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Lesson # 7

Studio Lighting

Subject:

Photography

Faculty Name:Partha Pratim Samanta

Deviprasad Goenka Management College of Media Studies (dgmcms.org.in)

FY BA

India’s premier Media-school

“Light is the very substance of photography, and it’s knowledgeable use is the basis of the photographer’s craft.”* Changes in lighting will change your picture.

Outdoors: Natural lighting (daylight, starlight, sunlight) Indoors: Artificial lighting (existing, continuous, flash) Existing: Natural and/or Artificial already present in a scene.

Most photographers prefer natural light. However: Natural light is usually uncontrollable. Can’t be moved and it is subject to the whims of weather. Natural light is not always available – indoors, night, etc.

Sometimes, you must choose between adding an artificial light source, or not taking the desired picture at all.

*Alfred A. BlakerHandbook for Scientific PhotographyPhotography: Art and Technique

The Direction of Light: The Direction of Light: Consider Your AlternativesConsider Your Alternatives

Back LightingThe light comes towardthe camera from behind

the subject.

Front LightingThe light comes from

behind the camera towardthe subject.

Side LightingThe light comes toward

the side of the subject andthe camera.

Lighting Contrasts:Lighting Contrasts:Consider the ResultsConsider the Results

Direct/Hard LightCreates hard-edged, dark shadows.

Fully Diffused/Soft LightProvides an even, soft illumination.

Shows little or no directionality.Shadow edges are light and indistinct.

Directional-Diffused LightCombines qualities of direct and diffused light.Light appears to come from a definite direction

and creates distinct soft edged shadows.

Available or Existing Light - OutdoorsAvailable or Existing Light - OutdoorsEvaluate the lighting situation and how it affects the

subject.

You can’t change light outdoors, you can work with it.

Direct light can produce prominentand pleasing shadows.

Diffused light, such as inshade, is soft and revealing.

Available or Existing Light - IndoorsAvailable or Existing Light - IndoorsCan be contrast or flat, depending on the source of light.

Expose for the most important parts of the picture.

The light is often relatively dim, be prepared.

Artificial LightThe same properties are present in artificial light as in

available light.Directionality of lighting.Lighting Contrasts.

Hard light: Light that is directional and not diffused. Soft light: Light that is diffused and without clear direction.

Use the type of light and its distance to control the light on your subject.Three basic functions of the lighting set-up.

Modeling. Texturing. Highlights and shadows.

Lights and Other Lighting Equipment

Types of Artificial LightPhotofloods & Quartz-halogenbulbs are for use with indoorcolor films.

Flash equipment is used withdaylight-balanced color films.

Reflectors and Light-Control DevicesBowl-shaped reflectorsSnootsUmbrella reflectorsReflector FlatsFlagsBarn doors/Baffles

Diffusers and FiltersDiffusion screensTentsSoftboxFilter holders

Supports for Lightsand Other Devices

Light standsCross arm or BoomUmbrella mountBackground or seamless paper andsupport stand

The Main Light: The Dominant Source

The most natural-looking light imitates light from the sun.

Lighting can influence the mood and/or character of an image.

Most photographs made with artificial light use more than one light source.

The Fill Light: Lightens ShadowsFill light makes shadows less dark – particularly useful

with color transparencies.

Artificial lighting often requires fill light. Natural daylight scenes can often benefit from fill light. Reflectors can be effective for adding fill light. Flash can also be used for fill lighting.

1:1 RatioNo difference between

the lit side and the shadowside of the subject.

2:1 RatioThe lit side is twice

as light as the shadow.(one-stop difference)

4:1 Ratio(two-stop difference)

8:1 Ratio(three-stop difference)

Lighting With Flash The most practical artificial light source available.

Can be used indoors or outdoors. The light is portable and predictable.

The burst of light from electronic flash is very brief. Advantages:

Stops motion. Delivers measured and repeatable quantity of light.

Disadvantages: Can’t “see” how light affects the subject. Must be synchronized with the camera’s shutter.

Studio Flash UnitsHandle-mount Flash Hot-shoe Flash Built-in Flash

Basic Flash TechniquesBasic Flash Techniques

Direct Flash On Camera Direct Flash Off Camera

Flash Bounced From Above Flash Bounced From Side

•Simplest method.•Move around and shoot quickly.•Light tends to be flat.

•More texture and volume than on camera.•Easy to let aim wander.•Works best relatively close to subject.

•Softer and more natural than direct.•Flash can be left on the camera.

•Soft lighting, with good modeling and features.•On auto-exposure, the sensor must be pointed toward the subject.

Flash Exposure Variables Flash-to-subject distance.

Most critical factor in determining exposure. Inverse square law.

Flash unit output (Flash Power). Watt-seconds can describe a unit’s power. Beam-Candle-Power-Seconds (BCPS) can describe a unit’s power. The Guide number is the easiest and most commonly used.

The higher the guide number the more powerful the flash.

Reflector. Orientation: Vertical or Horizontal Adjustable: Wide, Normal or Telephoto.

Reflectance and/or ambient light. High or Low. Color.

