Ambient light is a flower photographer’s best friend…well, any photographer’s best friend, actually! It can be both exciting and challenging all at once.

Light is such an important tool available to help you create beautiful photographs of flowers. As with any subject, light is going to determine what your photo looks like.

Let me begin by first defining Ambient Light. It is simply the light that surrounds a subject, whether it’s artificial or naturally occurring. For example, as the sun is reflected, diffused, and scattered throughout a scene, it is referred to as Ambient Light. It is the available light that already exists, whether you’re shooting indoors or out, and is not supplied by you, the photographer.

Ambient light can also be artificial. Examples might be the light produced by a television screen, a lamp, or other electronic devices, such as an iPad shown in the photo below.

The benefits to shooting with available light is that you don’t have to pack around expensive equipment. The challenge? Well, the challenges are obvious…the brightness and direction of the light are quite often not adjustable, unless you’re shooting indoors where the lights can be moved, turned off, or dimmed. And that’s where the photographer’s creativity can really be explored!

What are some of your favorite lighting situations to shoot in? Have you had any creative lighting opportunities present themselves to you recently? We’d love for you to share them with us in the comments below!