Photography lighting skills

Photography is an art of studying light, so being good at using light is an important basic knowledge of photography. The following are some contents I collected onli

Photography is an art of studying light, so being good at using light is an important basic knowledge of photography. The following are some contents I collected online, hoping to help you on the road of photography exploration.

One: the mystery of light

Light contains all colors and can pass through any transparent object. When it lacks light, it will produce shadows. We don't have to explore the mystery of light, as long as we can make rational use of it.

Light is a form of energy, which exists in the universe in the form of electromagnetic waves and is one of many sources of energy. Light energy propagates in the form of waves, and the distance between two peaks is called wavelength. The length of wavelength determines the special form of energy in nature. As shown in the picture below, the light that humans can see is only a short wave band in the picture. We call this light "visible light". Besides, there are invisible lights, and we can only feel their existence in other forms.

According to the length of wavelength, we have invented many photometric instruments, which can not only detect infrared rays, but also detect ultraviolet rays with relatively short wavelengths.

Because light waves will scatter, they will become thinner and thinner, the irradiation range will become larger and larger, and the energy contained in light waves will become weaker and weaker. This principle is very important for photography. For example, the brightness of an object that is shot away from the camera 1m with a flash will be about 4 times higher than that of an object that is shot away from the camera 2 meters. This is the practical application of the above principles in photography.

Basic characteristics of light.

The form of light is different in different periods, such as the light when the sun is shining at noon, the soft velvet light when it is cloudy, the gorgeous sunshine shining through the leaves, some bright and dazzling sunshine partially blocked by clouds, the dim and dark light in rainy days, and the dramatic and mysterious moonlight. But all the light, whether it is natural light or artificial indoor light, has the following three characteristics.

Brightness: indicates the intensity of light, which varies with the energy and distance of the light source.

Direction: There is only one light source, and the direction is easy to determine. In the case of multiple light sources, such as diffuse light on cloudy days, the direction is difficult to determine or even completely lost.

Color: Light with different properties will become many colors through different substances. Under the action of natural light, incandescent lamp or electronic flash lamp, the color of sunlight itself changes with the change of atmospheric conditions and time of day.

2. Light in four different directions

According to the different orientations of the camera, the subject and the light source, the subject can be captured from any side. When the main light source is very strong, such as bright sunlight, from the camera's perspective, the projection on different parts of the object will produce different effects, which can be basically divided into five types: top light, front light, side light and backlight.

Top light: it is the most unfavorable light for shooting, especially portraits, which are easy to produce ugly light and shadow. For daily shooting, the contrast is large and the stereoscopic impression is not very strong, which is the least ideal shooting light, so photographers usually don't choose to shoot in natural light at noon. However, if used properly, you can still take excellent photos. For example, a black-and-white photo of Madonna taken by Herb Ritz was taken at noon.

Front light: The camera is in the same direction as the light source, facing the subject, so that the surface facing the lens can easily get enough light, which can make the subject clearer. According to different angles of light, fairing can be divided into front fairing and side fairing.

Forward light is the light that directly shines on the subject along the direction of the lens. The image taken by such light will reduce the contrast of the subject and lack the three-dimensional sense like a plan. Shooting in such light will often lead to unsatisfactory results, which will make the subject lose its original light and shade level. Most of the photos illuminated by airborne flashlights are in this light.

Side light refers to the light from the left or right side of the camera to the subject. When shooting, side light is the ideal light for shooting with a single light source. In most cases, 25 ~ 45 side lighting is used, that is, the included angle between the connecting line between the camera and the subject and the connecting line between the light source and the subject is 25 ~ 45. At this time, the part of the subject facing the camera is illuminated, and partial projection appears. This can better express the facial expression and panel texture of the characters, which not only ensures the brightness of the subject, but also makes it have a proper contrast between light and dark and a three-dimensional sense.

Side light: The light source of side light is the light that shines on the subject from one side of the straight line formed by the camera and the subject. At this time, half of the front of the subject is illuminated by light, and the shadow is slender, the projection is obvious, and the three-dimensional sense is strong, which can show the grandeur of the building. However, due to the strong contrast between light and shade, it is not suitable for expressing the delicate texture of the subject. However, in many cases, this photometry can well express the texture of rough surfaces.

Backlight: The sun is facing the incident light of the lens, which tests the anti-blooming ability of the lens and also tests the photographer's photometric experience and judgment. If used well, you can take excellent photos.

Two: give examples to illustrate the effects of various lights.

1, direct light

Shooting under the condition of direct light produces images with large contrast, bright colors and obvious alternation of light and shade. Bright parts, midtones and dark parts are clearly divided, and photographers often like this kind of light.

Due to the unique characteristics of direct light, it is easy to produce highlights and projections, which is also a technique that photographers like to use. Many photographers like to use projection to arrange pictures, and also use projection to block elements that interfere with pictures.

This photo uses typical direct light, which obliquely enters from the top, and there are layers of projection and reflection from highlights and bright parts to dark parts. The exposure is accurate, the highlight does not overflow, and the dark level is visible.

When taking such pictures, we should pay attention to the accuracy of exposure. We can use the surround exposure mode to shoot continuously to ensure the reproduction of layering. Don't be too bright or too dark in the dark. There is no hierarchy. The level of reflection and projection in the dark part is the part that can best express the sense of space and three-dimensional sense. Similarly, the accurate exposure of the bright part can determine whether the picture is successful or not, and the bright part is also the part that can best express the texture.

If the above picture does not understand the direction of light, then this picture can clearly distinguish whether the light belongs to 45 oblique light, also called side light. This kind of light is mostly generated around 9~ 10 in the morning or 3~4 in the afternoon, which can produce a good interaction between light and shadow and the proportion is even. The rich shade in form reflects the depth of the scene, produces a three-dimensional sense, and the surface structure is skillfully expressed.

