Understanding Light

Understanding light is essential for any photographer. Light is the fundamental element that shapes the mood, composition, and visual impact of a photograph. In this lesson, we will look at the basics of light, including its properties, behavior, and how to manipulate it. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced photographer, mastering light is key to creating your desired final image.

Natural light refers to the illumination provided by the sun. It's constantly changing throughout the day and affected by weather conditions. Knowing how to read the light will help you to control it, creating your desired final image. The quality of natural light varies based on time of day, weather, and geographical location. For example, the golden hour, which occurs shortly after sunrise and before sunset, provides soft, warm light ideal for portraits and landscapes. Different times of the day offer different types of natural light: harsh midday light can create strong shadows, while overcast skies can provide soft, diffused light with minimal shadows.

Direction of Light

The direction from which natural light comes can dramatically affect the mood and appearance of your photographs. Front lighting illuminates the subject evenly, while side lighting creates depth and texture through shadows. Backlighting, where the light comes from behind the subject, can create silhouettes or halo effects. Experimenting with different angles and directions of natural light can help you convey various emotions and narratives in your photographs.

Lighting direction plays a crucial role in shaping the mood and visual impact of a photograph. Observing the direction of light, whether it's front, side, or backlit, can significantly influence the overall look and feel of the image. Frontal lighting, where the light source is directly facing the subject, tends to minimize shadows and reveal details with clarity. This type of lighting is often used in portrait photography to create a flattering and evenly lit portrait.

On the other hand, side lighting can add depth and texture to the scene by casting shadows that define shapes and contours. This directional light creates a sense of drama and emphasizes the three-dimensional aspects of the subject. Photographers often utilize side lighting in landscapes or still life compositions to enhance the texture and visual interest of the elements in the frame.

Backlighting, where the light source is behind the subject, can create silhouettes or halo effects, adding a sense of mystery or ethereal beauty to the photograph. This lighting direction can be particularly effective in capturing subjects against a dramatic sky or creating a sense of warmth and nostalgia in outdoor scenes during golden hour. Understanding how different lighting directions affect a photo allows photographers to creatively manipulate light to convey specific emotions or narratives in their images.

Reading Light

As photographers, it's essential to observe and understand how natural light interacts with the environment. Pay attention to how light falls on different surfaces, how shadows form, and how colors appear under different lighting conditions. Being observant allows you to anticipate and adapt to changes in light, enabling you to capture compelling photographs even in challenging situations.

Understanding how to read light is crucial in photography. Light can dramatically change the mood and impact of a photograph, influencing everything from exposure to color rendition. One fundamental aspect of reading light is to observe its direction and quality. Directional light, such as that from the sun or a lamp, creates distinct shadows and highlights, adding depth and dimension to the scene. On the other hand, diffused light, like on a cloudy day or through a sheer curtain, produces soft and even illumination, ideal for capturing details without harsh contrasts.

Another key aspect is understanding the intensity of light. Bright light can result in high contrast and vivid colors, while low light conditions can create a moody and atmospheric effect. By paying attention to these elements of light, photographers can make informed decisions about exposure settings, composition, and timing to achieve the desired visual impact in their photographs.

Modifiers of Natural Light

There are several light modifiers that photographers can use with natural light to enhance their photographs:

• Reflectors: Reflectors bounce natural light back onto the subject, filling in shadows and creating a softer, more even illumination. They come in various colors like white, silver, gold, and translucent, each offering different qualities of light.

• Diffusers: Diffusers soften harsh sunlight by scattering the light, resulting in a more gentle and flattering illumination. They are especially useful for portrait photography to achieve a smooth and even skin tone.

• Flags or Barn Doors: These are used to block or shape natural light, allowing photographers to control the direction and intensity of light falling on the subject. Flags are often used in studio setups but can be adapted for outdoor shooting as well.

• Scrims: Similar to diffusers, scrims are larger panels that diffuse sunlight over a broader area, creating a soft and diffused lighting effect ideal for outdoor portraits or group shots.

• Gobos: Gobos are used to create patterns or shapes with natural light. They can be placed in front of a light source to project interesting shadows or textures onto the subject or background.

• Polarizing Filters: These filters reduce glare and reflections in photographs taken under bright sunlight, making colors more vibrant and enhancing overall image quality.

• Silks: Silks are translucent fabrics that can be used to soften and diffuse sunlight, providing a gentle and flattering light for portraits or close-up shots.

By using these light modifiers creatively, you can effectively harness natural light to achieve various artistic effects and improve the quality of your final images.

