Natural vs. Artificial Light: Can't We All Just Get Along?

 SPOILER ALERT! DON'T WATCH THIS CLIP IF YOU INTEND TO SEE THE MOVIE AND WANT TO BE SURPRISED AT THE END!!!!!

"I said I never had much use for one. I never said I didn't know how to use it."

Matthew Quigley

If you haven't seen 1990's Quigley Down Under, you should. It's a Westernesque movie that takes place in Australia in the late 1800s. Matthew Quigley plays an American long-distance marksman whose gun of choice in an 1874 Sharps Buffalo Rifle. By now you may be wondering, "What in the world does this have to do with photography?" Let me explain...

I've been a photographer just about all my life. From playing with my parents' old cameras that were no longer being used, to 110s, to Polaroids, to Canon SureShot 35mm point-and-shoots, to my high school graduation gift which was a fully manual Vivitar 35mm SLR and speedlight. Over time I figured out the look I wanted and did whatever I had to do to make sure I got it, using natural/ambient light or from artificial sources. I just didn't think too much about it.

I started my business, Gemini Multimedia, in 2006. It was originally named "Gemini Media Transfer Service" as I only converted analog media to digital format (a service I still offer). As my business grew I began to shoot video (in 2008) and eventually stills (in 2010), which was the catalyst to change the name to cover a broader range of services.  When I became a professional photographer there was one debate I found myself in the middle of and I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out why it was such a big deal...

"Are you a natural light photographer?"

My answer to that question was, "Um...I guess." And I am a natural light photographer, but I also used artificial sources if I needed to. Might be car headlights, work lamps from Walmart, flashlights, or other light sources. The response to my answer would often include an indignant, "Well, I am exclusively a natural light photographer! I like the challenge of making art out of natural light!"  Quite frankly, I didn't care one way or the other, I used both to get the results I wanted. I'd just get a little irritated at the uppity attitude, but whatever.

Then I partnered up with my high school friend, Jay Johnson. We had worked on many shoots together already...he was the photographer and I was the videographer. He had nurtured my desire to take stills and I thought he was (and still is) a studio lighting genius. He took me under his wing as my mentor and taught me some lighting basics, which I took and ran with. Talk about taking my photography to a higher level, wow! I will forever be grateful to Jay for his being my lighting mentor!

So...one day Jay and I are talking about this epic battle between photographers and he said this,

"When someone asks me if I'm a natural light photographer I tell them I am an 'available' light photographer. If my studio lights are in my trunk, they are 'available' to me. If I'm shooting in the sun, that light is 'available' to me. It's ALL available light!"

 Wow! Brilliant answer! So guess what? That's my answer now, too!

I have a reputation of using artificial light, and I'm more than ok with that.  However, I know how to use natural/ambient light, too! So, to restate Matthew Quigley's quote from the beginning of this post,

"I said I never had much use for natural light. I never said I didn't know how to use it."

Photographers NEED to know how to use both. Separately, and at the same time. Sure, buying studio lights, modifiers, and batteries can get expensive, not to mention it's a lot of equipment to lug around, but your creativity and variety will go through the roof. Not only will those two things happen, but your clients will be amazed at what you can offer them, I promise!

That's what really matters, right?