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| Copyright Basic and Beyond Photography 2010 |
Today we will learn about light and what that means to a photographer.
Light is the primary working tool of the photographer. Light is the visible portion of the electro-magnetic spectrum. The spectrum starts from red, the weakest of rays, all the way to violet which is the strongest of rays.
Light rays from the sun are considered white and they contain all the colors of the spectrum. Black is the absence of any color. When we place a prism in front of a white ray, the prism will diffract (separate) that light into all the colors of the spectrum.
About Light Rays
We have different labels for describing the rays we see. Here are a few basic ones:
Transmitted Rays
When you look at a stop light the top light is red, the middle is yellow, and the bottom light is green. That light is transmitted by putting a light source behind a colored film
Direct Rays
When you look directly into the sun, a camera's flash unit, or a flashlight you are looking at direct light. The light you see is coming directly from the source.
Reflected Rays
When you look at anything, you can see that object because direct light is shining on it and being reflected back into your eyes.
Ambient Light
Think of ambient light as stray light- light rays that are being bounced around from all sorts of sources. If direct or reflected light on the subject is stronger your subject will appear clearer and less hazy.
Available Light
Available light simply means whatever light is present when not using a flash or other sources of light.
Now that you have learned the more technical side of light let's look at how it impacts you as a photographer and how you can use it to your advantage.
There are 2 types of light:
Natural/Available- This only comes from one source the sun. Now this can be bounced, reflected, direct, transmitted, or ambient. But, it still comes from only one place. The SUN.
Artificial- This comes from any source other than the sun. This can come from pop-up flash, speedlight, studio lights (strobes), street lights, or lights around your home (exp. lamps, Christmas lights, candles, flashlights, etc.)
Today's focus will be on using Natural/Available light. This can be both the easiest and the toughest things a photographer has to do. The reason being is you cannot control natural light you are at it's mercy. You cannot move it or make it dimmer so you have to know how to use it to your advantage and find ways to harness it when there is not enough of it. Let's talk about one of the most important settings on a camera.
ISO- International Standards Organization; A number rating indicating the relative sensitivity to light of an image sensor or photographic film. Faster film (higher ISO) is more sensitive to light and requires less exposure than slower film.
But as the number goes higher so does your risk for noise (misinterpreted pixels in an image) in the photo. What you have to do is find the ISO that fits your needs without losing the quality of the photo.
So how do you harness and use available light to your advantage. Well the easiest thing to do is to simply go outside. All the light you could ever need is at your finger tips but wait, now the light is way to bright what to do now. Find some trees shade is the best spot on a sunny day to take photos. Oh no not enough light in the shade this is where you need an accessory and this accessory does not have to be expensive either. You need a reflector so you can reflect some of that available light back up into your subject. What is a reflector? A reflector can be anything you want to use that will reflect light. The cheapest and best example would be a white poster board it makes one of the best reflector and costs less than a dollar for a nice sized sheet.
Working outside on a cloudy day is another great way to take advantage of available light you don't have the sun causing nasty shadows or bright spots in your photos and your subject can relax and have fun. Want to take some photos indoors this is a bit trickier but can be done. This is where you might have to start playing with some of those manual settings on your camera if you have them but even if you don't turn your flash off and force that camera to take the photo. This may cause your camera to use a slower shutter speed in this case you would need a tripod so you don't have camera shake and end up with a blurry photo. If you know that light comes pouring into that room at a certain time everyday that is the time of day you want to take photos indoors in that room it will provide you with the best results. Also remember your new friend the reflector you will get more light into the scene if you use it.
Now that we have talked about how to use available light let's talk about the direction of the light. Why would you need to know what direction the light is coming from? Well so you can use it even better to your advantage. If the light is in your subjects face they are going to squint and distort their face and not look good. Hence a bad photo. If the light is behind the subject you probably just shot a very nice silhouette instead of a detailed photo. If the sun is harsh to one side or the other of your subject you are likely to lose half of the face in a shadow. These are very important things and all relate to what direction the light is coming from.
So what is the best time to take photos outside then?????????
The Golden Hour of course.
The Golden hour is a term that refers to the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset. These have been deemed the best times to shoot photos outdoors. You still have enough light to net you great photos but you don't have the sun casting harsh shadows and distorting your subject.
Now I like any other photographer will tell you rules are there for guidelines and in the world of photography where artistic interpretation is key rules are made to be broken. Get out there and experiment use the rules and tips that you have received as guides on your journey. Find what works for you and never stop learning.
This weeks assignment:
Photos using available light
Turn in 2 photos taken this week that you have used only available light in.
1 outside
1 indoors
If your out side shot has a person in it try to make sure you are mindful of shadows and hot spots on your subjects face.
The indoor photo should be in focus and well lit.
Assignment Due Sun Oct 10 at 6:00 pm central
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