Light


Lighting


In the beginning, there was darkness and chaos. So all the photographers gathered together and said to the Supreme Being we need something to shed some light on the darkness and separate the darkness from the light. So the SB said. “Let there be light” and the photographers were happy. Then they invented cameras.

So now that we have light and cameras, let's learn how to use them both, then take some photos.


Many Sources


Photographers often refer to light as the visible spectrum, but all light is invisible. We only see objects that are illuminated by the light.


Sun – Sometimes called natural light. It is a full spectrum light source in that it has the three primary colours, red, green and blue. By combining different amounts of these three colours, we can get just about any colour imaginable.


Indoor Light – Sometimes called artificial light. Examples are light bulbs, LEDs, florescent tubes. Most do not produce a full spectrum (all colours from red to blue, including infrared and UV) of light. Our eyes will see the colours they produce as natural. We see white as white, and red as red, etc. A camera will not and give us some weird colour casts or shades.


Colour Temperature


This refers to the actual colour of the light being put out by the light source. It is measured in degrees Kelvin. Don’t worry, you do not know any magical, mathematical masterpiece formulas. There is nothing to calculate. Just be aware that different light sources put out different colours of light.


Sometimes we refer to colours as warm or cool. Warm colours are more red, while cool colours contain more blue.


Here are a few examples:


  1. Sun – 5500 degrees K.

  2. Photo flash – 5500 degrees K.

  3. Overcast or cloudy sky – 6500 to 7500 K

  4. Blue sky aka a bald sky -- 9000 to 12000 K

  5. Studio Light - (quartz halogen)– 3200 to 3500 degrees K --

  6. Incandescent - (2400 K - this is an older setting and rarely used anymore.

  7. Fluorescent tubes – 2550 to 3000 degrees K.

  8. Household tungsten bulb – 2400 to 2500 degrees K.

  9. Candle – 1850 degrees K.

  10. LED bulbs -- have different colour temperatures and can be manufactured to specific colour temperatures.


Why should I know this? To set the white balance on you camera. So your photos appear normal.


Here is a link if you wish to explore the science of colour temperature:


Lighting Quality

Lighting can divided into two distinct types. Each type of light has an important role in photography.

The first type of lighting is direct or hard light where is nothing between the light source and the subject. This type shows or enhances detail and is great for things like bricks, wood or anything that has texture.


If you are outside on a sunny day, with no clouds in the sky, you will see your dark shadow on the ground or a person's face. You are experiencing direct lighting.

It is not good for people.


The second type of lighting is indirect or diffuse, which means there is a filter between the light source and the subject the light shines on. Examples include an overcast (cloudy) day, shade of a tree or building. Indoors the diffuser could be a lamp shade, a curtain, or if you are in a studio it could be light modifier like an umbrella, or softbox. With indirect light, you will not see strong or dark shadows.

This type of lighting is great for people.

Here is another link to help explain the difference between hard and soft light.

Assignment for Lighting B Level


For each type of light source described above answer the following questions:

1. Name the lighting type describe its colour temperature

2. From the Internet, get a photo example of this type of light source. For example, if you list the sun, you would find a photo of the sun and list its colour temperature.

3. Collect 2 photos of different people illuminated with that type of lighting

Please:

✔ Include the question in your answer.

✔ Keep aspect ratio of photo the same. In other words, don’t squish or elongate the face.

Take at least 6 photos of subjects illuminated by direct and indirect (diffuse) light sources.

  1. Two should be of direct and have one that included people. The second should be of cement, wood or anything that has texture.

  2. Two should be of indirect and have one that included people. The second should be of cement, wood or anything that has texture.

  3. Which do you prefer for people?

  4. Which do you prefer for objects?

Assemble all your answers in a table.