GO BEYOND THE GOLDEN HOURS

Don’t like getting up early, or staying out late? Peter Eastway reveals how to capture amazing landscapes in the middle of the day

- Peter Eastway

We’re taught that the best times of day for landscape photography are early in the morning and late in the afternoon, because the angle of the light can bring a wonderful dimensionality to the land, and there may be a little extra colour as well. However, as more and more photographers travel the world, it’s not always possible to be in a particular location in the best weather or at the best time of day. We’re often presented with a take-it-or-leave-it opportunity, often in the middle of the day, and so the challenge is to devise ways to capture interesting images in midday lighting.

When we talk about midday lighting we tend to think of clear skies and overhead sunshine – but of course, the weather can change all this. Under overcast skies, midday light is often superior to the overcast gloom you can find at sunrise and sunset.

Let’s look at four different ways in which you can take advantage of what you might write off as sub-standard lighting, and turn it into something that’s creative, eye-catching and appropriate.

EXPOSE FOR IMPACT

Long-exposure images at midday might seem counterintuitive, but the results can be striking

HOW LONG TO EXPOSE?

Whether you need a long exposure to create blurred water or clouds depends on many factors. A fast-moving subject, or one moving across the image frame, won’t require as long an exposure as a slow-moving subject or one that’s moving towards or away from you.

MOVEMENT CREATES INTEREST

The larger icebergs were stationary on the beach, while the smaller iceberg slush moved with the ebb and flow of the sea, and blurred during a 10-second exposure