UNDERSTAND LIGHTLIGHTING

Prepared by :Muhammad Asri bin Azuddin

1. VISIBLE LIGHT2. THE COLOR OF LIGHT3. COLOR TEMPERATURE

4. REFLECTED LIGHT5. INTENSITY OF LIGHT

6. INVERSE SQUARE LAW7. QUALITY OF LIGHT

8. DIRECTION OF LIGHT9. SOURCE OF LIGHT

1. VISIBLE LIGHT

1. VISIBLE LIGHT

• Every object absorbs some visible light and reflects some visible light.

• Mirrors reflect almost all visble light.

• In order for you to see an object, visible light must be reflected off it.

1. VISIBLE LIGHT

• White reflects all colors (ROYGBIV)• Black absorbs all colors (ROYGBIV)

• Red?Reflects only red

1. VISIBLE LIGHT

• It is possible to bend visible light waves in such a way:

• That the object itself looks bent

Refraction

2. THE COLOR OF LIGHT

• When you look at a light, it appears to be white.

• Light is made up of many colors. These color can be seen when light is broken.

• There are seven colors of light in a spectrum

- RED - ORANGE - YELLOWYELLOW - GREEN- BLUE - INDIGO - VIOLET

• These colors are always seen in the same order.

3. COLOR TEMPERATURE

• Warm and cool colors are relative to where a color falls on the color wheel.

• Everything between those two points has a slightly warmer color on one side of it and a slightly cooler color on the other.

WARM COLORS

• Warm, or advancing colors, are those that resemble fire and heat. Red, red-violet, red-orange, and yellow-orange are examples of warm colors.

• Warm colors appear closer and are more eye catching than cool colors.

COOL COLORS

• Cool, or receding colors, are associated with peace and calm. Blue, blue-green, and blue-violets represent cool colors.

• Cool colors in a composition tend to visually recede and look smaller. They are not easily seen from a distance.

4. REFLECTED LIGHT

• Reflection is the bouncing of light rays off a surface.

• We are able to see non-luminous objects as light is reflected off them.

Luminous objects are those that give off light on its own.

Example: Light bulb, Sun

Non-luminous objects are objects that do not give off light on its own.

Example: table, board, Moon

Angle of incidence

Angle of reflection

normal

Incident

ray

Reflected

ray

surface

LAWS OF REFLECTION

•The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal all lie on the same plane.

•The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.

4. REFLECTED LIGHT

• Reflection for Different Surfaces

Regular reflection

•On smooth surfaces

Diffused reflection

•On rough surfaces

5. INTENSITY OF LIGHT

• In photometry (photometry is the science of the measurement of light), luminous intensity is a measure of the wavelength weighted power emitted by a light source in a particular direction per unit solid angle, based on the luminosity function, a standardized model of the sensitivity of the human eye.

6. INVERSE SQUARE LAW

• In physics, an inverse-square law is any physical law stating that a specified physical quantity or intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source of that physical quantity. Mathematically formulated:

6. INVERSE SQUARE LAW

• S represents the light source, while r represents the measured points. The lines represent the flux emanating from the source. The total number of flux lines depends on the strength of the source and is constant with increasing distance. A greater density of flux lines (lines per unit area) means a stronger field. The density of flux lines is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source because the surface area of a sphere increases with the square of the radius. Thus the strength of the field is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source.

7. QUALITY OF LIGHT

• Quantity of light, of course, is how much light is present in a given scene.

• Quality of light is defined by the size of the light source relative to the subject.

7. QUALITY OF LIGHT(“hard” versus “soft” lighting)

Hard / harsh lighting

• Hard lighting is created by small light sources such as:

a) the sunb) a bare lightbulbc) a candled) a flashlighte) the small flash on your camera

• Hard light is characterized by strong, well defined shadows and a high degree of contrast. With hard light you will notice deep, dark shadows, and bright, sometimes overblown highlights or whites. People photographed in hard light will often squint and have harsh unflattering shadows on their face.

