What is the difference between a photographer and a photographer?

In photography creation, different light will illuminate the subject and get different picture effects. In the previous chapter, we already know some properties of light and light. In fact, in actual shooting, not only light with different attributes will produce different picture effects, but also the same light will show different picture effects when it shines on different positions of the subject. Next, let's look at the performance of these lights in photography.

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Front lighting

Smooth light refers to the light whose projection direction is consistent with the shooting direction. In this light environment, the side of the subject facing the lens is illuminated, and the light-receiving surface will not produce shadows, and the details such as the color and shape of the subject can be well represented.

It should be noted that shooting along the light will make the subject have no obvious changes in light and shade, thus lacking a sense of hierarchy and three-dimensionality, making the picture slightly dull. If we want to avoid this kind of dullness, we can choose colorful things as the main body of the picture, and fully display the color of the main body of the picture by using smooth light to improve the attraction of the picture; You can also choose pictures with large color contrast, and make use of the contrast between colors to make the pictures more exciting; You can also arrange some prospects for the picture to increase the sense of space.

Smooth graph

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When shooting colorful natural scenery in sunny environment, the color of the scenery can be very full in the picture.

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When photographing bees collecting honey from flowers, the sunlight environment can fully show the details such as the shape and color of bees and flowers in the picture.

Backlighting

Backlight refers to the light emitted from the back of the object facing the lens. In the backlight environment, because the side of the subject facing us is almost backlit, it is easy to form a contrast between light source area and backlight area. However, in general, the subject under backlight is easy to be underexposed. If you want to show details such as the color of the subject's surface, you should avoid shooting against the light.

In order to take wonderful photos in the backlight environment, we can use the camera to measure light in the bright area of the picture, so as to darken the brightness of the subject and get the effect of silhouette of the subject. Although the silhouette effect can't reflect the color and other characteristics of the subject, it is also very artistic. The silhouette effect formed under backlight can fully reflect the morphological outline characteristics of the subject in the picture. In addition, when taking a portrait of a beautiful woman, you can use a reflector or lamps to fill the face of the person, so as to obtain a warm and fresh backlight effect.

Backlight schematic diagram

85mm f/4 1/600s 100

When shooting a portrait of a beautiful woman in a backlight environment, you can get this dreamy effect by using a reflector to fill the model's face with light.

Side lamp

Side light refers to the light from the left or right side of the subject, and the irradiation direction of the light forms an angle of about 90 with the shooting direction of the camera.

Using sidelight shooting, the subject can produce a sharp contrast between light and dark, and the light receiving surface of the subject will be very clear, and the backlight surface will appear in the picture in the form of shadow, making the picture very textured. Therefore, sidelight is often used to show a clear-cut and three-dimensional picture.

Schematic diagram of side light

In addition, when shooting portraits, we can use side light to express the specific emotions of the characters. Side lights can also be used as decorative lights to highlight the local details of the picture.

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Taking photos of beautiful women's portraits with side light can form obvious contrast areas between light and dark, making the characters look very individual and three-dimensional with five senses.

Front side lamp

Front side light, also known as 45 side light, refers to the light emitted from the left or right side of the main body, and the irradiation direction of the light forms a horizontal angle of 45 with the shooting direction of the camera.

When shooting with front light, the side of the scene facing the lens can receive light in a large area, while the local backlight surface will produce a shadow effect, which is more in line with our daily visual habits. The light-receiving surface of the scene can show details such as color and shape, and the backlight surface can contrast with the light-receiving surface to increase the three-dimensional sense of the picture and make it not dull. When shooting buildings, portraits and flowers, we often use this 45 side light.

Schematic diagram of front side lamp

35mm f/5.6 1/800s 100

Shooting a child on the beach with the front light can well present the expression on the child's face in the picture.

Backlighting

Side backlighting is similar to backlighting, which is the light from the back of the subject to our lens. The side backlight forms an angle of 120 ~ 150 with the shooting direction of our camera, and the backlight is facing the lens. This fine adjustment of shooting angle will make the picture effect different.

Schematic diagram of side backlight

105mm f/8 1/500s 100

Side backlighting makes some areas of ancient buildings illuminated, while others are in backlighting environment. The picture is very mysterious and full of story color.

