Why Lighting?

It's important to know not just what we do but WHY we do it.  

Photography literally means "writing with light."  The whole art of photography is using light to expose and capture images.  

I have always been attracted to light.  Starting as an amateur landscape photographer, it was very clear to me that an ENTIRE landscape changed when the light hit it a certain way.  When I waited for magic hour, patiently, because I knew that light would make a world of difference.  

Fast forward to my career as a photographer.  I've learned that there are nuances, even using natural light, to make a photograph not just good, but great.

Then it was time for me to make a step up.  I realized that I was comfortable using natural light, but not artificial light.  A mentor of mine taught me how to use flash to back light and I captured my first night photo for my bride and groom using this "fun little trick" I learned. I thought I was impressed with the result, but when I showed the clients, they were even more WOWED.

I realized then the POWER that we have as photographers when we know how to use and shape our light.  What I just did for them is something they could never do for themselves.

When we know how to use light, our clients are CONFIDENT in us.  They TRUST us.  Why?  Because this is our art and we are the artists - knowing how to use light is key to being the artists we were designed to be.  

And it's also the key to serving our clients well.

On my wedding day this past October, my husband and I encountered the most incredible thing...we had a wedding day with 100% chance of rain.  There was not a dry moment the entire day.  It was what some brides would consider a disaster.  But I was calm.  And the second my photographer arrived, I breathed a sigh of relief.  I KNEW she would know how to make this day beautiful for my husband and I.  And she did - she delivered light and airy images, both indoors and outdoors.  It was amazing.  All our guests who saw them said, "you would never even know it was a rainy day!"

This touches my heart because I know that as a photographer, that SIGH of relief that I breathed is the same sigh of relief my brides will breathe when I arrive.  Because they can TRUST me that I know what to do, I know how to handle tough situations, I know how to use light to make details, and portraits of them, look even better than they could envision themselves.

This is our job, friends.  It's a beautiful job.

Our clients are counting on us to do it.

And we can't do it without LIGHT.