STI AS2210 Lighting & Photography PDF

AS2210 LIGHTING One of the crucial parts of preparing to shoot a photo is thinking about light. It is important to recognize what type of light is illuminating a scene. WHITE BALANCE Light is rarely neutral in color. The color of light can be broa...

AS2210 LIGHTING One of the crucial parts of preparing to shoot a photo is thinking about light. It is important to recognize what type of light is illuminating a scene. WHITE BALANCE Light is rarely neutral in color. The color of light can be broadly split into three groups: “warm” has a red- orange tone, “cool” has a blue tone, and neutral light has no tones. Neutral light is called as pure white light. We often don’t notice that light has a color tint because our brain corrects how light is perceived, making it appear neutral. A camera function known as white balance (WB) corrects for the color bias of light. Most current digital cameras have white balance presets set to a certain Kelvin number by the manufacturer. Color Temperature White Balance Typical Uses (Kelvins) The camera automatically guesses the WB depending on Auto - ambient light and the use of flash Used strictly under tungsten light bulbs, or the image will Incandescent ~3,200K look very blue Used if photos look too green or when under fluorescent Fluorescent ~4,000K lights Used when shooting outdoors with the sun shining on the Daylight ~5,200K subject Flash ~5,900K Used when utilizing built-in camera flash Used on cloudy days or in shades. Produces warmer Cloudy ~6,000K images than sunlight. Warmer than cloudy and adds orange colors to the Shade ~7,000K photograph. Suitable for sunsets and shades. 02 Handout 2 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 1 of 9  AS2210 NATURAL LIGHTING Over the course of the day, the light from the sun varies. One of the skills necessary to become a well-rounded photographer is understanding how natural light affects the subjects you want to shoot. The position of your light source makes a difference to your images. The time of day, light direction, and weather are the factors that influence how natural light illuminates a subject. Time of Day Contrast Colors Direction of the Sun Midday Highest Neutral white Near vertical Evening and midmorning High Slightly warm Mid to low Golden hour and Medium Warm to fiery Near horizon sunrise/sunset Twilight, dawn, and dusk Low Cool pastel Below horizon Midday Sunlight Midday lighting primarily composes of direct and downward sunlight. It has little chance of scattering and diffusing through the atmosphere or bouncing off the ground and illuminating the subject indirectly. Such light results in the hardest lighting compared to other times of the day— it’s typically the least desirable type of natural light. With midday lighting, color saturation is typically lower, and downwards shadows don’t produce flattering portraits. Photographers use polarizing filters in managing contrast to overcome this. 02 Handout 2 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 2 of 9  AS2210 Evening and Midmorning By evening and midmorning, shadows at an angle begin to become noticeable, and the lighting is slightly warmer than midday light. Subjects often appear to have more depth from these angular shadows. During this time of day, subjects retain their shadows but aren’t so dark that color and detail are compromised. Even though evening and midmorning light doesn’t necessarily provide any exaggerated qualities in your subjects, this can work to your advantage. Sometimes, a little more contrast and less warmth at sunset would complement your subjects more. Golden Hour and Sunrise/Sunset Golden hour is the hour just after sunrise or before sunset. This is typically regarded as having the most desirable light for photography as it is described by a horizontal light that casts long shadows and gives subjects a warm glow. With the influence of subtleties in the weather, sunrises and sunsets make for a unique and exciting lighting. Although sunrises and sunsets can be considered identical, weather patterns often cause them to be different. Some photographers find it easier to capture images during sunrise because the light quality is built more steady than a sunset. This is why photographers prefer one situation over the other. 