How to light up photography?

The light reflected by the main body reaches the film through the lens, is recorded on the photosensitive medium, and is developed to produce photos. Obviously, without light, there is no way to take pictures; In order to take pictures, we must use natural light or artificial light, or both. Appropriate light, that is, light suitable for the subject, or for the purpose of this photo shooting, or for the photographer's own creative expression, is the key to the success of photo shooting. Generally speaking, we hope to convey the stereoscopic effect of three-dimensional space, make the subject more attractive and prominent in the photo, and create a certain light atmosphere.

When it comes to the measurement of light intensity and quantity, they are the most basic elements to take a technically perfect photo. However, in order to take creative photos, we must consider other variables of light, namely the texture, direction, light source and color of light. We will discuss various types of light, and how to control, correct and strengthen light to take fashionable photos different from snapshots.

Correct lighting

Some people think that taking pictures outdoors can only be at the mercy of nature, and you can't control the photographic environment at will in the studio. After all, we can't drive away the clouds or move the sun to create a more favorable photo environment. But in fact, the ability to solve light problems is one of the many skills that distinguish photographers from snapshots. This requires a full understanding of the current lighting conditions. Sometimes, because the contrast, texture, direction or color of the light doesn't match the feeling you want to present at all, you must find ways to improve the lighting conditions. Before trying to solve it, let's learn about the variables of light.

Texture of light

There are many kinds of light textures, such as soft tone, lack of layering, diffusion, hard tone, glare, strong contrast and so on. In outdoor photography, the texture of light is mainly influenced by the sun, clouds, atmospheric conditions and anything that can dim the sun. For example, there must be a great difference in texture between the light in the sky on a rainy afternoon and the direct sunlight in the morning. If necessary, wait until the lighting conditions improve, otherwise you will have to use light correction equipment.

Hard dimming

Light mainly comes from small light sources, such as flashlights, light bulbs without lampshades, or direct sunlight (especially at noon), which is often hard-dimming, and the direction of light is very clear; Its effect is very strong, the bright place is very bright, the shadow is thick and black, and the contrast is very strong. Unless the light comes from directly above, the subject will pull out a very dark and sharp shadow. Most details of dark areas and bright areas in photos may be lost, because many photosensitive media can't keep the details of these two areas, but the colors will be very accurate and strong, unless the light is too strong to make some images turn white due to reflection, which is another matter.

Soft dimming

The light emitted by a large and diffuse light source is called soft dimming; It has no clear direction and surrounds the subject from all directions, just like the light on a cloudy day. The contrast of soft dimming is weak, and there are no extremely bright areas and no extremely dark shadows. If the subject has a shadow, it is also a faint shadow. Photos taken under very soft dimming often don't have strong visual impact, but photosensitive media can leave all the details in your framing image smoothly, which is often the most basic requirement for documentary photos or people photos.

Because there is no glare, soft colors and rich color levels can be perfectly reproduced, and the colors of the three primary colors are also very bright, but the photos taken on cloudy days are another matter.

Fog, mist or fog

Suspended particles in the air are like a filter, which will reduce the contrast and soften the color. In this environment, the whole landscape becomes soft, especially the distant subject. The photos taken can present a charming atmosphere, but the low contrast will reduce the clarity, and the colors will not be very bright unless they are in the foreground.