existing light

n. PhotographyIllumination not supplied by the photographer; available light.

Notes

'Existing light' includes natural light from the sun, moon, or sky, and also includes room light that was not supplied specifically for the act of making the photograph. It is distinguished from 'artificial light', which a photographer supplies by using flash or lamps. Existing light photography implies low light levels that require special techniques to capture the image without supplemental light.