi Mitchell, I stumbled upon your channel and the last two videos were fantastic, I subscribed and I'll definitely take inspiration from your videos to use in my own photography. BTW pictures you've shown in your videos were beautiful and I loved how you explained about composition and such. Can't wait to see what else you will bring! Take care and have safe trips!
YOU ARE WONDERFULL. YOU AROE AMOND FEW WHO DISCUSS PHOTOGRAPHY NOT EQUIPMENT. YOU ARE REAL EDUCATOR.
Completely changed my mindset...I always believed that pictures are meant to please eyes..but there is so much beyond that! It is not always about the happy brighter side but also about the darker and not so happy side of life...all those pictures of the deserted land tells u so much about a life where there is no comfort but still so much to admire!!
Photography is about everything. Documentary photography is about life.
I don’t have the right words to describe how inspiring I find your teaching. I already have the natural light course and a some of your books and they are incredible. Your photographs are so impactful and I wish I could someday produce something as beautiful
What a fantastic thing this video is. It makes you want to get up, take the camera and go out taking pictures. Thank you very much for raising an unusual subject like this. Really if only we photograph when the light conditions are great we will be missing a fantastic world.
Well, again "great" is relative. :) Everything can be great for the purpose, just have to think of what we actually want to communicate.
This is an excellent lesson on how to use - and even to benefit from hard and seemingly photographically-bad natural light. Basically, what you teach us is, that there is no bad natural light for photography; just use the existing light as is, to your purposes and benefits. A lot of thanks, Mitchell!
Exactly right....I always told my students..."A good photographer is able to create a good image under any type of light and any given time of the day!" (One has to know and master his camera perfectly.) Plus...in post-production, you are able to change up to 85% of all images to the exact mood you desire. It is a steep learning curve though, but in photography, like in any other profession, constant education and never-ending improvement are the secret of success and will set you apart from the (unsuccessful) rest. (Purchasing an expansive camera will make you as much a photographer as buying a real sharp knife would make you a surgeon.) Photojournalists, Wedding Photographers, and Travel Photographers have one thing in common..very often, they have only one chance to take the image! Right there and right then. Only a very well trained professional will be able to handle that, all the time and under all circumstances despite the stress that most are under.
finally someone talking about the most important thing in photography....light. thank you very much for this !!youve got a new subscriber
Makes one think more, instead of being a tourist/ photographer. Such a beautiful thing is all natural light. We just need to embrace it within our images by thinking just that little bit more. Thank you for this video.
Thanks for watching and yeh, that's the point. Embrace it and take advantage of what's actually there.
Thank you Mitchell for sharing! At least one known photographer on UA-cam who speaks out the truth about natural light in photography and not only the standard sentence all over again.
Thanks. That's the idea. Don't want to recycle the same info over and over.
Through this video, I have learned how to mould light and how to use it from dawn to dusk.
I think I just learnt the most important lesson in photography: “adapt to the lighting”!
Thanks, Mitch! Enrolling in your “Behind the scenes” course soon!
Thank you very much! And yes - we have to adapt, because as far as natural light goes - that's all we can do. 🙂 We can't change it without carrying more gear.
First time I hear a prof photographer come up with a statement like this and I like it! Being a travel person myself I always wondered how it is possible/sensable to apply the "rules" that every photographer spells you out.... "only early morning or sunset time is appropriate for good photo's". So I like your point of view Mitchell, and the way you present it!
Thanks. I think that perhaps people often mistake most beautiful with "best". But it would be silly not to shoot through so many different situations.
Hi Mitchell, first of all you have a fantastic body of work that I constantly find inspiration in! The fact that you also take the time and effort to share your approach to photography is wonderful.
I really enjoyed the video and look forward to the next!
Keep up the great work and many thanks!
Thank you. Although I am not a specific travel photographer, but a wildlife, equine and pet photographer I come across the same kinds of natural light and hearing from somebody else always helps to improve my photography. You never know everything.
For sure. Agreed. The stuff I say does apply to other types of photography, I just talk from the perspective I know and understand. Thanks for watching. :)
Hi Mitchell, honestly speaking one of the best photographic UA-cam videos EVER! I live in the UAE and I always make excuses about the hard light , you just changed my perspective the way I should look at light. Like you say" Their is no good or bad light, it's the way you approach it" Keep the videos coming, I am certainly going to check out your course. Regards Tony
Thanks a lot, Tony, appreciate it.