When shooting with side backlight, the light receiving surface of the subject only accounts for a small part, and the backlight surface accounts for a large part, so that the outline of the subject can be well presented in the picture. At the same time, due to the small light receiving surface of the subject, the contrast between light and dark in the picture will not be as strong as that of the backlit silhouette, and the bright area can still show some characteristics of the subject.

top light

Top light refers to the light that shines on the subject from above, and keeps a vertical angle of about 90 with our camera.

When we usually shoot, the top light is used less than the side light and the smooth light, because this kind of light only shows the top characteristics of the main body when shooting people or some architectural themes, while other areas appear in the shadow, so we seldom use this kind of light. Usually, when shooting a still life theme, when it is necessary to show the details of the top of the subject, the top light will be used.

Top ray diagram

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When the sunlight is the top light, people can nod slightly to avoid serious shadows on their faces.

In nature, the most common top light is the midday sun. At this time, the light of the sun is also the strongest. If you shoot a portrait at this time, in order to prevent the face from being exposed to light, you can make the figure look up to ensure the embodiment of the details of the face.

footlight

Foot light can also be called bottom light, which refers to the light that shines on the subject from below. In fact, under normal circumstances, we rarely have the opportunity to see the effect of foot light, because foot light is not as common as smooth light, side light and backlight. Footlights often appear in the lights of stage plays and dramas, or in the lights of parties and concerts. Floor lamps and low-angle reflectors in the square also have the nature of footlights.

Footlight schematic diagram

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Footlight is a common lighting technology on stage. When shooting, the actors are measured, and the main body of the photo will be more prominent, showing a dark background.

Footlight is not our common light environment, and its visual effect will subconsciously give people a mysterious, gloomy and strange feeling.

Local light

Local light means that only a certain local area of the subject is illuminated by light, and other areas are in a shadow environment.

The picture expressed by local light is very artistic, but compared with other lighting environments, local light is not common. Usually, the local light in nature is fleeting. If you meet the local light picture you expect, you should take the time to shoot it. For example, when sunlight passes through clouds with uneven thickness, it may produce local light; Local light can also be encountered before and after thunderstorms; When the sun is going down, there will be local lighting occasionally.

120mm f/2.8 1/300s 100

The local light makes the lotus appear more noble, and the details such as the color and shape of the lotus are very prominent in the light-receiving area.

Local light, also called "stage light", just like spotlight on the stage, only illuminates the main body. When we watch a work, the brightest area is always the most attractive, which is a visual habit of people. We use local light to shoot, which can illuminate the scene we want to show in the picture and make people's eyes focus on the local light area of the picture, which is very beneficial to the expression of the theme of the work.

direct light

As we all know, the light emitted by a point light source travels along a straight line, and the light that shines on the subject along a straight line is direct light. The subject irradiated by direct light can produce obvious projection and a picture with strong contrast between light and dark, and the details such as the color and shape of the subject can be well reflected, and the picture can also show a sense of spatial layering.

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In the direct light, the architecture of the Forbidden City is very three-dimensional.

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Direct light can project people and camels on the ground. It is very interesting to build deserts and these projections in the picture.

In nature, when the sun shines directly on the subject in clear and cloudless weather, we call this kind of light direct light. Bright shadows will appear on the side of the scene that is illuminated by the sun, while shadows will appear on the side that is not illuminated by the sun. We can control the proportion of this light and dark area by changing the shooting position.

Scattered light

We have learned what direct light is. In nature, direct sunlight is direct light when it is clear and cloudless, but some clouds appear in the sky, which block the sunlight and scatter it when it passes through the clouds. At this time, the light shining on the object is scattered light. Typical scattered light is not only the skylight on cloudy days, but also the light emitted by our soft glass lamps, or the light reflected by water, ground and glass.

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In the forest, the dense leaves block the sunlight, which makes the light scatter softly on the scene, making the shadow produced by the scene very small and the picture very soft.

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Shooting tulip bouquets in scattered light, soft light makes the picture light and dark balance, without shadow. The small aperture gives the picture a great depth of field, and every flower in the picture is clearly presented.

We call direct light hard light and scattered light soft light, so the scene shot by scattered light does not have much contrast effect between light and shade, and the transition between the light receiving surface and the backlight surface is also very soft, and the picture is relatively balanced.

Learn more about photography tutorials, and welcome to pay attention to the information we received, WeChat ID (late daily study)!