Digital photography can be a very exciting and rewarding hobby or profession, especially when you are finally able to capture the scene just as the human eye sees it. There are many variables that go into getting that perfect shot and with even one of them just slightly off, your photo may not turn out quite like you pictured it in your mind.

Photography is a term originating from the Greek words “photos” (light) and “graphos” (drawing). So essentially, photography means drawing with light. It’s no wonder why lighting is so incredibly important!

To improve upon your digital photography skills, especially when photographing nature, there are a few things to consider, regarding lighting, before you try for that perfect shot.

The time of day and cloudiness are the first things to come to mind. The sun can add a beautiful soft glow to a scene or ruin it with high contrast and harsh shadows. The best time of day for a photo shoot is either dusk or dawn. This is when the sunlight is the least intense because the sun is lower to the horizon and shines its light at the best angle. This will almost eliminate harsh shadows and overexposure making you one step closer to that perfect picture of nature at its best.

Unfortunately, the window of opportunity at these times is smaller than one would want. That’s when other props and equipment can be used to filter the sunlight or bring out the little bit of rays left of the day. Those tools are well worth the investment and can give a photographer more lighting options for his or her scene.

Clouds and fog can greatly affect your photograph as well, since they can block, interfere or enhance your light. They can create a smoky or textured look that you’d use for a sunset or gray out a vibrant scene with less light. Whatever the feel you’re going for, use them to your advantage.

Overcast days are okay to shoot on because you can always add more light with artificial lighting. Be careful though, they can give certain hues a blue undertone, which may not work for a warm-toned shot.

There are also settings in your digital camera that adjust the shutter speed, the length of time the “eye” of the camera or aperture is open. This feature can allow more or less light into the photograph, depending on the look you’re going for.

Sometimes you want to create a high contrast but more so with nature, high saturation. If the aperture is open too long, the photograph will be washed-out, hiding all the detail and colors with too much whiteness. If the aperture is not open long enough, your picture can come out almost black and/or blurry because the camera didn’t have a sufficient amount of light coming through the lens. Refer to your digital camera’s manual for more specific information on aperture settings.

As long as your subject is evenly lit and there are no harsh shadows or lines in the picture, then your photograph should come out quite nicely. You do want soft shadows to create different shades and tints so be sure not to wash out your photograph with too much light.

Once you achieve the “perfect” light, you’ll know it because the image in your camera will look exactly as you saw it through your own eyes and it will be beautiful.