What is photography without lighting? When you think about it, photography is fundamentally dependent on the amount of light in any situation. Without it, it would simply make the camera useless. That's why lighting being one of the major pillars of photography really is the first in order of importance. All other aspects such as composition, color and posing would never be seen. The amount of characteristics lighting has can be infinite if you get into the details of the phenomenon and as photographers it's our job to know how to mold and shape light in many different ways. Be it outside under any condition or in studio using the tools we have at our disposal. Getting to know light is a must for any serious photographer.
“First there was the light…The dusk to the way of sight.”
Before we start on how to shoot with all the latest gear and gadgets, it's important to understand light and all its characteristics. Simply put as an introduction we can break down lighting into two camps. Ambient and artificial. Ambient simply being the available light at the moment and artificial meaning tools specifically used for photography.
Ambient Light
A great way to start off with understanding the elements of light without having it be to technically overwhelming is experimenting with what you have around you. In this way your only light is either coming from the sun or the lamps in a room. Technically speaking lamps may be categorized as "artificial" but it's intended use was not for photography so it's going to require you to be being a little more creative when getting the result you like. But in my experience it's been the closest thing available to making things look as natural as possible.
Techniques With Ambient Light
A master is able to work under any circumstance and come up with a great result. So understanding how to shoot with what you have will be one of the prime reasons why people hire you over others. Here's some first things to consider thinking about.
Awareness of how light falls on faces and subjects is the first place to start.
The direction of the light. From what angle is it coming from?
Observe the shadows and where they're going towards.
Be a detective and see where the source of the light comes from and how it effects the space it's cast upon.
The time of day is also very important to consider. The sun is always moving and so is its angle of direction which in turn constantly shapes shadow and light in a different way. As a standard the best times to shoot outdoors would be early morning or late afternoon. The reasons to avoid noon lighting is because the sun can be to overwhelming for your camera. Creating harsh contrasts between shadow and light.
When indoors the same applies but with a lot more diffusion of light being filtered through windows and closed off spaces. Taking portraits indoors with only available light is either coming from the windows or the lamps in the room at home. But you can be just as creative shaping this light as well. To keep the same look consistent use tools such as reflectors to bounce light back into areas that would need more light. Using prime lenses as well will help gather in the most light possible when taking photos indoors. Many photographers can stay on this level of skill but eventually bringing on artificial light will step things up a notch!
“Then came the fire…the dawn to shaping the sun was born.”
Now this is where all the technical stuff happens. Using tools like strobes, flashes and LEDs give you so much more possibilities to create the look you want. Most commercial shoots use these tools to create larger than life scenes and atmospheres. The place where these tools have the most shine is in studio. It's a great way to practice using these tools without any outside influence of ambient light. It can be a great exercise in getting to master your lighting. The great thing about studio photography is that your equipment is the only means of lighting. That way you can shape light in anyway your vision takes you.
Techniques With Artificial Light
To be honest there are so many techniques it would require a book to cover it all. But getting to the bare bones in this article I will at least talk about the difference in what kind of equipment to use in a conceptual understanding.
The first concepts to understand is this.
Every light source is different depending on the amount of power it projects, the size and shape of its source and the barrier of where the light is projecting through.
The more power it has the greater the amount of light.
The bigger the size, the softer the light between shadows and highlight.
The smaller or larger the shape, the more area the light can cover.
The more filter or diffusion between the light source, the more unique its characteristics
It's best to understand the tools in a more conceptual way first before we even consider using them in practice. But after you understand these points your only way of fully comprehending them will be in implementation. Start with one flash and master how to use it both indoors and outdoors. Then move on to two and so forth. Once your able to understand your flashes then you'll be ready to try out different lighting tools such as strobes. The amount of time you put in is never ending. Just like a painter discovers new ways to approach the canvas so will you with flashes and strobes like paint brushes of light.
As a fundamental starting point tune into the light around you. Study the concepts and internalize the terms until you can call them your own. Always put in practice when you have the time and shoot, shoot, shoot! If you can explain your process to others that they can understand then it will help you even more when getting familiar with the light all around you and in the power of your tools. If you commit to it, in no time you will be able be a master light shaper!
Keep Snappin'!
Chris from MKMI Photo