LIGHT! A Photographers Paint

What is Light? The part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye. Our brains perceive different wavelengths as different colors Other animals can see different parts of the spectrum (snakes can see infrared!)

ARTISTS and LIGHT! Artists realized long ago to make a painting realistic they must pay attention to light Where is the light coming from in this painting?

ARTISTS and 3 DEMINSIONAL Artists also used light to show dimension, expressions and mood. What do you notice about the way the light affects the people in this painting.

Shadows Indicate the direction of light Make a picture look more 3 dimensional and realistic Which simple drawing looks more realistic?

1. Quantity The amount of light that is available There is definitely more light in the middle of the day rather than the morning There is more light at the equator than at the north pole Your camera has a light meter that control how much light enters the camera

2. Color of Light Our eyes automatically adjust to the changing color of lights but cameras don’t Daylight changes color throughout the course of 24 hours This shows the color temperature or color balance of your photograph 11:30 AM SUNSET

Color continued … Color can show mood and temperature WARM COLORS – red, orange, yellow and magenta COLD COLORS – blue, cyan and green Place a colored filter over your camera or light Adjust using photoshop

3. Light Direction Most of the time natural light comes from above because that is where the sun is You can adjust artifical light to show shadows You can adjust articficial light to show emotion Light from underneath is called “horror lighting”

4. Quality of Light Soft = gentle light Hard = harsh light giving crisp dark shadows

SOFT LIGHT Mid-tone shadows Low contrast Less texture Low color saturation Flattens or hides surface texture

Soft light due to clouds = cold colors = low contrast

Soft light indoors = less contrast = less blemishes Large light source and “soft box”

Hard Light Emphasizes surface texture High contrast High color saturation Dark shadows

Very hard outdoor light = high contrast = less detail in shadows = dark colors

Hard indoor light = deep texture = more shadows = higher contrast Bright flash and reflector

Which is hard light and which is soft?

Time of day and cold colors

Mood and emotion based on color and quantity of light

Quality and direction of light

Directional light is key to the trees

Shooting into the light can cause silhouette effects

Photographer Philip Lorca di Corcia produced a series of images of unaware pedestrians as they walked along a busy sidewalk. He used a powerful flash so that the backgrounds became underexposed and dark.

This photo is pure light – notice he color, quantity and direction

Finding soft light on a very sunny day Hard light in direct sunlight Soft light in shadow areas

Summary Light is vital for the photographic process. To create better photographs we need to be aware and in control of the following: Quantity how much light – bright, dim, faint etc. Colour the colour or ‘hue’ of the light. Direction where is the light coming from. Quality Is it a soft gentle light, or a harsh hard light giving crisp dark shadows.

Lighting Assignment Create a page for your wiki portfolio titled “(your name) Lighting Assignment” Find opportunities around school or in the classroom to take 4 different pictures that show examples of: Quantity - how much light – bright, dim, faint etc. Direction - where is the light coming from. Color - the colour or ‘hue’ of the light. Quality - Is it a soft gentle light, or a harsh hard light giving crisp dark shadows. Below each photo explain how it represents each of the ideas about lighting. Create a link to your new page on your portfolio homepage 10 POINTS

Exposure Refers to how light enters and interacts with the camera The 3 elements of exposure are ISO - the measure of a digital camera sensor’s sensitivity to light Aperture - the size of the opening in the lens when a picture is taken Shutter Speed – the amount of time the shutter is open Understanding exposure is like a “window” Aperture is the “size” of the window. The more the curtains are open the brighter the room is Shutter speed is the amount of “time” the curtains are open and how much light gets into the room If you are in the room wearing sunglasses you shield some of the light, this is like ISO