Thanks a lot for your video. It changed my view of light and actually makes me a bit more relaxed about not always trying to catch the golden hour or wait for good weather conditions.
Good to hear. Thanks for watching.
Finally what I have been waiting for. I love shooting in different light and atmosphere to get something different. Nice and easy to listen to. Thank you so much.
One of the best photography videos I've seen on youtube. Thank you for your effort!
Thanks for watching. :)
You are “preaching to the choir” here with this very instructive video. Your thoughts are beautifully and very logically presented, putting words to things I have only thought. EXCELLENT!! And Thank you. Five Stars.
This video is absolutely one of the best videos I’ve watched. You’ve made me think about photography in a new light. Everything doesn’t have to be beautiful but still have a big impact. I enjoy your videos. Immensely.
I have to say this is the best photography educational channel I found on UA-cam. Thank you for these videos.
You just remembered my about a think that I believe in, don't find excuses, work everything with what you have and make it the best", and now I see that can be applied in photography as well. Thank you Mitchell for this great and inspiring video!
Thankyou for many amazing thoughts & photos you shared . One of my most ever favourite photos, I'd seen somewhere before, the child with little nose pushed against the glass while raining outside, little pink lips, pondering eyes & yellow top & it's yours !!!!. Thanks again for all you are willing to contribute to photographic community much appreciated .
Haha. Thanks. That's my nephew. :)
Wow, I don't normally comment on videos but you're an amazing story teller through your photos and actually story telling. Love your work and learning from watching/listening.
Thank you very much.
Now, this is a video that can help me grow in my photographic journey, watching youtube videos can be a beneficial exercise, but videos like this are beyond beneficial as they not only teach me how to look at things from a different perspective and with a new outlook but they challenge me to step up my game.
Thank you, Mitchell, for this awesome teaching video
As I'm always traveling on other projects, I mostly shoot in the light that is presented with some surprising and unexpected results. Although I do wait for certain lighting when I can.
This gives more food for thought as I'm upping the photography more and more.
PS arrived at Uluru in the rain! The following morning overcast, mist etc, created a beautiful difference of colours.
Thank you Mitchell. This is the best video I've learned on "bad light". Amazing, amazing photos of your travel.
I keep reading and hearing about shooting at sunrise and sunset for amazing photography and this has kind of change my perception of natural light in a way. I come from a tropical island where the weather is always beautiful with blue sky and I used to naively shoot in very bright light (and occasionally at sunset) thinking it was the best light but when I started to really getting interested in photography and studying professional photographers' images, it didn't take me long to understand that my photos suck and lack many things but I didn't know at the time what these were. I've spent thousands of dollars to learn more about camera functions, exposure, composition, technique, isolating subjects etc and light (that's the hardest one for me). Because I've seen, read and heard so much that shooting at sunrise and sunset for landscape make the best photos this has slowly and eventually become ingrained in my mind that I disregarded other kind of natural light condition until I came across a video by Mitchell "Behind the Scene" which blew my mind away. Then his video on "Natural Light" completely changed my thinking and the information in it opened up my eyes and I thought hey, this is pretty good, why haven't I come across this before.
I am forever grateful for your videos as now I see the world differently and think I am on a better path to better myself and better my photography. Your tutorial is much appreciated. One request though: To expand my learning, I would love to understand the exposure you use for your travel photography (ISO, aperture and shutter speed). Thanks.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Linda. I'll see if I can touch on some of those things in future videos.
Hello Mitchell. I find your voice and the pace of your delivery to be very calming and informative. I never had the urge to scroll along on the timeline to see how much time was remaining on the video. Your mastery of delivering a message, along with the injection of text graphics help nicely to keep my attention and not feel like a lecture, but more like a "mentoring conversation".
As a former corporate video producer, I know how much work goes into a production like yours, and for this I say, "keep up the good work", you are making a difference!!!!
Thanks very much. Appreciate the feedback. What you mention was what I was aiming for, so, I guess I am on the right path. :)
Mitchell - your videos are thoughtful and original. Your vision is clear and this comes across in the points you make and also the photos you take. Most of all your photos show a life well lived and someone following his vision. Makes me want to travel but also makes me a little jealous, keep them coming please!