7. QUALITY OF LIGHT(“hard” versus “soft” lighting)

Soft or diffused lighting

• Soft lighting is creating by large light sources such as:

a) the sky on an overcast or really cloudy day (then the sun isn’t the light source any more it’s the entire sky which is much larger proportionally from where we stand).

b) large studio lights like soft boxes (hence the name!) used by portrait and studio photographers.

c) a large white reflector used to bounce light.d) light from a small speedlight or flash bounced off of a wall, ceiling, reflector or

through an umbrella.e) window-light from a north facing window or one which does not receive direct

sunlightf) light from an “open sky” such as when the subject is in a doorway or covered area

(out of the sun) and the light comes from the sky opposite the sun.

• Soft light then is the opposite of hard and is characterized by soft or not easily defined shadows, and low contrast. In soft light you may not even be able to distinguish where the shadows fall or if there is any. People photographed in soft light have less shadows and do not have to squint.

8. DIRECTION OF LIGHT

• The direction that we view a light source from has a profound effect on our perception of it, and on how the objects in a scene will appear. Choosing which direction your main light is coming from is one of the most important decisions you can make since it will have a great deal of impact on how a scene will appear, and also on the emotions your image will convey.

8. DIRECTION OF LIGHT(Front lighting )

• It is most commonly seen in flash photography and is often fairly unappealing if the light source is hard - there are exceptions and in some situations very attractive images can come from soft frontal lighting.

8. DIRECTION OF LIGHT(Side Lighting)

• Side lighting is very good for showing form and texture and lends a three-dimensional quality to objects. Shadows are prominent and contrast can be high as a result. Side lighting can be used to throw dramatic shadows onto surfaces such as walls and create atmosphere. Side lighting is generally attractive and is often used to great effect: it is the kind of lighting encountered at the beginning and end of the day and as such is often seen in films and photographs.

8. DIRECTION OF LIGHT(Back lighting)

• It is usually a high contrast situation and can often look very atmospheric and dramatic. If the light source is at a slight angle relative to our point of view objects will have a rim of light defining one or more of their edges, the harder the light the more pronounced this rim will be.

8. DIRECTION OF LIGHT(Lighting from above)

• Top lighting is a slightly more unusual situation, although it is common in overcast daylight. It can also be encountered in sunshine at midday, in some interiors and in other situations such as stage lighting. In soft light it is an effective way of showing form. Under hard light it can lend an air of mystery by casting dramatic shadows which conceal most of the forms beneath them.

8. DIRECTION OF LIGHT(Lighting from below)

• In a natural context this might happen if someone is standing over a campfire, or holding a torch. Reflected light can also come from below, from water for instance. It would definitely lend a strange appearance to even the most familiar things since what is usually seen in light and shade would be reversed 

9. SOURCE OF LIGHT

• Photography is all about light.

• Like our eyes, without light the camera’s sensor won’t be able to see any details. In its purest sense, light is the most important thing in photography. Knowing the various types of light that can be used in creating images is beneficial in improving your skills as a photographer.

9. SOURCE OF LIGHT

• Photography is all about light.

• Like our eyes, without light the camera’s sensor won’t be able to see any details. In its purest sense, light is the most important thing in photography.

• Knowing the various types of light that can be used in creating images is beneficial in improving your skills as a photographer.

9. SOURCE OF LIGHT

AMBIENT LIGHT

•The most common light source is ambient light. Whenever you take a picture without, you’re using the ambient light or available light. The sun is the most powerful ambient light available.

•The ideal time to shoot is during the golden hour, the first and last hour of sunlight during the day, which produces a more pleasing photograph. The angle of the sun during these times creates a more diffused light resulting in a nice balance of highlights and shadows.

9. SOURCE OF LIGHT

AMBIENT LIGHT

•However, this doesn’t mean that you should always shoot during the golden hour. You can manipulate the light at noon to produce pleasing pictures too.

•One of the easier ways to go about this is to shoot your subject in the shade. Instead of directly using the harsh sunlight, you use the reflected light from the ground and wall. The diffused light coming from these can do wonders for your subject.

9. SOURCE OF LIGHT

ARTIFICIAL LIGHT

•Natural light is a very good source of lighting but there will be instances wherein you must use an external light source to achieve the output you want.

•Not enough ambient lighting and subject background separation are just some of the various reasons you might want to use an external light source for your images.

•There is a wide variety of artificial lighting available to all photographers.

ANY QUESTION?