Absence of Light =/= Absence of Opportunity
- jckerslake
- May 11
- 5 min read
I was watching a brilliant video by James Popsys last week, and whilst the topic of this video isn't wholly aligned to the focus of this blog, there was a 5 minute snippet in the middle that really resonated with me and a few trips I've done over the past few months.
"Often (golden hour) light overpowers the subject and detracts from the impact of the subject"
Photographers, particularly landscape photographers seek out the, sometimes elusive, Golden Hour light that appears as the sun is rising and setting. But what if the image starts with the absence of it?
Now, I'm not going to pretend that most of the images I discuss in the blog aren't driven by just not getting up early enough! But, darkness, fog, shadow and overcast conditions can really push our limits as photographers are force us look past the obvious and seek out difficulty compositions and textures.
1. Using Fog to Simplify the Scene
A recurring theme from my recent travels to both Iceland and Lake Lucerne in Switzerland was thick, enveloping fog. It seemed to follow us everywhere we went. In Switzerland, we only escaped it by ascending high above the cloud line in a cable car.
Rather than being a frustration, the fog offered allowed me to capture looming figures and landscapes shrouded in mystery. In Reynisfjara, the black sand beach in Southern Iceland, that mystery reveals itself in the ghostly outlines of the Reynisfjall cliffs and the Reynisdrangar sea stacks, their presence softened and obscured by the mist. In the foreground, Hálsanefshellir provides a needed weight to the image. Its dark basalt tones and coarse texture contrast with the soft, desaturated mist, offering structure and depth in an otherwise muted scene.
Before escaping Lake Lucerne's thick fog, which we referred to as "the soup", we got glimpses through into the snow and ice covered forests in the foothills of Fulen. I spotted this solitary tree jutting out of the mist with it's bright frozen tips providing the focal point of the image and the highlight to this simple exposure. The black tangled branches provide the next focal point before falling away into the background where distant trees look instead like scratches on a painters canvas.
In this photograph, the tree is partially obscured by fog, with its structure gradually fading into the background. The lighting is flat due to the heavy mist removing any strong shadows or highlights softening the scene and forcing attention towards shape and contrast instead of detail.
The composition relies on minimalism with the tree anchoring the frame, with its bright, ice-covered tips drawing the eye, the black branches create visual tension before giving way to the background, where distant trees flatten into abstract forms. For me, this image gave me the opportunity not to document the landscape but to use natural conditions to highlight form, tone, and negative space.
2. Letting Texture Lead
Iceland is a remarkable country where the landscape offers something photogenic at almost every turn. Hidden behind a solitary inselberg that jutted out from the flat black sand plains, we found two lonely rock formations that seemed completely removed from anything around them. The light was soft and subdued, casting a faint glow onto the closest formation while leaving the surrounding terrain in heavy shadow adding to the sense of isolation. This impression was reinforced by the muted tones of the surrounding landscape, which made the formation feel out of place, as if it had been dropped into the scene from somewhere else entirely.
Unlike the scenes I photographed in Lucerne or at Reynisdrangar, the texture in this image is not hidden by fog or mist. Here, there was nothing in the way. The overcast sky gave me the chance to focus entirely on the subjects form, texture, and the slight contrast between its rough surface and the dark volcanic sand. Without dramatic light to lean on, everything in the frame had to work harder. I looked for the edges that caught just enough highlight to define shape, and used the scattered detail in the foreground to bring weight and context to the composition.
3. Building Composition from Contrast
This was taken at Búðir on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, where the black wooden church sits alone on the edge of the lava field. The weather was calm and the light was flat, with a layer of fresh snow softening the landscape. There was just enough visibility to make out the textures; the stone wall, the frozen grass, and the thin lines of snow resting on the roof. The sky stayed dull and relatively featureless, which helped strip the scene back to its basics whilst creating a blank canvas for the focal point to stand out.
With no direct light to shape the subject, this image relied on contrast and composition. The black of the church stands out cleanly against the pale tones of the snow and sky. Its simple form, the repetition of the windows, and the slight lean of the steeple all give structure without needing much else. There's very little colour here. Just the hint of dried grass pushing through the snow, which adds some warmth to an otherwise cold and quiet scene.
4. Capturing a Scene in Harsh Conditions
This image was taken at Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula during some of the most difficult shooting conditions I faced on the trip. Winds were hitting 60 kilometers an hour, driving snow and ice straight into the path and lens. Visibility came and went in bursts, and the hikers at the base of the gorge were visible only for seconds at a time before being swallowed again by the storm.
This is not an image carried by perfect light. There was no golden hour glow, no directional shadow to shape the rock face. The sky was flat and grey. But the strength of this image lies in how it uses those limitations. The harsh weather stripped the scene back to its essentials—form, texture, and scale. The cliffs loom heavily, detailed only enough to suggest their depth. The slope guides the eye down, and the veil of wind-blown snow softens the hikers into silhouettes, adding motion and tension without pulling focus.
Photographically, this was about reacting quickly. The composition had to be simple, because the conditions left no time for fine-tuning. The success of the image comes from how the moment holds together despite the absence of ideal conditions. It shows that light doesn’t always need to be dramatic for an image to carry weight.
Conclusion
Not every photograph needs golden hour light to work. In fact, some images only start to make sense when that light is missing. Fog, shadow, flat skies, and harsh weather might seem like limitations, but they often push you to work more deliberately. They remove the distractions and leave you with the fundamentals of composition, tone, and intent. These are not showy images, and they’re not trying to be. They are quiet, grounded, and sometimes harder to build. But when they come together, they can say something more lasting.
Joe, this is amazing and well done you for keeping your talent a secret. I see a bright, or should I say "golden hour" future ahead for you. Best wishes JP