Video: how to find good light in your photography

At its most fundamental, photography is writing with light. Our cameras are simply boxes that capture light, with us controlling how much of it, and for how long, will enter our camera and pass across our camera sensor or slide of film.

When we take an image we are simply freezing a moment in time. How and when we choose to do this is the very essence of photography.

Sean Tucker recently released a new video that shows how he identifies light, shoots a set of images, makes a selection and edits for the final result. Shooting in urban environments, he says he looks for the reflective properties of glass and metal in his environment, and uses these to build the image he wants.

The editing process involves emphasising what's already in his image, before preparing it for export. In this case he chooses black and white as his interest for this particular image is more to do with the light and shape rather than any colours in the frame.

Having an idea of the type of image you want to capture before you shoot can help guide your technique. Spending some time looking for the best light and how it falls on your subject, and finally editing to enhance what's already there will all help you take better images.

You can see more of Tucker's excellent videos on his YouTube channel.