1. LIGHT!
A Photographers Paint

2. 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!)

3. 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?

4. 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.

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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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”

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

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

12. Soft light due to clouds = cold colors = low contrast

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

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

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

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

17. Which is hard light and which is soft?

18. Time of day and cold colors

19. Mood and emotion based on color and quantity of light

20. Quality and direction of light

21. Directional light is key to the trees

22. Shooting into the light can cause silhouette effects

23. 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.

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

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

26. 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.

27. 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

28. 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