Thanks for your thoughtful comment, John! A few more videos are already up and there's gonna be a looong one, but, I think the most interesting one so far. 🙂
I've never thought of using natural light for setting mood in the way you conveyed as I tend to use off camera flash(es) and modifiers to control and set mood when shooting portraiture outdoors as I and most people like to be in control. You shed light on the fact for you as a travel photographer you have to roll with the punches and use whatever natural light that is provided in that moment to convey story and mood. Something I've done unknowingly and never given thought to and usually I tend to hold back or shy away from doing portraiture when weather is not what I envisioned or anticipated. And you Sir have given me food for thought. Thank you!
Great - food for thought is always good. One of the purposes of this video. :)
Superb! I’m new to photography. I found this video to be an amazing source of information. The photography was exquisite and certainly illustrated your point. However, equally brilliant was how clearly you articulated your ideas and how to use them; how to assess the light and adapt the art to the light. Thank you. I look forward to more of your videos.
This is my favorite photography video I've ever seen. Out of hundreds. I'd love to see more. In the meantime, I'm forced to watch this one over and over again. Happily, of course.
Thank you very much for the kind words. I do have other videos already. So, feel free to watch those, if you like. :)
I'm a macro photographer practising four years from nowadays I personally like to photograph portrait too after watching You're documentation & presentation Of each scene is upgrading Each days is setting my mind that just do it on different photographs from different regions
I feel that your videos are themselves works of art. They are beautiful, thoughtful and considerate. Love your work more when you illustrate things with images.
Thanks so much. Appreciate the nice words. 🙂
This is a great video that describes how to shoot throughout the day. Very helpful and insightful. Thank you!
Possibly one of the best informational pieces that I have ever viewed... - h Gale
You’re my favorite photography channel .. I bought your photography course too and I love it
How do you not have a few million followers/subscribers? You're pure awesomeness. LOVE your content. Thank you.
Haha. Thanks. Just started, I hope there will be a few more. :)
Inspiring video! Thank you for helping me out of my creative rut. A nice reminder that this also gives us more than 2hrs a day to make photographs. My Family will appreciate that I no longer have to disappear at dinner time for that Golden hour!
Haha! I still would disappear, but for the day! :)
Great video. The most honest, practical and informative material from any pro photographer I follow. I’ve read all of Mitchell’s ebooks and watched his other videos and they are all just as inspiring. Please keep the videos coming.
Thanks very much. :)
Thank you very much for the wonderful video explaining the most powerful tool. I has landed on my consciousness as a transformative principal. You are very kind and generous with your knowledge. Good journeys.
Thanks and enjoy. 🙂
Watching this video months later and still finding it packed with info gems.
Light surrounds us always and it's up to us to understand and work with it.
Our popularized preconceptions work against us.
Thanks for busting that bubble.
Beautiful work as usual. Beautiful doesn't always mean pretty. I agree, since you can't change the weather, why not change your mind!
Exactly. :)
it's the first video of yours that I watch and seriously, I think you've just changed the game and raised the bar up high for all the other youtubers in the field of photography!
Haha, appreciate that :)
More great info and inspiration. Your simple and straightforward presentations are always so helpful. Thanks for being so generous.
Glad to be useful. :)
This was actually the first time seeing a video about using light Outdoors and it was awesome. Thank u for makeing such good Content. Every one is always talking about "photographing is painting with light", but Nobody ever showed so many aspects how to use it. rly appreciate it.
That is an outstanding video and presentation. Very much appreciated. I watched it twice.
Recently discovered your channel, and I enjoy it a lot!! You are very inspiring and creative. I was making notes through the whole video.
Haha, awesome! I've made a PDF guide thingy for that. You hardly need to take notes even. 🙂
mitchellkphotos that's really cool! Downloading now!!
Man!!! So good for confidence! Best video I've seen, hands down. Gives me confidence rather than I suck!
Amazing video. Love it. Not too much technical but more on whats more important. Improvise in any condition. Thanks. Love it
Thanks for watching!
Hi Mitchell, the photos you are using to make your point, the explanations you are giving and the tone of your speech, all together with the subject make your videos captivating. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
Thanks very much. Appreciate it.
Thank you, Michell. I've used to upset when travelling and got a bad light, overcast, raining. Somehow, just like you've shared in the video, I have changed my mindset. I love taking photos with natural light. Your video has got a useful information. I love it.
Your videos are marvelous, the best I've seen on UA-cam. You make the narrative connect with the wonderful images. Inspirational!
Thanks so much.
Great introduction to how natural light can be used to make compelling photographs, even when you don't think the light is just right. An inspiration!
