Overview | Imaging Basics and Controls | Composition | Lighting and Portraiture | Photography as an Artform | Summative

Lighting and Portraiture

Light bounces off some objects while passing through others. It creates large or small shadows and even influences the colors of the image itself when considering white-balance.

However, even the most expensive camera is worthless inside a completely dark room.

Mastering photographic lighting beings with understanding three concepts: position, strength and color. Furthermore, we have to consider the source of the lighting; whether it comes from 'natural sources', fixed artificial lighting or studio strobes.

Side lighting is a good way to bring out the texture in a subject. Lighting from above or below are both technically forms of side lighting. But usually when we think about side lighting we mean lighting from the left or right of the subject.

For more dramatic images with areas of strong shadow, side lighting works very well.

Back lighting - back lighting is not often used as a single light source. As the name suggests, it involves lighting the subject from behind, which will not give any lighting on the front of the subject. So an additional fill light is often used to add some front or side light.

A lightbulb may look white to our eyes, but light actually comes in different colors. The sun at sunset creates an orange light. A florescent light bulb will create a different color of light than an incandescent one.

A camera’s white balance corrects the image automatically so white objects are white in the photograph under different light sources. Most cameras have an automatic white balance mode, as well as options named after the different types of light sources, like shade and incandescent. Manual white balance allows you to take a picture of a white object, then the camera will determine the white balance from that image. Manual white balance doesn’t offer as much control as using the Kelvin scale, however.

Adjusting the white balance on the Kelvin scale is the equivalent of manual mode for exposure — it gives photographers complete control over the white balance. Shade is often set at 7500K, while daylight is about 5500K and sunset 2500K.

An accurate white balance means that objects that are white in real life are also white in the image — but "accurate" isn’t always what’s right for the photograph. Using the Kelvin scale to skew the white balance to be more orange creates a warm feeling in an image, creating a look similar to shooting near sunset. On the other side, adjusting the white balance towards the blue end creates a cooler look, often used to create a somber mood in a photograph. Film photographers often used warming and cooling filters to create these effects, but digital photography makes it easy to simply adjust the white balance in camera (or in post).

Silhouette photography is when you shoot a subject with backlight so that you only show its outline. As the subject is thrown into shadow due to the position of the lighting, you can’t see texture, you can’t see its three-dimensional form, and you can’t even see its colour. What you are left with is the shape alone.

To shoot successful silhouette photography you first need to choose a subject that can be identified by its two-dimensional shape. A strong outline is not enough: you also need to photograph the subject from the right angle to accentuate this shape. Silhouette photography of a person, for instance, works better if you shoot their profile rather than shooting them head on.

Backgrounds play a great role in silhouette photography. The subjects are mostly shot against bright backgrounds. Combined with the right depth of field and aperture settings, the main subject is turned into a perfect silhouette.

Sky is a very common background chosen for silhouette clicks. Since the scene has to be decluttered for a meaningful image, the background elements are ensured not to overshadow or disturb the subject. Other places are doors and windows.

Tips:

• Set the cameras exposure compensation dial to -2 stops to help get a black silhouette. This will make the camera intentionally underexpose the scene
• Trick your camera, meter off the sky then lock the exposure when you frame your subject
• The optimum time to shoot a silhouette is when the sun is low in the sky – either when it is rising or setting.
• You may also need to walk around your subject, crouch down, or stand on a step stool to find the angle that best captures the outline of your subject
• Set your aperture (f-stop) for 8.0 or higher
• Increase your shutter speed (Start at 1/125 if the subject is still and 1/250 if the subject is moving, and go up from there to darken your photo)
• Keep your ISO as low as possible to avoid too much noise (grain)

Which Photography Reflector Should You Use?

All reflectors bounce light, but a few subtle changes will affect how that light bounces.

Size is the biggest consideration. The larger a light source is, the softer the light. This is a concept that applies whether you are using a tungsten lamp, strobes with a softbox, or a reflector. A larger photography reflector will have soft light - this creates a softer transition between the light and dark areas of an image. Additionally, larger reflectors tend to be more flattering for all skin types. You may want to keep this in mind for portrait photography.

The colour of the reflector also affects the look of the light that bounces back. A solid white reflector will produce a very soft light. A reflector with a silver side will reflect more light back than the white. This creates a harsher but more powerful light. A gold reflector is like the silver reflector, only it will give the subject a warm glow.

