Photography tutorial: The essence of light
By Shelton Muller
Ian Rolfe explains the importance of understanding the qualities of light in your photography.
Understanding light is without question the most difficult aspect of photography – and the most important.
Developing a comprehension of and sensitivity to light in all its forms requires an investment of substantial time and effort.
Not all light is the same. The variables of light are innumerable, making a detailed description impossible. For the photographer, learning to see the qualities of light and applying them to your craft will elevate your work from the mundane to the sublime. For instance, the difference in fluorescent light to incandescent is vast. One seems harsh and glaring, while the latter is soft and gentle by comparison.
Most people are aware of these differences and make decisions accord- ingly to illuminate a room for desired effects.
In the context of photography, light can be “harsh” in that it’s bright and directional, producing dark shadows and strong highlights. “Soft” light, by contrast, is an even light that does not produce tonal extremes. Light can also be “warm”, tending towards the red end of the spectrum, and can be found at either end of the day. “Cool” or “blue” light is the kind seen near water on overcast days, whereas the light reflected in a rainforest is known as “green”.
In a studio, light can be controlled relatively easily, but with outdoor photography the photographer has little control over light quality, which mostly has to do with cloud cover and time of day. If the day is overcast, the light filters through the clouds - it is soft and diffused, as opposed to the harsh, glaring light of a sunny day. However, the quality of light is mostly determined by the time of day. In the early morning and the late afternoon, light travelling through the atmosphere acquires a warm, soft quality that is entirely missing at noon. Minute by minute, the quality of the light around dawn and dusk changes.
Experienced photographers are acutely aware of these nuances of light and usually respond to them quickly and enthusiastically. For many photographers, the quality of light is so important that they often feel that the objects within a photograph are really nothing more than surfaces by means of which the light can be seen and captured. In other words, the subject of every photograph is “light” itself.
UNLESS THE LIGHT IS RIGHT, THERE IS NO PHOTOGRAPH!
Skilled photographers develop a “light style”, learning to recognise a particular type or quality of light that they prefer - and then exploiting it to the full. This is a highly refined sensitivity to light quality that only a few fortunate photographers ever achieve.
The quality of the light present in a scene often depends on the relative positioning of the light source and the camera itself. In other words, depending on where the camera is located relative to the light source, a subject could be backlit, front-lit or side-lit. An understanding of these various light sources will help you decide how your composition will work best.
In a backlit situation, the light source lies directly in front of the camera and can often be incorporated into the frame. Contrast is low, and the objects depicted are often thrown into silhouette, often resulting in incorrect exposure.
In a side-lit situation, the light source is to the left or right of the frame, adding definition to the shape of objects. Because deep shadows are a feature of side lighting, it is often accompanied by high contrast. Side lighting often produces rich colours, which can be enhanced using a polarising filter.
In a front-lit situation, the light source lies directly behind the camera. This light is flat, producing no contrast at all. Surface details within the frame are hidden, making objects appear feature- less. This type of lighting is ideal for abstract photography.
By becoming familiar with how light direction affects a scene, you can successfully anticipate how this scene will look at different times of the day. Understanding and applying your growing understanding of the qualities of light will dramatically improve your images, making your efforts all the more satisfying.
For further comment on this subject, contact Ian Rolfe at ianrolfe@bigpond.com
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November 12th, 2007
Hi Shelton,
Excellent, excellent perspective on the qualities of light.
I’ve also often thought that lighting is the single most important element in getting a good photograph and all other aspects secondary.
But you’re right, it does take lots of practice ‘looking at light’ in order to master the art of capturing it. In fact, I’d say its also the knowledge of how to utilize the correct camera with the correct lens, at the correct settings, and the correct angle to capture the best shot of course.
But the art of seeing light first is the key and one I endeavor to pursue as well every time I’m out shooting or just glancing at light throughout the day.
Thanks for this great article on these aspects. Developing a ‘light style’ is a new term I’m going to use myself going forward.
Thanks much,
Dave Marcotte
http://www.ProVideoLighting.com