Types of Artificial Light

When it comes to light in photography, you have two main options: continuous lighting and flash/strobe lighting. Continuous lighting offers a steady stream of illumination, allowing you to see and adjust the lighting setup in real-time. This type of lighting is particularly useful in studio settings and videography, where you need consistent lighting throughout the shoot for precise control over the scene.

On the other hand, flash or strobe lighting provides a quick burst of intense light, perfect for freezing fast-moving subjects or adding dynamic effects to your images. This type of lighting is popular in portrait photography and outdoor shoots where additional light is required to fill in shadows or create a specific mood. Understanding the characteristics and applications of both continuous and flash/strobe lighting will empower you to make informed decisions and elevate the quality of your photographs.

Manipulating Artificial Light

Manipulating artificial light in photography involves several techniques to control and enhance the lighting conditions for desired effects. One crucial aspect is adjusting the intensity of the light. This can be done by changing the distance between the light source and the subject or using dimmers for adjustable lighting setups. By varying the intensity, you can create different moods and atmospheres in your photographs, from soft and subtle lighting to bold and dramatic effects.

Another important technique is modifying the quality of light. This can be achieved using diffusers, reflectors, or specific modifiers like softboxes and umbrellas. These tools help soften harsh shadows and create a more flattering light on the subject. By controlling light quality, photographers can enhance textures, reveal details, and create a visually appealing balance of light and shadow.

Additionally, playing with color temperature adds another layer of creativity to artificial lighting. Different light sources have varying color temperatures, from warm (yellow/orange) to cool (blue). Understanding color temperature allows photographers to match the artificial light with ambient lighting for a natural look or creatively alter the mood of their photographs. This manipulation of color temperature can evoke different emotions and enhance the overall storytelling in photography, making it a powerful tool in the photographer's toolkit.

Modifiers for Artificial Light

Here are some common light modifiers that can be used with artificial light in photography:

• Softboxes: These are large fabric boxes that diffuse and soften the light, producing a flattering, even illumination with reduced harsh shadows.

• Umbrellas: Reflective and shoot-through umbrellas can be used to bounce or diffuse light, respectively, creating a softer and more diffused lighting effect.

• Reflectors: Reflectors bounce light onto the subject, filling in shadows and adding a subtle, flattering glow to the scene.

• Grids: Grids are attachments that control the spread of light, focusing it in a narrower beam to create more controlled and directed lighting.

• Beauty dishes: These are bowl-shaped modifiers that produce a soft yet slightly contrasty light, often used in portrait photography to create a pleasing, flattering effect on the subject's skin.

• Snoots: Snoots narrow the beam of light, creating a spotlight effect and highlighting specific areas or subjects in the frame.

• Diffusion panels: These panels are placed in front of the light source to scatter and soften the light, reducing harsh shadows and creating a gentle, diffused lighting effect.

• Gels: Gels are colored filters that can be placed over the light source to add color effects or correct color temperature, allowing for creative lighting variations and adjustments.

A fun way to learn about modifiers in photography is to focus on catchlights in fashion or portrait photos. Take a close look at the subject's eyes and observe the shape of the catchlight. Is it an octagon or a perfect circle? Try to identify the modifier used based on the reflection visible in the subject's eye. This exercise can help you understand how different modifiers affect the light and create distinctive catchlights.

Light plays a crucial role in setting the mood and atmosphere of a photograph. Whether it's the warm, golden glow of sunset casting long shadows or the diffused light of foggy mornings, different lighting conditions can evoke distinct emotions in viewers. Experiment with using natural and artificial light to enhance the mood of your photographs. Consider how the direction, intensity, and color temperature of light can contribute to the overall atmosphere you want to convey.

Guidelines, not rules.

There are many visual tools in your artist’s toolbox which help create more striking visual narrative. One such toolset includes so called “compositional rules.” 

Now, as I am not one for adhering to the rules, I prefer the verbiage ‘guidelines’ instead. So, that’s what we’re going to use from here on out. 

By having a solid handle on these guidelines, we can prepare ourselves for whatever scenario we find ourselves in. As a documentary travel photographer, I often find myself in unfamiliar locations with little prep time. Of course I can (and do) research on potential photographic opportunities before arriving, but one cannot simply anticipate every thing - especially if one hopes to put their own unique voice into a travel photograph. With that in mind, having a mental lockbox of compositional guidelines to fall back on allows one to look at a location differently and with intention - and as all of my photography students can attest to, in my book, intention is everything. 

Rule (coughguidelinescough) of Thirds

Probably the most oft muttered of the compositional guidelines. So oft that I considered leaving it off this list all together. But, as it is the first rule most new photographers get a handle on, it seems unjust to ignore. Just please note that it is not absolutely necessary to *always* follow this guideline. There are absolutely endless opportunities where it is not necessary. Okay, off the soapbox. 