02 Handout 2 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 3 of 9  AS2210 Twilight, Dawn, and Dusk What is typically described as the half hour before sunrise and after sunset is called dawn and dusk, where the sky is bright, but there is no direct sunlight. The entire sky primarily becomes the source of light. This time of day can produce soft and multicolored lighting that gives subjects a calm and peaceful mood. The lack of contrast and ambient light of twilight may be its biggest disadvantage. Achieving a sufficient sense of depth may require more attention to composition, and handheld shots are impossible as cameras often overexpose twilight scenes when automatic exposure is used. 02 Handout 2 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 4 of 9  AS2210 LOW-LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY With the improvement of camera sensors to the point of capturing images lit by the moon, the involvement of extra lighting and large aperture lenses are no longer needed. This results in a wide possibility in the world of low light photography. By simply setting a high ISO setting, such as ISO 1600, photographers can focus on artistic complexities rather than struggle with technical limitations. Along with this, current software technologies can post-process and refine images even with intensive noise and grain. Photographers use a variety of techniques to get the most from low-light conditions: Slower shutter speed - the longer the shutter remains open, the more light is captured. But when you extend your shutter speeds, you allow more motion blur. A rule of thumb with a handheld camera is not to go lower 1/125th of a second. Increased ISO – the camera’s sensor is significantly sensitive to light at higher ISO numbers. The ideal ISO range for low light is 800 – 6400, but a higher ISO will increase image noise, especially in darker areas. Post-processing methods allow photographers to filter out excessive digital noise generated by a high ISO value. Larger aperture – more light can enter the lens when shooting at larger apertures. Shooting at f/5.6 lets in far more light than shooting at f/18. Consider that adjusting the aperture could change the depth of field of your subject in an image and may affect a particular capturing style. Using tripods and stabilization – Using a tripod removes all the issues of not being able to hold a camera steady enough. Image stabilization has become common in modern photography as it is usually built into the camera or lenses. Both of these stabilization methods allow photographers to considerably drop the shutter speed while maintaining a sharp image output. Shooting RAW – shooting in RAW gives photographers a lot more room for forgiveness in photography as it retains a lot more information than a standard JPG/JPEG image file. The more information there is, the more freedom you can have in tweaking your images during post-processing. Due to large information and data, RAW files tend to have larger file sizes than other compressed image files. Manual focus - Autofocus usually relies on the camera being able to identify contrast within a scene, and when light is minimal, the contrast is also minimal. Often, the solution to keep a subject in focus while in low light is through manual focus to ensure captured images are sharp. FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY A full understanding of flash photography gives photographers control over a scene. Flash photography uses a flash device to capture photographs in poor lighting conditions. Often, a small LED flash is built into a DSLR or is within a smartphone camera. The ability to brighten a dark scene, balance out diffused light, or eliminate unwanted shadows with a flash can be achieved with the right amount of practice. TYPES OF FLASH 1. Built-in / Pop-up Flash Most DSLR and mirrorless cameras have a small built-in or pop-up flash. Whenever the camera detects that there isn’t enough light illuminating a scene, the built-in flash will pop-up automatically and fire. Generally, direct flash photography is only seen as an emergency device because the flash is small and is quite limiting and harsh on a subject. It’s best to use the built-in flash when you’re out of options. 02 Handout 2 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 5 of 9  AS2210 2. Off-Camera Flash / Speedlights A Speedlight is a small, portable, battery-powered flash mounted on top of the camera through the hot shoe. Due to its size and battery power, it produces a low light output when compared to studio lights. Off-camera flashes are the upgrade to using a built-in flash. 3. Strobe Lights A step up from Speedlights are strobe lights. These are primarily used by indoor studio photographers, but battery-powered units are also available to use outdoors. Strobe lights are relatively expensive and are only considered an option when they will be used a lot. THREE-POINT LIGHTING Three-point lighting uses three different light sources to illuminate a particular subject or scene. It 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 that forms the basis of most lighting. The technique uses three lights called the key light, fill light, and backlight: 1. Key Light – It is the primary and brightest light source in the three-point lighting setup. It provides an overall exposure to the scene. It is placed on one side of the camera or subject so that the illuminated side is lit well, and the other has some shadow. Key lights are not limited to external flashes or strobe lights, it can be any primary light sources such as windows or built-in flash. 2. Fill Light – It is the secondary light placed on the opposite side of the key light. The fill light fills in the shadows that the key light creates on a subject, bringing out details in the darkness. Typically, this secondary light is less bright than the key. Together with the key light, the fill light determines the mood of a scene. 