These three pictures, all taken in the same location near Mt. Rainier in the state of Washington, illustrate why the quality of light in a photograph is so very important.
In the top image, the quality of light is simply fantastic, created by the morning fog and the rising sun. Talk about the luck of being in the right place at the right time!
The middle picture, taken at after sunrise, has a nice quality… but not as nice as the top image – because the fog is missing.
The bottom picture is boring due to the poor quality of light. It was taken just before sunrise on a clear day.
Want a nice quality of light in your pictures? Shoot in the early morning and late afternoon, and pray for fog, mist or clouds.
Here's another tip: If you don't have time to shoot a series of pictures for a pano, use your widest lens and plan to crop off the the top and bottom of the image.
Explore the Light,
Rick
P.S. Look very, very closely and you'll see my pal Juan Pons from The Digital Photo Experience running around in the distance in the middle photograph.
This blog post sponsored by Nations Photo Lab - where reproducing quality on-line prints is top priority.