Light is arguably the most important aspect of photography, essentially we capture light to create atmosphere in our photos. Light illustrates the clarity, the depth, the color, the brightness, the contrast, patterns, shapes, texture, and just about anything else you can think of in a photograph. Simply put, without light, photography doesn't exist.

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<div><a title="Hut Sunrise - Hello from Kish Island by Hamed Saber, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamed/249497869">[imageeffect type="frame" align="aligncenter" width="480" height="640" alt="" url="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Nipa.jpg"]</a></div>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Hut Sunrise - Hello from Kish Island</em>
Photo by Hamed Saber</p>
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How you decide to use light defines the entire mood and feel of your photo. That said, it is very important to identify your light source and determine how you interact with it as a photographer, and most importantly  how to use it to good effect so you achieve the best results. Here are some quick tips on making the most of the light you are working with:
<ol>
	<li><strong>Shoot with the sun behind you. </strong>
The general rule of thumb is to avoid shooting directly into the sun, except for shooting sunrise or sunset. Shooting with the sun behind you will ensure that your subject will be well illuminated, and clear. If you shoot directly into the light, you're likely to get a dark or underexposed subject (see Number 2). That said, if you're trying to create a "silhouette" of your subject you will need to shoot with the sun behind the subject, but for the most part shoot with the light behind you!</li>
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	<li><strong>Use camera flash to correct backlit photos.</strong>
As mentioned before if you are in a situation where you cannot avoid your subject being backlit, try using the camera flash to fill in the poorly lit areas of your photo. Many cameras will have at least two flash options, in this case you'll want to look for the icon that shows a lightning bolt (without the letter A).</li>
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	<li><strong>Use the angle of the light.</strong>
Take into consideration the angle at which your light hits the subject. We are often taught to try and avoid shadows, especially shadows that fall across the face, but actually shadows can produce dramatic results adding more depth and dimension to our photos. It's often useful to move around the subject a few times to determine where the light source is coming from and how you can best use it in your photo.</li>
	
&nbsp;<li><strong>Capture the rays of light.</strong>
If you come across a rainbow, or the sun pouring through the window of a dark room, its the light that really makes the atmosphere of that moment. The ability to capture this type of light with your camera will take your photos to the next level. Move around the scene, you may find that the light is more visible or dramatic with dark backdrop or shadowed area. </li>
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There are just so many things you can do with light, experiment and practice with the techniques we've mentioned above. Use your creativity, and try new things! You can learn all of the traditional "rules" of photography - but once you know them be sure you spend a bit of time breaking the rules just to see what happens. You may find that breaking the rules yields better results! 
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<center><strong>“The camera captures light, our minds capture images.” - Anonymous</strong></center>
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<div><a title="Yellow in the fall by Alex Leung, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sixsteps/383297284/">[imageeffect type="frame" align="aligncenter" width="600" height="441" alt="" url="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Yellow.jpg"]</a></div>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Yellow in the fall</em>
Photo by Alex Leung</p>
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