3. Back Light – this is the third source in a three-point lighting technique. The backlight, also known as the rim light or hair light, shines on a subject from behind. Rather than providing direct lighting like the key and fill, its purpose is to provide definition and subtle highlights around the subject’s outlines. A three-dimensional look is achieved as it separates the subject from the background. If you only have one light, it becomes a key. If you have two lights, one is the key, and the other is either the fill or the backlight. 02 Handout 2 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 6 of 9  AS2210 5 MOST COMMON LIGHT PATTERNS A basic understanding of common key light patterns can make all the difference in capturing quality portraits. How a photographer positions a light directly affects the shadows across the subject’s face, creating drama and determining the mood. Flat Lighting With this pattern, the light source faces directly into the subject from the angle of the lens. Flat lighting offers the least dramatic lighting because it casts the least amount of shadows on the subject’s face. Because this light pattern produces very flattering light, photographers primarily use flat lighting in headshots and glamour editorial shots. Butterfly Lighting Butterfly lighting comes directly in front and above the subject’s face. This pattern creates shadows directly below the subject’s facial features. The most identifiable characteristic is a butterfly-shaped shadow just under 02 Handout 2 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 7 of 9  AS2210 the nose. This lighting pattern works well in beauty shots when a reflector is placed underneath the subject to soften the shadows. Loop Lighting The loop lighting pattern falls in the middle of the spectrum between flattering flat light and dramatic split light. Loop lighting offers a nice middle ground where most of the face is lit, but enough shadows remain to create some definition. Whenever your subject has a preferred “good” side of their face, you can use this light pattern to your advantage. Rembrandt Lighting Rembrandt lighting can easily be recognized by half of the subject’s face in shadow except for a triangle-shaped light between the cheekbone and the eye. This lighting pattern exhibits a stronger angle than loop lighting, making it look more dramatic. It is heavily used in all types of portrait photography, including portraits of athletes. 02 Handout 2 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 8 of 9  AS2210 Split Lighting Split lighting simply splits that subject’s face, lighting half of the face while leaving the other half in shadow. If flat and loop lighting fills in wrinkles, split lighting will exaggerate them. Photographers often use this lighting pattern in athletic portraits as it emphasizes their muscle definition and body features. References Ang, T. (2018). Digital Photography: An Introduction (5th ed.). London, UK: Dorling Kindersley Limited. Bosley, J. (2020). What is White Balance in photography? Photography Life. Retrieved from https://photographylife.com/definition/white-balance Constant, N. (2022). 12 techniques for shooting low light photography. ExpertPhotography. Retrieved from https://expertphotography.com/capture- great-photos-low-light/ Day, A. (2022). Guide to low light photography (15 essential tips). Shotkit. Retrieved from https://shotkit.com/low-light-photography/ Flash photography tutorial: Complete guide for beginners. Retrieved from https://www.iphotography.com/blog/flash-photography-tutorial/ Jirsa, P. (2021). 5 common key light patterns every portrait photographer should know (update). SLR Lounge. Retrieved from https://www.slrlounge.com/common-key-light-patterns/ Lannom, S. C., (2021). Three-point lighting: Key, Fill & Rim Lighting. StudioBinder. Retrieved from https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/three-point- lighting-setup/ McHugh, S. (2019). Undestanding Photography: Master Your Digital Camera and Capture That Perfect Photo. San Francisco, CA: No Starch Press. Ovchar, I. (2021). An intro to flash types in photography, from 70W TO 4800W. PetaPixel. Retrieved from https://petapixel.com/flash-types- photography/ Taylor, D., Hallett, T., Lowe, P., & Sanders, P. (2021). Digital Photography: Complete Course (2nd ed.). London, UK: Dorling Kindersley Limited. The standard 3-point lighting technique. Three Point Lighting. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.mediacollege.com/lighting/three-point/ What is three-point lighting? learn about the lighting technique and tips for the best three-point lighting setups. (2022). MasterClass. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-three-point-lighting-learn-about-the-lighting-technique-and-tips-for-the-best-three-point- lighting-setups 02 Handout 2 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 9 of 9