Outdoor photography utilizing natural light requires a careful balance of patience and opportunism, dependent as it is on the fickle whims of nature. Often, it requires you to wait for a specific time of day and seizing it in a split second before the weather takes a turn for the nasty. And even if the weather remains constantly fine throughout, the very conditions you wait for are ultimately fleeting. Image source: photographymad.com These time windows are usually worth the wait and the shots you take. The so-called magic hour, for instance—those scarce minutes during dawn and dusk—illuminates with just the right warmth and diffusion to give a much-sought-after glow to the sky, landscapes, and even people (as opposed to the sharp contrast appearance of high noon). Once magic hour does come, it’s a matter of now or never. And it pays to be in shooting shape when it comes. Preparation is the key to seizing the fleeting and arbitrary nature of time windows...