Lighting

The Importance of Lighting Lighting is one of the most important parts of photography, after all, it is what makes up a photograph. A real photographer will always take light into account. Making sure there is plenty on a subject and enough to expose a film well. Having a well lit subject is what most photographers aim for, this can be achieved by using several different light sources.

Reflectors Flash A reflective surface used to reflect light onto the darker side of a subject. Reflectors are simple and cheap to make. Just use tin foil and wrap it around some cardboard of something. When taking macro or studio pictures, having reflectors can turn a good picture into a great picture. The idea is to use them with a light source such as the sun or a studio light and reflect light that is going past a subject back up onto it. A direct flash can make your subject too light and give it a 2D effect which makes it stand out from the background and seem flat. However, this is not the only way to use a flash. You can turn your flash and bounce it off a wall or surface. This side on flash can be a very desirable effect that can bring out subtle shapes such as the lines on someone’s face.

A lamp The Sun Even just a regular lamp is a great tool when shooting somewhere dark, it can flood your subject with the light you desperately need. A soft bulb will probably be better. Another option is to use two lamps or a reflector to give your subject better overall lighting. When it comes to the sun you just have to work with what you have. Try to get a subject well lit, but not in the direct sunlight. On a very sunny day, having your subject in the shade should be fine. On a day when the sun is less bright it may be alright to have your subject in direct sunlight. Overcast or cloudy days are great for photography because everything is evenly lit.

Types of Lighting Soft Light Artificial Light Natural Light This type of light is indirect. It can be sunlight coming through curtains or the hazy sunshine we often see on a cloudy day. Shadows are not as harsh with softer light. This type of lighting is ideal for portraits. Artificial Light Artificial lighting comes from photofloods, halogen, "local" light (the lamps in the room), candlelight, etc. Natural Light Pretty self-explanatory, I know, but worth mentioning. This type of light comes from a natural source. Sunshine is the prime example of natural light.

Soft Lighting

Natural Lighting

Artificial Lighting

Mood Lighting Front Lighting A light is placed near the lens and directly in front of the subject. This can be a flash unit attached to the camera or a prop light slightly to the left or right of the camera. This lighting seems to flatten out the volume of the subject and minimizes textures.

Front Lighting

Mood Lighting Top Lighting A light shines down directly on top of the subject. With people it creates deep shadows in the eye sockets and under the nose and chin, such as when trying to photograph someone outside at noon. For product lighting, the shadows are still present, but it can be quite flattering if detail at the top of the piece needs to be highlighted.

Mood Lighting Side Lighting A light is placed at a 90-degree angle to the subject. This can look like the face is split in two. One side is completely in shadow, and the other side is lit up. This type of lighting emphasizes facial features and can reveal textures of the skin.

Side Lighting

Mood Lighting High Side Lighting A main light stands at a 45-degree angle to one side and 45-degree angle above the subject defines the “high” and “side” lighting. This is a classic lighting shot for portraits. It can be done outdoors with the sun on top and a side light. This is the most natural of light set-ups and is very flattering, as it allows the face to be sculpted into a 3-D form.

Mood Lighting Under Lighting Lit from below, this produces odd-looking shadows because natural light rarely comes from below a subject. Okay, maybe firelight. In fact, this lighting is now best used for a ghoulish look during ghost stories. Think of the “Blair Witch Project” with the flashlight under her nose when she was getting a bit frantic.

Under Lighting

Mood Lighting Back Lighting This is a light coming from the back of a subject. The front of the subject can be left in complete darkness unless a fill-flash is used. This might be a flash shot at the front of the subject to light it up. Snow, sunny skies, or bright windows are all back lighting culprits. With fill-flash to compensate, you can make shadows less dark by adding light to them.

Back Lighting

Back Lighting

Light Manipulation Light is everywhere, but how do we get it to do what we want it to do? There are a number of ways to manipulate light, based on the vision you have. Umbrellas are a great way to produce a wide and diffused light. A diffusion screen (like translucent plastic) helps to soften the light. A softbox encloses one or more lamps and will produce the desired effect.

Your Assignment Now you have been introduced to the lighting basics. All that's left is to go out there, shoot and evaluate your own work. With each photo you take, can you define the type of lighting used? This is your art and your vision. Go out and create! You must have at least 24 photos with many uses of lighting. Each photo should be different and unique. Due Thursday March 15th by the end of the hour

Assignment You will need to have 4 pictures that represent each of the six types of lighting we have discussed. You will upload these pictures and put them on a PowerPoint. This assignment will be save in to the photography drive in a special folder to be graded. Late work will not be accepted. Pictures/Power points not saved in to the correct drive will not be graded.

Assignment Your pictures will be graded based the following criteria How well they demonstrate the lighting technique Quality of the pictures (are they visible, are they blurry, etc) Uniqueness of the photos. Are they interesting or boring. Variety of photographs. Are they all pictures of the same person or are they different subjects?

Assignment The majority of this project will need to be done outside of class. There will be some time to take pictures, but we are moving on to other items and this project is your responsibility.