When backlighting, the shot scene will be in the dark in a large area. If exposure is taken into account, the details of the image can still be captured, although there is a great contrast between the photographed object and the light behind it. If you shoot people or plush objects, you can easily outline the side light.

In fact, when you travel, you often feel overwhelmed by this difficult light, and it seems that it is difficult for all camera metering systems to directly give accurate values for this light. Besides telling you the function of light, I should tell you how to deal with it.

If you encounter a bad situation, there is really nothing around you that can attract your attention. You can do the following three things:

Accurate exposure: Generally, the exposure 1~2 is reduced manually when the central key side light or the average side light is used, and the author generally uses manual stop to make a faster response.

Avoid the sky being too big when composing.

Control the lens, adjust the direction, use the hood as much as possible to avoid unnecessary glare.

Of course, sometimes things are better. For example, if you can find wonderful projections in your composition, then your luck will come. Make good use of these projections, and you will be able to shoot better. Mastering line composition is the first principle.

In addition, sometimes it is also backlight, but these lights may be more needed because of different shooting scenes. The backlight below makes the leaves more transparent. To master photometry, try to use spot photometry. The convenience brought by the digital age is also obvious. You can try to take a few photos first and then make exposure compensation.

Backlight is also a kind of direct light, which mainly shows that the light ratio is very different, the exposure is often difficult to control, and some lenses are prone to glare, which leads to the degradation of lens quality. Therefore, backlight shooting is also a criterion to judge the quality of a lens.

When shooting in reverse light, if the edge of the subject is plush, contour light often appears. In general, it is best to use a reflector when shooting portraits and still life sketches to ensure the hue and level of the subject, otherwise it is easy to have silhouette effect.

The dome light is also a kind of direct light, which is often encountered when traveling. In fact, it is difficult to take excellent photos in this light, but if the light is a little sideways, it is easier to create a sense of volume and three-dimensional sense. It can be seen from the picture that the building has a strong three-dimensional sense and a strong contrast between light and shadow. Attention should be paid to exposure according to the bright part of a large area as far as possible, so as to achieve accurate exposure.

The application of direct light in photography is the most wonderful and creative. The change of light and shadow can often arouse the photographer's shooting mood, and clever control is also very important. In the left picture, the direct light from the window is projected on the background, forming a dramatic projection, and the small scene carefully arranged by the photographer has undergone a qualitative change.

How to use it up?

Beginners can try with all kinds of light, pay attention to empty their minds, and only pay attention to the shapes and changes of various projections produced by light incidence and shadows, which are endless.

Scattered light

Soft light that cannot be clearly identified in the lighting angle and direction is called scattered light. The natural light on cloudy days is the most typical scattered light, and the scattered light will not leave obvious shadows on the surface of the subject. The contrast of scattered light is weak, which can eliminate the expression of surface texture. When shooting portraits, scattered light will hide the pores and defects of the panel, so more scattered light is used when you want to shoot beautiful portraits.

The light and shadow effect of photos taken under scattered light is relatively dull, and the subject will not have different visual changes because of the light and shadow effect, which restores the essence of the subject. As can be seen from this picture, the plain light is really not conducive to the emotional expression of the scenery, so the photographer has to look for visual interest points in the composition and deliberately put the subject in the corner, and the plain background color of the sea and sky highlights the subject more. It is easier to train the photographer's composition ability and the ability to find visual interest by shooting scenery under scattered light, but it is more difficult to shoot excellent works.

As for the exposure control, the use of scattered light shooting basically only needs to evaluate the photometry matrix to get an ideal exposure value.

Three: the relationship between light and color

1, direct light and color

When the direct light is too strong, it often destroys the details and essential colors of the subject. It is difficult to achieve the overall exposure accuracy when selecting the subject and shooting the subject. At this time, it is necessary to test the photographer's proficiency and experience in light. The advantage of direct light is that it can highlight the contrast change and contrast effect of objects and better shape the sense of volume. But the disadvantage is also obvious, that is, it is difficult to show the color panorama and rich color details of the object.

Because the direct light in nature is generated on sunny days, the air transparency is high, so the picture taken feels very gorgeous. In fact, from the subject's point of view, due to the large light, the color of the light and dark parts is quite different from the color of the object itself.

Using these characteristics, photographers can choose subjects and scenery that are suitable for expressing the sense of space and volume without highlighting the color of objects.

After direct light exposure is accurate, the color is strong and the sense of volume is strong. However, due to the limitation of light resistance of the photosensitive element, the color contrast between the bright part and the dark part is large, and the exposure value is also different, which easily leads to overexposure of the bright part and cannot restore the true color. For colorful objects, direct light can easily lead to the loss of layering.

2. Scattered light and color

Compared with direct light, scattered light is dimmer, but compared with direct light, it shows excellent color performance. Diffuse light is suitable for balanced color theme. This kind of light can make photos present richer details, faithfully restore the essential color of the subject, and the color of the picture tends to be saturated. Scattered light is the most ideal for shooting with rich colors and delicate objects.

After the scattered light exposure is accurate, the color is true, the subject details are rich, and the level is delicate. Because the proportion of scattered light is uniform, the details of dark parts can also be well displayed, and the exposure is relatively easy to control. For objects with rich colors, scattered light is more likely to show layers.

3. Low light and color

Weak light generally refers to the light when the sun is not out of the horizon but the sky is not completely dark after sunset in the morning or evening. The effect of shooting in weak light is close to scattered light, but it is difficult to restore the true color because the color temperature has a great influence on the color of the object being photographed. Usually, most landscape photographers like to shoot this kind of light, because the colors they shoot are beyond your imagination, including the spatial level created by the fog in the air.

That's all I shared. Welcome to read the collection!