Light - identifying it, writing about it as a technical aspect of your work in college projects.

Photography... It's all about the light, if there is no light there is no photograph. If you're at college studying photography, you're studying light as well and with 2 years of work free study surrounded by lecturers that are experts in the art of light you need to be leaving college with some basic knowledge of light.

It's usually the case on a level 3 course be it A-Level, UAL or BTEC there'll be some requirement at some point where you'll need to discuss your use of light and why you've made the choices that you have with regards the light.

So what decisions and knowledge should you identify when writing about it, analysing it and planning it?

(1). What is the light source and what are characteristics of that particular source. If it's an artificial source, is it trying to recreate something in nature... Sunlight or moonlight, reflected light, scattered light, fire light, dappled light, diffuse or point light?

(2). Direction - where's it coming from and why, why are you choosing to shoot in that particular light? What is it doing for your subject, is it moody, emotive, dramatic, objective, neutral?

(3). Does it flatten the subject or does it model the subject e.g. pick up the shape, form and texture, do you want it to do one or the other, if so why?

(4). Refracted, diffuse, reflected, specular, point?

(5). If it's an artificial facsimile of a natural form of light, how have you achieved it and how close have you been able recreate its properties and characteristics - be explicit in your explanations, draw floor plans and photograph the set-up.

(6). Colour of light http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/natural-light-photography.htm

(7). Lighting equipment - what did you use, why did you use it what are its pro's and cons.

(8). Inverse square law and its application in photography - how does it help you and why do you need to know about it, how have you used it?

(9). Reflected light - controlling light in the studio using zones and inverse square law.

(10). Artificial light sources, their characteristics and properties.

(11). Studio flash, modifiers, dishes, soft boxes, snoots, diffusing screens, reflectors, umbrellas all the equipment and its characteristics and properties.

(12). Studio space, heights, distances, widths and walls... why?

(13). Influence - whose lighting technique and style are you borrowing from, your analysis of their approach.

(14). Deconstructing and analysing other people's lighting using visual clues.

(15). Ratios - between highlight and shadow, masculine and feminine lighting.

(16). Masters of lighting - classic lighting techniques used by painters.

That's some of the easy stuff.

Use these prompts above and your notes from over the first year when all of this was covered, discussed and used in practice. (That's if you're on one of the courses I deliver).

Poly-board Tunnel - Fashion Portraits - Diffuse Light

http://www.listofphotographers.blogspot.co.uk/

This is another light set-up that we cover, that produces an exceptionally soft diffuse wrap-around light. It requires a fairly large studio space because you need to make a large box shape construction out of your 8'x4' poly-boards. You'll need the following equipment...

2 x studio flash heads and appropriate light stands.
6 x Poly-boards 8'x4'.
A table (typical school table).
Optional backgrounds.
2 x small light stands.

Place the table in the middle of the studio space with an appropriate (white) background behind where the subject/model is stood (A). Construct the square shaped tunnel on top of the table (See second diagram). The sides need to be supported by small extended light stands either side of the poly-boards as you construct it, you should also work with an assistant to make the whole thing easier and safer. Once the side are in place the top of the box should be carefully placed making a tunnel.

Starting with one light, either (E) or (D) set the light up so that it's just outside of the box positioned so that it's directing the light into the box at 45 degrees. Have the light so that it's positioned mid-way up the box, with the light angled into the box straight rather than downwards or upwards. The lights must not be visible to the model when standing at (A). You take your light reading from the face of the model pointing the invercone into the tunnel measuring the light falling onto the face of the model. Dependent on what you're aiming to achieve (Shallow depth of field or deep) make a choice with regards to your aperture. We would generally go for f8 for each flash head. They're measured individually and accurately (work to eliminate the 10ths of stops). Once they're both set to f8, the combined reading of both of them being fired at the same time will produce a reading of f11. At which point if your camera is set up correctly you're good to go!

 

This below is an approximation of a 3D view.

If you've not set the lights up with the poly-boards at (c) you'll probably experience bright panels of light either side of the subject in your images. The light travelling down the tunnels will be absorbed  to some extent giving you an image in accordance with your meter reading, but the light that passes down the outside of the tunnel is not hindered and may be recorded in the image either side of your model slightly brighter. In which case you need to prevent that light from falling on your background.

 

The effect is that a white background as with our infinity cover will be rendered slightly U/Exp. The further the box is from the cover the darker it will be.

 

3 Light system - pure white back-ground.

 

We then developed the set-up, by introducing a 3rd light (below) indicated by (j) in this instance we just used a dish-less head. The light was positioned so that the light fell onto the white B/G, but you have to be careful to ensure none of the light encroaches onto the model/subject to ensure the hatched area (b) is still maintained at around f11. The third light (g) is calibrated so that it gives a reading of around f16 (1 stop brighter). This modification of the lighting will produce a pure white background.

 

This method was demonstrated originally by commercial photographer Struan Wallace.  

 http://www.listofphotographers.blogspot.co.uk/