When the ambient light is the sun, and it is low in the sky and not as harsh, a silver camera reflector can be used for portraits. Earlier in the day, try a silver reflector for photography and a bright sun. This can actually be strong enough to make a portrait subject squint. If the sun is bright and higher in the sky, use white instead.

Studio photography will use a variety of backgrounds of different genres. These will include simple monochromatic background for portrait shots and complex background that simulate outdoor scenes, such as a beach or busy street, to make it look like the shot was actually taken on location. Specialized attire and props for models are frequently used and props can be anything from a period-specific costume to a pair of reading glasses.

Lighting is the lifeblood of good studio photography, and all the best models, costumes and props will not make up for poor lighting. Lighting needs can vary greatly, depending on the type of camera, whether the medium is film or digital, the size and type of the subjects, the skin tone of the models, the colour of the clothing and whether the shot is a portrait, still life or specialized fashion shoot.

In studio photography, both placement and colour of the lighting is critical to achieve the desired look. In some cases the photographer may want to produce a dramatic shot with strategically-placed shadows, whereas for other shots, like shooting a product like a diamond ring for an advertising campaign, the photographer will arrange the lighting so there are no shadows at all.

The cost for a professional studio photography shoot can range from just a few dollars (passport photo) for a simple portrait to ten of thousands for a high-tech advertising campaign. The high prices that some shoots command did not come about overnight, In order to truly understand what studio photography is today, it is imperative to understand its history.

Studios photographers begin using artificial lighting for photography in 1840 and experimented with many different techniques in an attempt to cope with the challenges of properly lighting subjects in the studio. However, many of these early techniques were very expensive and not altogether safe.

Flash powders were one of the first methods of generating artificial lighting that produced adequate brightness. Another early types of flash was commonly referred to as a “hot light” and stood the very real risk of exploding! By the 1860s better, and safer, lights were commonly used in studio photography. Roughly 100 years later, in the 1970’s, strobe lights, or “flashes,” had become commonplace.

The first time what is typically thought of as “flash” photography dates back to the early 1800s when limelight was used to photograph microscopic subjects. This type of flash photography was most likely inspired by the theatre that was using limelight to light stage productions. A flash was produced by adding chunks of lime to a flame fuelled by oxygen and hydrogen. However, this technique did not produce very good results for photography, with harshly lit pictures and overexposed skin tones.

FLASH BULBS

The introduction of the flash bulbs didn’t start in the studio, but with underwater photography. The world’s first underwater photographer, Louis Boutan, came up with the concept of placing powdered magnesium in a jar. Shortly thereafter the German Hauser Company created the first true flash bulbs in 1929 by replacing the magnesium wire with aluminium foil that was set on fire with an electronic battery.

The new technique produced a light that was strong, soft and diffused, providing photographers with the lighting technique that would truly revolutionise studio photography. These new flash bulbs were the first truly-safe method of creating artificial lighting that caused neither explosion nor smoke and became the accepted light source for all types if indoor photography.

These new flash bulbs enabled studio photographers to set a precise shutter speed, instead of having to open and close the camera’s shutter manually. This was the beginning of the on-camera flash era that eventually created the technology that allowed the big studio-photography lights to flash together in synchronisation. It was not long after the invention of the flash bulb that mass-market cameras became available to the public.

Three Point Lighting

The Three Point Lighting Technique is a standard method used in visual media such as video, film, still photography and computer-generated imagery. It is a simple but versatile system which forms the basis of most lighting. Once you understand three point lighting you are well on the way to understanding all lighting.

The technique uses three lights called the key light, fill light and back light. Naturally you will need three lights to utilize the technique fully, but the principles are still important even if you only use one or two lights. As a rule:

• If you only have one light, it becomes the key.
• If you have 2 lights, one is the key and the other is either the fill or the backlight.

Key Light

This is the main light. It is usually the strongest and has the most influence on the look of the scene. It is placed to one side of the camera/subject so that this side is well lit and the other side has some shadow.

Fill Light

This is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side of the key light. It is used to fill the shadows created by the key. The fill will usually be softer and less bright than the key. To acheive this, you could move the light further away or use some spun. You might also want to set the fill light to more of a flood than the key.

Back Light

The back light is placed behind the subject and lights it from the rear. Rather than providing direct lighting (like the key and fill), its purpose is to provide definition and subtle highlights around the subject's outlines. This helps separate the subject from the background and provide a three-dimensional look.