This week we went over the
Basics of Lighting.
See also.
We also discussed the
Oral Presentation which will be due on 11/13. Your
choice of photographer for this presentation
is due next week.
We went over the basic characteristics of light:
Intensity
Intensity means how bright your light is. You can adjust intensity of a lamp by moving it closer or farther away (inverse square law). If you are using natural light you can wait for different times of day or move in or out of direct light.
A single light source from above and to the side
Moving the lamp farther away gave us less intensity
Direction
Where the light comes from matters. It changes where shadows fall on the face. Shadows are what gives objects shape and a feeling of being 3-dimensional.
Light from the front looks flat / lacks dimension. Feels like a visa photo or mug shot. On-camera flash gives this look.
Light from above hides the eyes in shadows. Interrogation light. Used in movies for mysterious characters to hide their identity.
Light from below looks spooky. Think of telling ghost stories around a camp fire and holding the flashlight below your face.
Light from above and about a 45-degree angle from the face creates a more natural look because we are used to seeing the sun in this position (above our heads.)
In this example notice the triangle of light on the left cheek, this is called "Rembrandt Lighting," named after the painter who used this type of light to paint portraits, for example in his self-portrait below.
We also tried light from behind to create a rim light or back light, which helps delineate the shape of something and define it from the background.
Rim light / back light / hair light - shows shape, defines from background
Quality
Next we explored the quality of light, meaning whether it is hard or soft.
Hard light is direct light that is high contrast and creates bright highlights and dark shadows with a hard edge. Direct sunlight on a sunny day is a good example.
Hard / Direct light
Soft light is diffused or spread out. You can spread light by letting it pass through a piece of diffusion or bouncing it off something like a wall or ceiling. A cloudy day is a good example of soft/diffused light. It is lower in contrast and the shadows have a softer edge.
Soft / Diffused light
For the shot above we bounced the light off a large, bright surface (classroom table).
Multi-light set-up
Next we used more than one light to create different looks. We started with a single light above and at a 45 degree angle from the subject to create the look of Rembrandt Lighting. The light was slightly diffused with a piece of nylon fabric.
1 light, above and 45 degrees to subject left
Then we added a reflector, which is a large, flat surface that is white or silver used to bounce light into the shadows.
1 light + silver reflector
Then we added a second light in an even ratio (1:1) to create a flat, even look
2 lights, one on either side, subject right and left at 45 degree angle, slightly above and same distance from subject. 1:1 lighting ratio
In order to make one light less intense than the other, we moved one of the lamps further away from the subject.
2 light setup. Light at subject right is pulled further away from subject.
This was a good segue into a 3-point lighting set-up. In the 3-point light setup we have a key light, which is the brightest, a fill light, a second light that is less bright and then the third light is a back light, which helps define the subject from the background.
3-point lighting
This is a common set-up used for portraits in photography and also used a lot in film and video for things like interviews. It is far from the only way to set-up lights, but it is a good starting point.
We also tried the same setup using a subject with lighter hair against a lighter background.
3-point lighting. Backlight can define light hair against a light background or dark hair against a dark background.
And lastly we did a freestyle three light setup.
3 lights freestyle - hair light highlight
HOMEWORK
Due next week, 10/30:
*Note on light assignment: I have sent an inquiry to ask whether you all can use the studio and MMC lights to do your lighting assignment this week if you want. If you would like to use the lights and studio please send me an email and I will post an update to this blog if I hear anything.
An additional note for next class: we will be shooting portraits of each other in class next week as a heads up in case you want to wear something special.
