What is cis-metering?

1. Direction of light

Our main light source is sunlight. Every day, the relative changes in the position of the sun and the earth form light in different directions.

According to the horizontal and vertical angles between the light and the object, it can be divided into: flat light, flat side light (oblique side light), side light, side backlight, backlight, top backlight, top backlight, and foot light (front foot light, rear foot light).

Let's introduce these kinds of lamps in turn.

soft light

The advantage of smoothing is not only the soft color tone, but also the inherent color effect of the scene.

Smooth lighting is not conducive to the atmospheric penetration effect in the picture, and the three-dimensional sense is also poor, which is not as rich in tone contrast and contrast as the side backlight.

3. Side lights

In photographic art creation, split light is often used as the main modeling light.

Divergent lighting can change the light and shade of the subject, well express the three-dimensional sense, surface texture and outline of the subject, enrich the darkness level of the picture, and play a good modeling role.

4. Indirect explanation

Side light has obvious dark edges and projection, which has a strong expressive force on the three-dimensional modeling and texture of the scene.

The disadvantage is that the side light often forms too eclectic hue and gradation, half bright and half dark, which often forms the scenery imbalance of the big scene.

The proportional relationship between the scene and the shadow on the light receiving surface should be considered when composing the composition.

5. Side backlight

Most of the scenery illuminated by side backlight is in the shadow, and the illuminated side of the scene is often sharp, which can better express the outline form and three-dimensional sense of the scene. In outdoor photography, this kind of light can better show the perspective effect of the atmosphere.

When using side backlight for close-up and close-up, it is generally necessary to provide auxiliary lighting for people to avoid too dark face, but the brightness of auxiliary lighting should be controlled to avoid affecting the natural lighting effect of side backlight.

in a bad/poor light

Backlight can only illuminate the outline of the subject, so it is also called profile light.

Most scenes are in the shadow, and only the outline of the illuminated scene distinguishes this scene from another scene, so it has distinct layers and can well show the perspective effect of the atmosphere. This kind of light is often used to shoot panoramic and distant views, which gives the picture a rich sense of hierarchy.

The application of backlight in macro can reflect extremely fine details.

7. dome light

Shooting people under the top light will produce unusual effects, such as bright forehead, black eye socket, drooping nose shadow, prominent cheekbones and shadows on both cheeks, which is not conducive to shaping the aesthetic feeling of the people.

In landscape photography, if the shooting position is appropriate, good tone effect can also be obtained.

8. Footlights

The front light is called forefoot light, which forms a bottom-up projection and produces an abnormal shape. It is often used as a light source in performance pictures, such as oil lamps, table lamps, bonfires and other natural lighting effects. Or it can be used as a modeling method to depict special characters, special emotions and render special atmosphere. It can also be used as a decorative light for the face.

The footlights at the back of the scene are called footlights, which illuminate people's hair, especially women's long hair or the details of the scene. They are often used as effect light in the shooting of the studio.