It's a cliche, but photography is all about light. Your ability to make great photographs is based on your ability to work with light.

A great photographer is someone who can see a beautiful visual moment and capture what they see in a photograph. A great photographer knows how to turn that moment into a photograph, and doesn't have to hope that the picture turns out the way they intended. They know it.

The good news is, there is no reason you can't become on of those great photographers. But to do so, you must learn to feel the light.

You can start by looking around. No matter where you are, there is light that can be studied and observed. Every waking hour you can learn something about light simply by watching.

With The Sun Behind You

The most basic way to get good lighting is to put the sun behind you. This is a great way to get an evenly lit scene with good color and fewer shadows. But to grow as a photographer you'll need to learn more advanced skills. You need to be aware of what things look like from the other side.

Shooting Into The Sun

You'll learn the most from breaking the rules, so try shooting into the sun. This example, with rays of early morning sunlight coming through the trees is an obvious example of that. The light evokes an emotional response in the viewer.

Backlit Highlights

You can also use the sun as a backlight to create a contrast between your subject and a dark background. In this example, the backlight of the sun causes the water droplets to stand out dramatically against the dark background. The contrast between the white water and black background is a key ingredient to this photograph's success. The expression on the boy's face helps as well.

Watching

This photograph, below, illustrates what you can do when you're aware of the light.

Don't settle for the first idea that comes to you. Keep moving. The minute you run out of ideas, start moving and looking from another direction. That's how I found this moment, below.

Always push yourself to use light in new and interesting ways. It's common to get into habits like always putting the sun behind you. That makes things easy and comfortable when you fall back on situations that you've already mastered. But great photographers aren't common. You will be better when you challenge yourself with new and unfamiliar situations. As you find success in various lighting situations you will grow as a photographer.