Look Who it Was Random video

Mike Corsentino // Shutter Magazine

4,439 views · Published 5 September 2014 · 15:35 · Indexed 4 November 2026

Channel: Behind the Shutter · 2014 · People & Blogs

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Controlling Natural Light (Read the Full Article on behindtheshutter.com)

As we lighting geeks often say, “light is light.” Readers of this column know I’m a big believer in the importance of knowing how to use artificial light from strobes, speedlights and constant light. But through my involvement in several online forums recently, I realized I’ve been neglecting the very important and fundamental subject of controlling and shaping natural light. 

Forums are a great place to take the pulse of the community and find out what people are thinking. After posting questions on several Facebook group pages asking what lighting challenges people needed the most help with, I was surprised by how many were asking for tips and techniques to help control natural light, specifically how to shoot in harsh sunlit conditions. It dawned on me that I’d totally forgotten to address these basic natural-light skills and had instead been focusing almost entirely on strobe techniques. The other common thread was that people wanted recommendations for tools to control natural light that were portable and affordable, and that would allow them to work without assistants. 

I hadn’t even considered the fact that people need to understand the fundamentals of controlling natural light before they can even begin to think about moving on to strobes. The good news is that much of what applies to controlling and shaping artificial light also applies to natural light. A lot of people use strobes, so this doesn’t mean I won’t be continuing to cover artificial light. I plan to focus more on natural light in my future articles. A couple times a year, I’ll be taking you on a deep dive into all things natural light. I’ll start with a two-part series this month and next month that addresses the question at hand: how to shoot in harsh sunlit conditions. 

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