SHADOW lighting techniques

1. Silhouette | Hiding the sun

Creating a silhouette is a beautiful way to present your photo. Use the backlight to illuminate your subjects to create stunning silhouettes.

A simple way to achieve this type of shot is to place the sun directly behind your subject. You can experiment with objects that have interesting profiles, such as people, birds and buildings.

2. Hours | Gold and blue

At different times of the day, the horizon is decorated with many different colors. Golden hour occurs at sunrise or sunset, where soft tones of lighting illuminate your subject. This is a great time to take a shot of a spectacular landscape.

Blue hour occurs when the sun is just below the horizon and is characterized by a rich blue tone. Use this unique window of time to emphasize subjects with artificial light sources and add a calm atmosphere to your photo.

3. Alpenglow | Redirection of light

Alpenglow is one of the most interesting natural phenomena, where directed light passes through the atmosphere, creating a characteristic red glow.

Drones are great for capturing the alpenglow because they can shoot with a wide angle, small aperture and at high altitudes. All you have to do is wait for the blue hour to start, position your camera on the subject, and move away from direct sunlight. The Alpenglow is on for about five to ten minutes, so your camera should be ready to capture your shots.

Make sure your subject is in direct sunlight to achieve this type of photo. If you're shooting next to water at slower shutter speeds, use a tripod to steady your shot and get stunning results.

4. Depth | Create physical separation

Lighting plays an important role when trying to create a sense of physical separation in your photo, which can make the image more appealing.

Different lighting conditions affect the perception of space. Brighter lighting can be used to make your subject appear further away, while darker lighting is more effective for foreground objects. Experiment with different lighting effects to create a sense of depth in your aerial photography.

5. Cloudy | Diffuse light with clouds

Dark skies with heavy cloud cover are ideal for capturing rays of sunlight.

You can also create black and white photos to make them more dramatic. During post-processing, adjust highlights and tints to achieve this effect.

6. Water | Perfect reflections

Light interacts with water to create endless photography possibilities. Adjust the height of your drone to avoid overexposed shots.

If you want to capture the reflection of a solid object, you can try to lower the height of your drone and place the camera at a low angle to find the best reflection.

Aerial Lighting Techniques

Some say that photographs are simply a combination of light, shadow and good timing. The right lighting can transform your photo from ordinary to amazing. Try using these six lighting techniques to bring your aerial photography to life.