Here it is: Imagine the frame divided into nine equal segments (this grid is often a feature you can turn on your camera LCD/EVF). By placing the most important elements/subject where the lines intersect, you are creating an arguably more interesting image. The important thing to note here is that not only are you showing intent by not plopping that coffee cup in smack dab in the middle of the frame, but you are also allowing for space for *context*. I approach the Rule of Thirds as a gateway guideline which allows for others to come in to play. More on that later.

Leading Lines

Our eye naturally is attracted to lines, and instinctually follows them. You can use this to your advantage by placing a subject at the end point of a line. Some commonly used leading line are streets, fences, bridges, etc. I would urge you not to fall into the trap of using railroads to create a leading line as its both extremely dangerous and most often illegal. 

Instead of falling into that trope, look for some less-obvious leading lines. 

One commonly seen utilization of leading lines is a technique known as “single-point perspective.” In single point perspective the leading lines converge on a single vanishing point in the distance. If you’ve seen any Kubrick film, you will recognize this technique. It’s a great tool to give a sense of continuation of a scene.

Framing

Another commonly talked about guideline, but one with some real heft behind it. Essentially you are wanting to create a frame within the frame which highlights the subject, making it clear at what the viewer should be looking. There are plenty of found frames which can be used, such as er- door frames, mirrors in frames, window frames - seeing a pattern here? But guess what, it doesn’t stop there! 

Be creative and make the frames. I for one use a lot of body parts - people pointing, shoulders, profiles, etc. My living room window sits eye-line with a tram lines and I cannot express how many times the bars connecting the tram to the wire have been used as a frame in my images. 

Having trouble finding some of these lesser-seen frames? Go back to the unfocused eye trick. Are you seeing any strong lines filling the scene? Those are what you’re looking for - now just try and find a subject to which they can enhance and draw The Eye.

Scale

Scale is simply showing the viewer how large something is (or isn’t). By using an element which everyone knows the size of, you can show the viewer the immensity or puniness of an element. Common usages may be a person being completely dwarfed by a large building, thereby showing that building is impressively large. You can play this the other way, as well. 

Looking at the image below, you’ll see the iconic Eiffel Tower. Everyone in the modern world has some conception of how large the tower is, but by making it tiny in the image, we’re now getting a sense of the sprawl of the city. Eye.

Rule of Odds

When The Eye looks at an image with an even number of elements, it bounces between them, with the frantic ping ponging of a tennis match, not knowing where to rest. Having an odd number of elements give The Eye some time as it moves from element to element. 

When the brain processes even numbered elements, it tends to couple them up, which in turn splits the image. But, with an odd number it creates a connecting element and maintains the singularity of the frame. Please note that the word “element” here doesn’t necessarily mean a single object - sometimes an element can be a grouping. For example, a bouquet of flowers, a couple sitting together, a bottle of wine with a glass in tow, etcetc. For added compositional zen, when framing these elements do decide which is the primary subject, and balance the others off of it by making one physically larger than the other or playing with the depth of field.

Repeating Patterns

Patterns come in many forms: lines, colors, shapes, textures, and so on. A strong pattern can be used to guide The Eye to the subject of the image. It can also make a solid object stand out and pop by breaking the pattern. Imagine a top down photo of a crosswalk (zebra crossing to the Brits reading this). We’ve got a strong pattern in the painted white lines. Now, imagine a person with a bright yellow umbrella walking across it. That solid yellow is amplified by the repeating nature of the crosswalk. 

Patterns can be found everywhere. Yes, there’s the obvious crosswalk example, but challenge yourself to find patterns in less obvious places. Irregular patterns often appear in nature, like the disrupted sand as it is pushed and pulled from the sea. Regular patterns appear in manmade structures, and even can be found in crowd of people. Filling the frame with a strong pattern almost always creates an interesting shot.

Balancing Elements

Lack of balance is where many photos following the Rule of Thirds miss out. A photographer spends so much time making sure their subject is in that right quadrant of the photo that they miss the fact that the image is now heavily weighted. 

Discussing visual weight can be hard to articulate, but when we are aware of it, it becomes extremely noticeable. Here’s another time when the unfocusing of eyes really comes in handy. Unfocus on a scene, does it just *feel* heavy on one side? You’re going to need a lesser-element to counterweight the subject element. That balancing element should be obviously of lesser-import either by making it smaller or more out of focus than the subject. An intentional balancing element can also create more context in a scene. 

