How to take photos with lighting

The so-called "lighting" in photography means "appropriate application of light." Choosing the most ideal light source to help express creativity is the most important task of lighting in photography. Therefore, if you want to master the lighting techniques, you should start by understanding the light and cultivate the observation and feeling of the light in order to achieve the purpose of photographic expression.

The content of this unit includes: light illumination, front light, side light, backlight, top light and bottom light, hard dimming, soft dimming, contrast, natural light sources, etc.

Illumination of light

In photography lighting, the first problem encountered is the ‘intensity of light’. The intensity of light determines the amount of exposure during photography. How to express the amount of light at a certain distance from the light source? It is usually explained in terms of ‘illumination’. The illumination of a light source at a certain distance is directly proportional to the brightness of the light source and inversely proportional to the square of the distance. The light source remains unchanged. As the distance becomes farther, the illumination decreases in inverse proportion to the square.

Direction of light

By observing the movement of the sun throughout the day and the changes in light and shadow from east to west, you can understand the direction of light and the visual effect it has on the subject. the influence. The direction and angle of light can be summarized into: front light, side light, backlight, top light and bottom light, bevel light, etc.; however, it should be noted that this classification method is only a temporary measure and does not have to be absolutely followed during photography. these conditions.

(1) Frontal light

It is called when the light source is facing the subject. The light in this direction creates a bright and bright effect on the subject, but due to the lack of shadows, the subject does not appear three-dimensional and it is difficult to express texture. If used in portrait photography, it can produce a sophisticated tone and is suitable for expressing the youthful and beautiful appearance of a girl. If combined with makeup to emphasize the three-dimensional effect, the effect will be even better. Frontal light is the easiest light source to deal with metering problems because it has no obvious contrast. As long as you follow the light meter, you can get the ideal metering value without making too many corrections. However, this kind of light source lacks shadows and has low contrast, so it is not suitable for shooting black and white films that require higher contrast. The two periods of time one hour after sunrise or one hour before sunset are the best times to use front light. If you shoot color films, they will often show a warm golden color.

Front light. Light from this direction often creates a bright and bright effect on the subject, but lacks shadows and makes it difficult to show the three-dimensional effect of the subject.

(2) Side light

The light source is to the left or right of the subject, which is called side light. The side light is more variable, can create shadows, highlight the surface texture, and has a particularly good texture effect. The description of the three-dimensional sense of the subject is the most powerful. 45-degree front side light is the most commonly used main light source and often plays a very important role in portrait photography because it has a rich three-dimensional effect, clear tones and moderate contrast. In addition, the back side light can outline the outline, which can also be tried.

Side light. The light in this direction is more variable, can create shadows, highlight the surface texture, and has a better texture effect.

This photo has a side backlighting effect. After sunrise or a few hours before sunset, there can be golden light.

(3) Backlight

The so-called backlight means that the light source is behind the subject and the camera faces the light source. Backlight photography is the easiest to achieve surprising results, but because metering is difficult to control, it is also the easiest photography situation to fail.

Backlight photography can be expressed in two ways. One is silhouette. The metering for silhouette shooting can be 0EV value, or -0.3EV value, and you can get the silhouette effect; the other way of expressing backlight is To create a contour with a light edge, or to photograph the joints of night veins, you should add a little EV value. How much you add depends on the light and the composition of the picture.

When taking backlight photography, if you want to express the layers of the subject, you can use a flash or a reflector to fill in the light, and be careful to prevent light from directly entering the lens to avoid creating light spots.