Film speed.

Shutter speed. Synchronization

Guide Number

Flash to Subject Distance= f /number

Flash Manuals

Flash Metering Three basic types of flash units.

1. Manual flash.• Exposure is controlled by the photographer.• Exposure can be determined by a flash meter.• Exposure can be calculated based on the film speed and power of the

unit.• Exposure commonly found by using a flash unit’s calculator dial.

1. Automatic flash.• Determines duration of flash by measuring light reflected back from the

subject during the exposure.o Has light-sensitive cell.o Has electronic thyristor circuitry.

• Some units can also be operated manually.

1. Dedicated flash.• Units are matched to a specific camera. Do not use with other cameras.• Can utilize through-the-lens metering or automatic functions.

Fill Flash: To Lighten ShadowsFill Flash: To Lighten Shadows•Shadows can be very dark in a sunlit scene.

•Flash used as an addition to the basic exposure can open up dark shadows so they show detail.

•Without flash, a photographer can get a good exposure for the brighter part of a scene or for the shaded part, but not for both.

•Color slide film and digital photographs particularly benefit from using flash for fill light.

Exposed for shaded foreground, no flash.

Exposed for sunlit background, no flash.

Exposed for sunlit background, flash lightens shaded foreground.

Controlling Background BrightnessControlling Background BrightnessYou can use flash plus existing light to make the

background lighter or darker.

Creative use of exposure can be a valuable tool for scientific photography.

Bull Thistles, by natural lighting. Strong side lighting and distracting background effects combine to make a visually confusing picture.

The same plants, with a flash providing frontal lighting with the exposure balanced so that the natural lighting was two stops underexposed.

Flash and Available Light:Flash and Available Light:Additional ConsiderationsAdditional Considerations

Diffused light, such as in shade, can be soft and revealing. However, at the slower shutter speeds that would be needed for greater depth-of-field, camera movement can limit sharpness.

The same subject by close-up flash can yield colors that look brighter. The speed of the flash combined with the use of smaller apertures can also produce a greater depth-of-field.

Natural sunlight.

Electronic flash

Lighting Textured ObjectsLighting Textured Objects• Lighting for a textured object depends on whether you want to emphasize texture.• Shadows must be seen if the texture is to be prominent.

Front lighting minimizes texture. Side lighting emphasizes texture

Lighting Reflective ObjectsLighting Reflective Objects Photographing objects with glossy surfaces can be like photographing a mirror. Reflections can be controlled in various ways.

• Polarizing filters if object is non-metallic.• Tenting an object (shown below).

Lighting Translucent ObjectsLighting Translucent Objects

Generally presents the same problems as lighting reflective objects. Can be from behind or by bouncing light off the background. Use a seamless background if possible

Lighting and Photographing Aquariums and Glass Display Cases

Flash on camera usually results in a reflection that obscures the subject.

Flash off camera, and on the acute side of the lens-axis/glass angle results in a reflection that is directed away from the lens – light loss is about one stop.

Good photographers often break as many rules as they observe.

Follow your text and try to understand the logic behind the techniques, but don’t be afraid to take a chance now and then and do things differently.

Flash Problems

One side of the film is dark.

Too fast a shutter speed with a camera that has a focal-plane shutter. Synchronize the shutter with the flash – 1/60 sec. is safe.

Unwanted reflections.

When photographing scenes that include reflective surfaces, move the camera and/or flash to one side so that you shoot or illuminate the scene at an angle to the reflecting surface.

Flash Problems

Unwanted shadows.

Part of scene exposed correctly, part too light or too dark.

Move the subject away from a wall so shadows fall on the ground and out of the film frame. Sighting along a line from the flash to the subject will help predict how the shadows will be cast.

Parts of the original scene are at different distances from the flash. Try to group important parts of the subject at about the same distance from the flash.

Flash Problems

Moving subject partially blurred – “ghosting”.

Red appearance to a person’s or an animals eyes – “red eye”.

Most likely to occur when existing light is bright and the camera’s shutter speed is relatively slow. Make sure your shutter is set to the fastest speed usable with the flash. You may also be able to dim the existing light, shoot when the subject isn’t moving so much, or shoot with the existing light alone. Consider deliberately combining the sharpness and blur.

Light reflecting from the blood-rich retina inside the eye. Have the person look away from the camera or move the flash away from the camera. Some flash units have a red-eye reduction mode: the flash lights up briefly before the main exposure so that the subject’s iris contracts, reducing the amount of visible red.

Flash Problems

Subject appears too dark or too light.

If the subject appears too dark, the scene was underexposed. In manual operation, increase the exposure about a stop for scenes shot outdoors at night or in a large room like a gym. If your flash pictures are frequently too dark, try setting the flash unit’s film-speed dial to half the speed you are using.

If the subject appears too light, the scene was overexposed. In manual operation, close down the aperture about a stop when shooting in small, light-colored rooms to compensate for excess light bouncing back from walls and ceiling. If your flash pictures are usually overexposed, try setting the flash unit’s film-speed dial to twice the speed you are using.