If we think back to that coffee cup in the Rule of Thirds segment, what could be used to both balance it and create context? Maybe an open book on a cafe table? Maybe a bag of coffee beans? Anything which tells the viewer where they are and fills in the unweighted space of the frame. 

Depth

The part of view that is closest to an observer is the foreground. The background is what’s furthest away from the observer. What’s in between is the mid-ground. Okay with that vocabulary out of the way, we can talk about depth. 

By showcasing multiple layers in a frame, a photographer can give a sense of breath of a location. If there’s no specific foreground of a scene, you can create one. My go to is my lovely obliging husband’s profile. Be creative and try different angles to get solid differential fore, mid, and backgrounds. When doing this, you should make a choice as to where you’re placing your subject and make depth of field choices based around that. 

Perspective/Viewpoint

Here’s something I tell all my photography students: what you see is completely unique to you. Your viewpoint is just that, your viewpoint. Use that to your advantage and showcase how you see the world. For me, I am not a tall woman, so I see the world from behind shoulders and from low angles. I can enhance that by positioning myself in a way which adds visual interest to a subject. 

Get low, get high, find unique angles. Anything which isn’t the normal eye-height straight on will create a more dynamic image. You can add little hints of recognizable detail to help the viewer understand where you are while still showcasing something new about a recognizable scene.

Nose and Headroom

This guideline is snagged from my former life as a filmmaker, but it’s one that holds just as much importance in photography. When photographing a subject, you want to leave enough breathing room. This goes for living subjects as well as inanimate. 

If you’re photographing a person and they’re turned to the right of the frame, unless your intent is to make your viewer to feel claustrophobic, you should leave some space between the nose of the subject and the edge of the frame. Same goes for headroom. Leave a little room between the top of the subject to the top of the frame. 

Now, of course there are times where this can be ignored, such as cutting the top of the head of a model in a headshot, but in general watch where you cut the frame. A good practice is to look at every corner and all edges of the frame while composing. Pay close attention to what’s being cut off. Be intentional with your framing choice. 

Fill the Frame

If you’re unsure of how to effectively capture a scene, it may be because there are many distracting elements or unnecessary empty bits. Try filling the frame with your intended subject. This isolates the subject and makes it very obvious to the viewer. Don’t be afraid to get really close, either. Be completely unapologetic about your attempt to fill the frame. Combine this technique with patterns for a really dynamic shot.

Negative Space

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have negative space. This is where my mantra of be intentional really gets reinforced. There are absolutely times when what seems like unnecessary empty space is ideal for the photograph you’re attempting. Negative space can elicit a feeling of solitude, vastness, calm, etc. 

When trying out negative space think about where you are placing the subject very carefully. Do you want to highlight the surroundings? Maybe placing the subject off-center within the rule of thirds is the way to go. Are you more interested in showcasing the emptiness around a subject? Try a more center-weighted composition. When done properly, negative space is an incredibly useful tool for showing atmosphere. 

Golden Triangles

Alright, you’re going to have to stay with me here a little, because this one might not click straight away. We’re going to go back to the rule of thirds for a moment. Remember how we cut the frame into nine rectangles. Well with golden triangles we cut the frame into diagonals and place elements accordingly. This creates something known as dynamic tension. 

Essentially dynamic tension makes the viewer feel, well, tense. We’re not accustomed to strong diagonals in every day life. We see things on a flat plane, more or less. But, by introducing diagonals, we’re showing a scene in an unfamiliar way. Think of it this way: straight lines = stable, diagonals = rickety. 

So how do we do it? Cut the frame into four triangles of two different sizes by drawing a diagonal line from one corner to the opposite, and then two lines off of the remaining two corners, reaching the first line at a 90 degree angle. Phew. You then want to place your elements within the triangles, or place diagonal elements running along the two lines. Still with me? Maybe let’s just look at some examples.

Golden Ratio

Math time! Nah, who am I kidding, I’m not going to subject you to my terrible understanding of geometric formulae. Let’s ELI5 this one: Larger elements lead to smaller subject elements in a spiral. Imagine a snail’s shell or one of those really trendy spiral succulents you see all over instagram. The spiral starts with large bits and spirals down until the smallest bit. Basically The Eye is being lead to the center without you even noticing.

That’s what you’re trying to do with the Golden Ratio - use larger elements to sneakily guide The Eye to the smaller subject. That’s really the crux of it. Save the complicated algorithms to Euclid.

