Using Light – The Art of Seeing
November 19, 2008 by Eastmon Admin
Filed under Beginners Tips
A camera, no matter how automatic, is a lifeless piece of equipment until a person uses it. It then becomes a uniquely responsive tool, an expression of the photographers eye and creative mind.
Anyone can take amazingly beautiful photographs by simply taking a mental “walk” around a photo opportunity to view it from multiple perspectives. This will always result in important insights and fresh ideas.
Three of the most important factors as you begin to understand the ‘Art of Seeing’, are:
- Light
- Focus
- Composition
Understanding and using these to your advantage to take better photos helps to develop your ‘Art of Seeing’.
Light
The magic of photography lies in the light. Light to a photographer is what paint is to an artist. We can’t make much of a photograph without it.
When considered, objects are not photographed, only the light reflected by the object is photographed. There are very few subjects that emit their own light allowing us to photograph them.
With that in mind, when we talk about lighting we are talking about controlling the light on the subject. In the case of natural light it means selecting the type of light such as direct sunlight, open shade, overcast light and its direction which is determined by the time of day.
Seeing changes in the light on a subject is a key to taking a great photograph. By learning about light you can use it to say much about your subject in any photo.
1. Light Intensity
The first property of light to deal with is intensity or brightness. This is the most important property of light for the photographer because it sets the mood of a shot. Intensity of light breaks down into two types – hard or soft light.
Hard light throws distinct shadows. It comes from a point light source such as the sun or an electronic flash. This type of lighting can be very dramatic causing strong and defined lines and is great for action and high detail shots. When looking at your subject hard lighting is seen as shadows that are sharply defined.
Soft light is the opposite and comes from a reflected or broad source. It is often indirect light that reflects onto the subject from it’s surroundings. It’s perfect for portraits and images which needs a soft tone. Some photographers refer to this type of lighting as diffused light. A study of your subject with soft lighting will show shadows with very soft edges.
2. Light Direction
The second property of light to deal with is its direction, which is where the light source is coming from and how this affects the photo you take.
Front lighting is where the light source is hitting the subject directly and is behind the photographer which may cause the subject to squint.
When photography was in its infancy it was common for most photographs to be taken with front lighting, you may, even now, hear people tell you the light should always be behind the photographer.
Top lighting is when the light source is coming from above the subject. This can cause the image to look flat with short shadows often under the subjects eyes.
This type of lighting is common to most photographs as we tend to take most of our photographs when the sun is high in the sky
Side lighting is light hitting the subject from the side. This can help increase depth and contrast in most photos.
The most common occurrence of side lighting is usually early morning or late afternoon. Because of the time of day that this occurs it can often bring mood to your pictures by adding more warmth to your photos as the sun throws a more golden yellow light.
Back lighting is when the light source is behind the subject. In very bright conditions this will place the subject in silhouette. To help alleviate this flash can be used to help lessen the contrast of the light.
Another twist on back lighting is rim lighting. Back lighting as seen on the picture opposite creates lovely silhouettes and shapes in sunsets. Rim lighting is still light coming from behind your subject and tends to illuminate the hair and shoulders of your subject. Careful exposure or fill flash is required to truly appreciate rim lighting as you want detail in your subject. Back lighting on the other hand simply requires you to compose your picture and let the camera set the exposure.
3. Light Contrast
The last characteristic of light is contrast. This is how much difference there is between the brightest and darkest part of a scene.
High contrast is mainly found on bright days when there is a big change between the lightest and darkest part of the photo.
High contrast is generally achieved with hard lighting, but not always so, as demonstrated in the black and white image on the right. Dramatic results are obtained by careful use of contrast.
Low contrast is often found on an overcast day and will only display a small difference between the bright and dark parts of a scene.
A romantic or gentle mood is often conveyed by careful application of reducing the contrast of a photo. Generally you would use soft lighting and look for a background that is a similar tone or colour to your subject.
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