Ten things about LIGHT 1. The BROADER the light source, the SOFTER the light. A broader light source lessens shadows, reduces contrast and suppresses texture. A narrow light source does the opposite. TIP: position portrait subject near a large, bright window that does not get direct sunlight. It makes for a no cost soft-box. 2. THE CLOSER the light source the softer the light. TIP: when photographing people indoors by available light, move lamps closer to them or vice versa for a more flattering light. 3. DIFFUSION SCATTERS light, essentially making the light source broader and thereby softer. When clouds drift in front of the sun, shadows get less distinct. Add fog and the shadows disappear. TIP: translucent plastics or whit fabric used with a strobe will defuse a harsh light. If your in bright sunlight, use a white scrim to soften the light falling on your subject. 4. BOUNCING LIGHT acts as diffusion. Aim a narrow light source at a broad matte surface, such as a wall, ceiling or matte reflector it not only reflects the light, it also diffuses it by scattering it over a wider surface. TIP: crumple a big piece of aluminum foil, spread it out again, and wrap it around a piece of cardboard, shinny side out. It makes a decent reflector, that’s not quite as soft in effect as a matte white surface, but will add sparkly highlights. 5. The FARTHER the light source, the more it falls off - gets dimmer on your subject. The rule basically says that light falls off as the square of the distance increases. If you move a light twice as far from your subject, you end up with only ¼ the light on the subject. TIP: set a pop up or hot shoe flash to fill flash for outdoor portraits on harshly lit days. It will lighten the shadows on your subjects face but wont affect the background exposure. 6. LIGHT FALLOFF can be used to vary the relationship between the light on your subject and your background. If you place a light close to your subject, the falloff from the subject to the background will be more pronounced. Move the light farther from your subject, and the background will be relatively brighter. TIP: if your subject if front lit by window light, keep the person close to the window to make the rooms back wall fall off in darkness. If you want some illumination on the wall though move the person closer to it and away from the window. 7. FRONTLIGHTING de-emphasizes texture; lighting from the side, above, or below emphasizes it. A portraitist may want to keep the light source close to the axis of the lens to suppress skin wrinkles, while a landscapest may want to emphasize the texture of rocks, sand and foliage TIP(: to retain detail in a fluffy pets fur, position the light source somewhat to the side rather than straight on. 8. SHADOWS CREATE volume. Lighting from the side, above or below creates deeper and linger shadows, thereby creating a sense of volume. TIP: try “HOLLYWOOD” lighting for a dramatic portrait. Position a light high above and slightly to the side of your subject, angled down, but not so much that the shadow of the base falls more than midway down the upper lip. 9. BACKLIGHT can be used as highly defused lighting . TIP: for sparking a back lit portrait or silhouette try compositions that include the light source.. early morning and late afternoon light is warm 10. LIGH HAS COLOR even when it looks white. Mid-day shade can be bluish with digital cameras you can use white-balance to neutralize color cast or to emphasize tit. Tip: landscape shots on clear days can be very blue, especially in the shadows. Set your cameras color balance to cloudy, which acts as a warming filter for a more golden. Fred
Posted on: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 02:40:32 +0000
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