Natural Light Photographer is like a Food Chef

So recently one of my biggest pet peeves has become hearing the words natural light specialist and natural light photographer.  To me this is like saying I am a food chef.  It makes no sense at all.  Beware of those that claim this!  What does a chef do?  A chef cooks food, right?  Isn’t this just known when you hear the word chef?  Well it is the same thing with photography.  Photography is all about light.  Its about the way light falls upon your subject, is gathered by your lens, and the way the camera interprets that light and creates an image.  Light can set moods.  Light can be sutler.  Light can be exaggerated.  Light can be beautiful.  Without some sort of light, photography would not exist and an image could never be captured.  Any professional photographer understands this and sets out to master light whether it is natural or artificial.  We must understand light.  I don’t know of a professional photographer, and I mean true professional, that does not understand this or strive to perfect or understand light.  We all love natural light.  We often try and mimic it and create tools of the trade that resemble or act as natural light sources, for instance the soft box.  A photographer, and I use that term loosely, that claims to be a natural light specialist is just someone who does not truly understand light or how to manipulate light to their advantage.  It is just a scapegoat phrase to me.  “Well my pics don’t look like that because I only work with natural light.”  The separation between a professional caliber photographer and those you don’t truly understand their trade is lighting.  Anyone can point a camera and snap a picture on an auto setting and produce an image.  Someone who truly understands light can do whatever it takes to create a powerful, mood setting, or aesthetically pleasing image that captures our subjects in light.  Artificial light sources do not have to look artificial and if you truly understand them and know how to use them, you can make them look natural and enhance the subject of your image.  None of us want to go out there and blast a bunch of crappy flash in someones face and have the result be a flat non dimensional image.  We always start with natural light.  Use it.  Make the most of it.  It is beautiful light.  However, sometimes it is not all we need and we must add in light to enhance or perfect the image.  The key is to make it look natural and this is what separates the professionals from the amateurs.  Look at your natural light source and understand what kind of light it is and where it is coming from.  If you need to, add a little artificial light to the image where needed but make it look natural and if done properly no one will really be able to tell the difference.  If they can, it was probably needed due to the lighting situation you were given to work with, they will still result in a much more appealing image at the end of the day where they can actually see their faces or feel the mood.  We have so many amazing lighting options available to us today from soft boxes, gels, speed lights, strobes, and various light modifiers.  Learn them and use them to enhance your imagery…if needed.  It is not always needed and everyone of us would prefer beautiful natural light to work with.  The only thing more annoying then a claim to be a natural light photographer is the photographer is comes in with light canon mounted to their camera and blasts the damn paint off the walls on every single shot when their is a beautiful window with amazing natural light coming through falling on the subject.  Just learn light and use it to your advantage when it is needed.  I can promise you it will be needed one day, some time.