Inspiration for the landscape with harsh light
Sunday 22 June 2025, 22:33 by Nando Harmsen | 2,538 views | 2 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
Photographing during the day is not very appealing to many people. Yet it offers great opportunities, as long as you adapt your landscape photography to it. If it is warm, you have an extra advantage.
An hour around sunrise and an hour around sunset is called the golden hour. Not without reason, as the light can be very beautiful. As a landscape photographer, however, you should not limit yourself to those times of day.
It is a shame to photograph the landscape only around those times. You miss so many other beautiful moments. If you only photograph during the golden hour, you will always have the same atmospheric images. That quickly becomes 'quite ordinary.'
If you want to photograph during the day in harsh light, that is perfectly possible. As long as you choose a subject that can really 'shine' in these lighting conditions. Go into the woods. Especially with all those green leaves on the trees, this offers many photographic opportunities.
Look for light and shadows. Watch the leaves light up in the sunlight. So much is possible, precisely because the sun is so high in the sky. Make use of it.
There is another advantage. If it is extremely warm, the woods provide wonderful relief from the heat. Those 30 degrees during the hottest part of the day are pleasant beneath the canopy of the woods.
Let the series of photos inspire you to head out. And believe me, at 30 degrees Celsius, it is more pleasant in the woods than at home or beneath the parasol in the garden.
.jpg "Nando in the woods 2(1)")
About the author
Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.
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2 comments
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Donald Willemsen wrote on Monday 23 June 2025 at 06:59 | replyNando, een stimulerend verhaal. Inderdaad het bos biedt kansen. Het meer open landschap echter kan heathaze opleveren met zulke dagen en dat is meestal geen mooi gezicht op een foto.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet. -
Snow Rider
wrote on Saturday 18 October 2025 at 05:58
| reply
Je hebt helemaal gelijk — het bos biedt overdag zoveel unieke lichtmomenten die vaak worden onderschat. De manier waarop je de balans tussen warmte, licht en schaduw beschrijft, maakt echt zin om de camera te pakken en op ontdekking te gaan, zelfs buiten het gouden uurtje.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.
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