P#22 Q1C: Is Natural Lighting Really Better?

Never Say Always

John Siskin: I think the biggest myth is that natural lighting is better. That's true under certain circumstances. Obviously there are times when the existing light is the best light for the image, but it's not true all the time.

I think another big myth is that lighting is difficult. Lighting is the application of certain tools to problems that the photographer sees. If you understand how to use the tools, you can create the images that you want. Unfortunately most people never learn how the tools work or what the tools are for so they throw whatever tools they happen to have at a situation that doesn't work,

Then it gets worse. People say, "Well, natural lighting is much better." If you want to control lighting, you have to understand how to take control.

Audri Lanford: One of the things that I just love about this podcast series is that we get such different perspectives. We definitely have heard the "natural light is better" perspective so I'm very excited to hear yours and hear the other side of that coin. It's just great.

John Siskin: I've certainly made some absolutely marvelous images that I take tremendous pride in with existing found light. I don't think that it is at all inferior, but I also don't think it's superior.

On a good day, I can create a great picture with existing light but on a bad day, I can create a great picture with my artificial lights.

In Summary

It turns out that flash light and other lighting tools are not the black sheep of the photography family. According to John Siskin, natural lighting definitely has its place in the photography world, but other lighting resources also play an important role in controlling your photography shoots.