Break the Rules

Once you have a good understanding of the guidelines, it is best to use them when appropriate. But, here’s the rub, you’re an artist and as an artist you need to express your creative vision. That might mean ripping the pages out of your text book Michael Scott style and throwing all the rules away. And that’s fine - more than fine, actually. Once you have a  grasp of the guidelines you will understand when they benefit your final image and when you can tweak them to fit your needs. So get out there and practice practice practice so you can break break break! 

Reenforcing Ideas

Now that you’ve read about compositional guidelines, and have seen some examples, let’s get a more hands-on approach. Go through the below interactive lesson to re-enforce what we’ve spoken about above for 4 of the guidelines.

What is color theory?

As photographers, we have a lot of tools available to us: compositional rules, lighting knowledge, the exposure triangle, and so on. Color is just another one of those tools. While it can be an intimidating element to a photographer, color can help solidify a voice. Knowing and understanding color theory - the way painters, designers, and artists of all trades do - a photographer can utilize color to their benefit.

You may already be aware of the concept of additive and subtractive color (RGB vs. RYB), which is something we will touch upon in the next post in this series. For the sake of this lesson, we will be talking in generics about color theory and are focusing on Red Yellow Blue (RYB).  

In this lesson we’ll look at orders of colors, variables of colors, and color schemes. By the end, you should be able to recognize different color orders and schemes, and how to use variables to bring out the most in your images.

Orders of Colors

This may cause some flashbacks to elementary school art class, but let's start at the beginning: The orders of colors. There are three orders: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary colors. When working in RYB color, the primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. That is to say, they are the three pure colors from which all other colors are derived.  If we take two primary colors and add combine them equally, we get a secondary color. Finally, a tertiary color is one which is a combination of a primary and secondary color. Below you will see a graphic which depicts these three orders using an RYB color wheel.

Now, how do the orders of colors help a photographer? Well, by knowing the three orders, we can make decisions about which colors we want to show in frame. As this article continues we will explore how to effectively make those decisions to achieve the final look you are aiming for, but before then, let’s look at some examples of the three orders in actual photographs.

Variables of Colors

Now that we've been introduced to the orders of the colors, let's look at their variables. Those who have post processed images in Adobe Lightroom, Apple Photos, Capture One, or any other RAW editor may be familiar with what is commonly known as the 'HSL sliders.' HSL meaning: Hue, Saturation, and Luminosity. Let's start with hue.

Color Schemes

When you decorate a house, you choose the color of the walls to go with the furniture, wall hangings, curtains, and so on. You're essentially creating a color scheme. We do the same thing when we set up a shot. When being intentional with the color in your images, scheme absolutely comes into play. Three of the most popular color schemes are complimentary, analogous, and monochrome. To look at each individually, it will help to revisit our RYB color wheel. 

Let’s see this in practice.

So now we know the orders and variables, as well as three popular schemes of color, but how do those tools aide us in our photography? When we combine the three aspects we discussed above, we can deliberately look for or create scenes that further our intended story.

Note Figure 6a below. When I first approached this scene, I saw two things, interesting lines and complementary colors. With a little patience and a whole lot of luck, the jogger ran into the scene wearing one of the two complementary colors. Had this color story not been introduced, the image would have had much less impact. In this instance, the color creates the story.

Figure 6b utilizes monochrome in secondary colors. With a stark gradient from dark to light oranges, the image projects a warm summer's sunset - which is exactly what I was hoping to acheive as it was well over 105F (42C) - and trying to capture that in a photo was an important part of the story of my time in that city.  

Finally, in Figure 6c we see analogous tertiary colors. While the color is not so much the subject as it is in the other two, it is still crucial to set the mood for the shot. The various levels of greens and blues in the ocean water enhances the relaxed atmosphere I was intending to create with this image. 

With great power comes great responsibility

To recap, we went over are three orders of colors (primary, secondary, and tertiary), three variables of color (hue, saturation, and luminance), and three popular color schemes (complementary, analogous, and monochrome). When you have a good grasp of these basic aspects of color theory, you're off to a good start  and can work to manipulate a scene to create the desired ambiance or ~vibe~ in your shots.

Disclaimer: It is important to note that while RYB color is one with which we are all familiar, it is not the standard anymore. In fact, your photography software does not utilize RYB color by default. It uses a different, four color, subtractive color model known as "CMYK" (cyan, magenta, yellow, and key black). We stuck with RGB to keep it simple. In a future lesson, we will go deeper into color theory, as it is a rabbit hole. (Relevant xkcd is relevant).

In the meanwhile, an excellent resource for choosing colors is Adobe's color wheel. Here you can choose a color wheel and scheme and be given applicable pairings of colors. If not for nothing, it's fun and pretty to look at - try it out!