I would like to use my 9+ years experience as a professional photographer to help my fellow Steemians become better photographers and win SBD!

One of the key components of creating amazing, professional-quality photographs is knowing how to use your camera to capture the light.

To capture good light, sometimes you must chase it.

I want to teach you how to look at light differently and use it to your advantage as a budding photographer.
Each week will focus on a different theme in the study of light and participation in this challenge will make you a stronger photographer and artist!

The themes for each week are as follows:

Week 1: Golden Hour & Rim Light (Scroll down for your first lesson!)
Week 2: Window Light
Week 3: Reflections
Week 4: Pocket of Light

Here are the rules to Jazzyfish's Chase the Light Challenge:

Rule #1:

Resteem my theme announcement post each week! (For week 1, resteem this post you are reading right now!) That means there is no limit to how much SBD you could possibly win! I'm splitting all of the SBD rewards from those posts with the weekly winners.
After the week's theme announcement post pays out, I will split the rewards between each of the winners as follows:

1st Place: 50% of the SBD payout of weekly theme announcement post
2nd Place: 20% of the SBD payout of weekly theme announcement post
3rd Place: 10% of the SBD payout of weekly theme announcement post

Rule #2:

Read each lesson included in the week's theme announcement post, then go out with your camera and practice what you learned in that lesson.

Rule #3:

#chasethelight

Submit your photo to win SBD by creating your own Steemit post with the #chasethelight tag. (BONUS: Comment on this post with a link to your submission post so I can resteem it for you!)
Any photo that does not meet that week's theme will be disqualified, so please read the week's lesson about the theme carefully.

The photo you submit to the Chase the Light Challenge MUST BE YOUR OWN PHOTO. We (@winstonwolfe and myself) will be researching the finalists before payout to make sure the photo is legitimate.

Rule #4:

You may enter as many photos as you wish as long as they fit the week's theme, but only one entry per post, please.
Practice, practice, practice!
Post, post, post!!

The better you are at capturing the week's theme and the more SBD the #chasethelight weekly theme announcement post earns, the more likely you are to win that SBD!

Week 1 Theme: Golden Hour & Rim Light

What is Golden Hour?

It's an outdoor photographer's favorite part of the day, that's what!
It's the last 1-2 hours of the day when the sun is making its decent for a good night's rest. Just before it kisses the horizon goodnight. When the sun is at an angle like this, it is softer, less intrusive. It is also warmer and has a glow that is hard to replicate with artificial light:

I know there is a very popular tag for #goldenhourphotography already on Steemit, and you can find some very beautiful images there.

However, you may notice that most of these images seem to interpret golden hour photography to be about one subject only: the sunset.

I want you to challenge yourself to point your camera away from the sun during Golden Hour, and onto a subject that is lit by that beautiful, warm, inviting incandescence.

What is Rim Light?

Rim light is a fine, thin highlight that outlines your subject and provides more depth, overall, in your photo. This can be achieved many ways, but my favorite is with the use of natural light at Golden hour.

To create rim light at Golden Hour, place your subject directly between yourself and the setting sun.
By lowering your exposure and dimming the front of your subject, you can increase the drama of the rim light. Make sure to keep good focus on your subject so that it is bright and crisp and defined so your audience doesn't have to wonder what it is you have photographed. You should never have to explain your work. Just like a good joke, if you have to explain it, the magic is lost.

During this weeks #chasethelight challenge, photos of sunsets WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED for the SBD prize. Only photos of a subject lit by golden hour light and/or photos showcasing your ability to capture Rim Light during golden hour.

Below, is some of my recent work that was created at golden hour, some with rim light captured. Use these as inspiration when creating your own submissions to this week's Chase the Light Challenge!

(The above images were taken by me on my Canon 6D. You can see more of mine and @winstonwolfe's work over the course of our careers as professional photographers by visiting our WEBSITE)

Now, It's your turn!

Go! Chase the light!