Exercise: Variety with a low sun

This exercise demonstrates some of the advantages of shooting when the sun is low in the sky. 

During the winter the sun is lower in the sky that in the summer months. 

Frontal lighting
This is when the sun is behind you hitting your subject fully.  The lighting effect can be intense and the subject may reflect the sun. 

Side lighting

this is when the sun is to either side of the subject and about half of the image will be in the shadow, the other half lit. 

Back lighting

Taken towards the light.  Usually very little detail of the subject will be visible and therefore you will have a silhouette effect.

Edge lighting
This is when the shot is taken with the sun out of view of the frame but with the edge of the subject lit.  Note that rim lighting is different - it is an effect created where backlighting creates a rim of light around the subject like a halo which separates the subject from its surroundings.

There are lots of diferent lighting effects that can be created using the sun alone.  I think the easiest to find it back lighting which is something you tend to get when shooting interesting skies.  When you expose for the sky you tend to lose some or all of the foreground/landscape in the shot.  However, this type of lighting does really emphasise the shape of your subject and would be good for distinctive shapes like flowers and human silhouettes. 

Side lighting can give an interest feel to an image.  Depending on the strength of the light, side lighting can give more contrast to a shot and also make it less flat.  After all it is the shadows and highlights that give depth to a picture.

Edge lighting was difficult to get.  I don't think the image above is the best, but I do think it is a starting point.  I will look for more interesting and naturally occuring edge lighting siturations on sunny days.  Perhaps it would possible to achieve this effect by using flash or strobes.