Love the way you story-tell while still explaining about the lesson on point!
Great to hear that. Thanks :)
So wonderful eye and mind opening. I'm so very grateful thank 🙏 you.
Really nice video! I appreciate also the format you use, not some quick tips explained in 2 minutes. Some things require time so don’t worry if the next video is long I will watch it!
Really put a sense of confidence in me from your talk to have a positive attitude about lighting conditions and how to make the best of it in challenging times. Enjoyed it and learnt from it. Thank you.
Thank you for watching. I am glad that you enjoyed. 🙂
Thank you for championing shooting throughout the day, and not just golden, or blue hour!
Haha, cheers.
Beautiful work and quite enlightening about the subject of light. Much food for thought.
Really appreciated this video, am so tired of other photographers going on about golden hours. Your approach is realistic and pragmatic. Images can be taken under any lighting conditions, its about being creative and mindful - appreciating the moment. Thank you
Absolutely. Life "happens" in all types of light. Not just during the golden hours. :)
Thank you! You helped me escape this "good light" vs "bad light" mental trap. And your video and pictures inspired me.
Thanks a lot Mitchell! For me, as an enthusiastic ever learning amateur photographer, this is by far the most inspiring video about photography I‘ve watched over the last couple of years. Thank you very much!
Thank you for watching it. 🙂
After watching couple of your videos... I am (or can i say was?) the guy who always wanted a super sharp lenses, great cameras, not shooting during the great light opportunities at all, leading to not shooting and capturing moments at all and... I just wanted to say thank you to opening my eyes and giving me the impulse to photograph anything anywhere again!
Hey Mitchell - awesome video. Just like Steve Mccurry, I have always struggled with the harsh midday sun and avoid it like the plague. However, you have given a different perspective here and much to think about. When I am on my trips, I hate wasting time sitting around waiting for 'better' light. I think now I will just get out and shoot. My favourite light is actually cloudy days - no harsh shadows or highlights, just very even light and easy for metering. Keep up the great work and I eagerly await the next video. Philip
Thanks Phillip! Yeh, I think it's definitely a waste to just sit and wait for "better light". Haha. :)
I really like music and the sound effects a pair with Mitchell voice makes me want to get my camera and go out to take some pictures
Your videos are absolute gold! What I like about them is that they give info about the actual process of taking an image, rather than gear reviews. And also the way you teach is really understandable. Looking forward for new ones. :)
David Smolík thanks. Happy that some appreciate that!
Well done, someone needed to say this. Shared to someone who is well known you only understands "blue" & "golden" hours. Thanks for you efforts and sharing your photos.
Thanks!! watched a couple of your videos now. Great content and tips/mind sets to use. I was just hearing about how some photographers refuse to shoot in mid day "harsh light" but loved how you framed not as a constant negative (like rain, or other challenging light situations) but as a tool to be used depending on what you want to communicate in the photo (communicating the harsh environment/lifestyle or making weather part of the photo). Thank you for taking the time to create this for us!!
Thanks for watching. Good to see people getting something out of it.
Your right! We talk a lot about this at work. Some of my colleagues think all has to be photographed in golden and blue hour.
Dude, your series of videos is one of the most effective ones on the web. Great contents, great takes. Your enthusiasm is viral. Thanks. Marco
Thanks Marco! i do like what I do a lot, so I guess it comes through. 🙂
I like this. And sometimes the situation also is such that we either shoot in harsh, midday light or we do not shoot at all. It helps if we can be flexible, I think, and try to make the best of whatever situation we are presented with. Sometimes we just cannot control it.
Great video! Being able to recognize the value of different light conditions allows us to shift gears and refocus our “compositional attention” based on weather conditions. When I shoot on dark, cloudy days sometimes the images turn out flat and/ or muddy in color. Shifting to a different subject or element opens up possibilities to the creation of interesting images no matter what light we find ourselves in. Thanks!
I have only just recently subscribed to your channel but I must say it is without doubt one of, if not the best photography channel I've used. Excellent content and very well presented. Top Mark's on making the content and the educational value in it.
The best tutorial video on internet today.... Thank you sir for this beautiful video 🙌❤️ love from INDIA
Muy Interesante , y de GRAN AYUDA ! Saludos desde Mexico.
Gracias. Iré aya un dia. :)
Great video Mitch! Love the honesty and authentic sense of your work. Keep the videos coming. You're a natural teacher and communicator.
