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Lighting-1 A photographer plays with light! Quality and standard of a photograph depends upon many things and lighting is one of them. Lighting doesn't mean merely putting the lights on and start taking pictures. A photographer has to give a thought to the proper use of light. Let us now discuss about the different characteristics of light to know how lighting makes a big difference in the quality of photograph. Intensity of light |
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Harsh Light: Small light source
delivers a harsh light; transition of
tones from bright to dark is not smooth. |
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form, as the light appears to come from a small source- the sun appears small in the sky because it is far from earth. Every artificial light source delivers harsh light, as it is small in size. If the light seems to come from a broad or wide source it casts soft or diffused shadows hence it is known as soft light. Skylight under open shade and sunlight through clouds is soft in form. Artificial light may be softened by either making it bounce off a broad and white surface or making it pass through a wide diffuser. |
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Softer light: Source wider, gives softer
light. Transition of tones is smoother. |
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Distance of the light source also determines the softness of light. A photographer has to keep this in mind that a studio flash unit attached with say a soft box if placed close to the subject creates more softness than the one kept far. Sunlight on Mercury and Venus is softer than the one on earth as these planets are closer to the sun. The sun appears bigger in size on these planets. |
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Nature of Light Sun and electric lamps emit light continuously over a period of time. The nature of this light is said to be continuous or ambient. Light may also be available instantaneously lasting only for a fraction of second. The light is thus known as a strobe light or more popularly as flash light. Electronic flash units deliver a powerful burst of flash light, generally white in colour as a result have become most popular among photographers. |
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Shutter speed plays an important roll in setting exposures under ambient light. A change in shutter speed affects the total exposure received by a film but that is not so if photographs are taken with flash. Any change in shutter speed will not affect the flash exposure received by a film. A photographer should therefore keep this in mind that while using a flash he or she can change the exposure only by changing aperture setting. Camera's built in exposure meter works under ambient light but you should never consider its indications while using a flash as a prime light source. |
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Colour of Light Sunlight varies enormously in colour from sunrise to sunset. Morning and evening sunlight is almost orange in colour whereas it takes blue tint at midday. Average daylight is white in colour but it is available only at specific time say around 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.that too during summer. Electronic flashlight is almost similar to average daylight. Electric tungsten lamps deliver yellow light and that too varies from lamp to lamp. A photographer therefore should keep this in mind that domestic lamps are more yellow than photofloods and tungsten halogen lamps. A 40-watt bulb delivers more yellow light than a 60-watt lamp and that also looks more yellow than a 100-watt lamp. A fluorescent tube emits light with higher proportion of green though our eyes are unable to notice it. Colour of light plays an important roll in deciding colours on a colour photograph. This is elaborated in a tutorial on White Balance. |
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Angle/direction of light Position of the light source in relation to the positions of subject and camera is another important factor, which decides the effect as achieved in a photograph. I have discussed it in the next tutorial about the different lighting angles the light falls on the subject from. Go to Lighting-2 |