I loved it. I know most of this intuitively, but having it laid out like this helps me logically make better decisions
Thank you and God bless.
Thank you for your insights. Valuable contribution and inspiring.
Yes, thanks Mitchell. I’m new to the world of photograph, and have Had a very limited mindset of it too. Your videos I have watched are changing that. To me it looks like You somehow include your life perspective into taking photos. Purpose, mindset etc all things in living a superior fulfilling life. At least for me it is.
Thanks again, hope to do your coarse one day.
Lots of ideas on using whatever natural light is there. Thoroughly enjoyed it
Great inspiration this AM as I gear up to go out with local fishermen in Cozumel for the day. Gonna have plenty of that harsh sunlight!
You must have been the son of an Australian diplomat. I'd love to hear your story. These are incredible videos, so glad I stumbled on them. In two weeks, I'm heading out to spend two years on the road in the US and Mexico.
Haha, that would have been interesting, but not at all. My family is Belarusian/Russian/Polish and probably some other mixes somewhere.
Hi Mitchell, I have recently subscribed to your Full Package and I am totally enthralled by your excellent presentation and the way that you demonstrate your ideas. If this is one of your early UA-cam Videos, all I can add is keep up this excellent standard, I'm already hooked and waiting for more. Thanks, John
Thanks very much. Yeh, still early goings. Let's see where it all goes. :)
Outstanding approach. Thank you for sharing. Considering taking your course.
I have always avoided taking photographs at midday. This video helps open up new possibilities in my mind for using a different kind of light. Thank you!
All about new/different possibilities. Silly to limit ourselves.
Hi- I have always loved natural light and its FREE as a posed to using flash.
Your video highlights some very good info. is really logical and all makes perfect sense to me.
I have become a bit lax over latter years eg. not going out in the rain to photograph.
You have inspired me, thank you.
Прекрасный урок. Михаил, конечно, замечательный фотограф. Учиться у него одно удовольствие.
Thanks, но , если по русски то я Митя/Дмирий а не Михаил :)
Буду знать :)
I’ve always wanted to start pursuing my passion for photography but I always back out because I feel overwhelmed with the videos that I watch. Thank God I was brought here in your page. You help me understand in a simple way. Hope you can add more videos. 👏
Aa Vin Ha! Awesome to hear that. :)
Awesome! Thank you. It changed my perspective of "bad" light! I always tried to avoid the harsh afternoon light but not now!
Great. :)
Fantastic video Mitchell! Great presentation of excellent material and I will look at all lighting conditions 'in a new light'! Subscribed!
Thanks for watching and glad you got something out of it.
I can only thank you for this video I'm a totally starting in this world and this video is so brite and clear, photography would be nothing without light, and your ideas and examples can't be better explain, I found all this information incredibly helpful once again..... thank you
I really like your video and how you make your points. Photography is not only about beautiful light. Conveying a message, a mood, a sensation is not inseparably paired with "nice" light. I always felt it would be wrong to not touch the camera outside of golden and blue hours (as some suggest). But I could never have explained it so well. Looking at the "good" photos on the internet I'd even say that "nice" light is used to the point of getting boring. I hope that many photographers take your advice and explore the possibilities of other lighting situations.
Some of the best photo content on UA-cam. Subscribed.
Hey Mitchell, thank you Lord for helping to find you!! :-)
Your video is great!!
I'm glad I'm not the only one that sees the Light the way you do. When I'm outside I can see the light and the shadows and there effects but I need to lesrn how to use my capacity to create great images.
When I say great I mean images with a purpose.
Not just a click, I'm learning and I want to learn more about how to become a travel photographer like you!
I see light as being always good, you just need to know how to use it creatively.
Thank you for your light guide also!!
Have a blessed day!!
Ps: Don't forget, God loves you!!
Thank you. 🙂
I agree with you. After shooting in my projects for few years I realized that for the meaning of this I had to avoid the blue sky. Beautiful light and colours are good for your photos , but this light could take you out of the meaning of the object on itself that are you taking the photoof. So, yes all dependece of the meaning of your photo.
You come across as a lovely person who takes amazing photographs. Thank you for your contribution. If I could take one photo as good as one of yours I would be happy forever :)
simon daniels haha. Thanks so much for that. :)
This video might actually change the way I photograph. Using and understanding light to create deep and powerful photographs the way you explained here was kinda eye opening! Thanks!
That's for watching. That's the idea. :)