Tutorial - Light Up Your Life

Tutorial - Light Up Your Life: Some Helpful Hints to Lighting Up Still Photography

HOW IMPORTANT IS GOOD LIGHTING?
Lighting can change the mood of a picture by the amount of brightness that is allowed onto the subject and its surroundings. Less illumination can make something look spooky or sinister, while intense radiance can literally "brighten" a mood.

Television and movies use various lighting to help portray ambiance. Think about the TV Show X-Files and how mysterious that show was. They were masters of lighting, allowing deep shadows against controlled light. The entire show was a total roller coaster! You can get away with a lot more by using less or more light, either by flooding your subject (think a spotlight and you'll get the idea) or by deepening the shadows (using one strong light source in one area).

The human eye is drawn to either bright light (highlights) or dark blacks. Knowing this gives you control over your picture. What do you want the viewer to look at first? Try to pull the viewer in with the proper lighting. By creating shadows and highlights you generate more interest in the entire piece.

One thing I noticed with my digital camera is that if you don't get enough light on a subject, the picture will blur. If you find yourself constantly taking blurry shots, try adding more light on your subject and see if that helps. How do you hold your camera? In low light situations, it is extremely important to be able to hold your camera motionless. I support my elbows against my chest or stomach if I am standing, or rest them against my knees if I am kneeling. If this doesn't work, you may want to invest in a tripod or a small table to hold the camera steady.

Some digital cameras have both an outdoor and indoor setting. I always suggest getting to know your manual settings, but if you don't know them, at least understand the tungsten lamp settings and your outdoor light settings. Many digital cameras have an automatic setting and white balance that "yellows" indoor pictures. Usually if you set your camera to tungsten or you set your automatic white balance, you can usually remove this yellowing.

TERMS amd TYPES OF LIGHT
Ralph Dickinson wrote about three important light sources, Key, Fill, and Back, in, "Your Guide to Better Movie Lighting". While this was written for moviemakers, it works for still photography as well.

- Key light
The key light is the main source of light for a scene. It's usually positioned at a 15-degree to 45-degree angle in front of and above the subject, so that it shines from above and primarily on one side of the face. We set up the key light this way so that the subject doesn't appear flat, as it would if lit from directly in front. However, if used alone, the key light wouldn't be sufficient to light the subject and would create harsh shadows on the face.

- Fill light
The fill light is usually about half as bright as the key light, and it's positioned at a 15-degree to 45-degree angle in front of and above the subject, but on the side opposite the one lit by the key light. The fill light is usually placed lower than the key light, and it should not be placed at the same angle as the key light. The point is to create an asymmetrical lighting scheme that enhances the three dimensions of the subject. The fill light fills in the shadows created by the key light. This combination produces a look that's not flat and doesn't contain harsh shadows.

- Back light
The back light is usually positioned behind and above the subject to create a subtle halo, visually separating the subject from its background. Back light is also referred to as a hair light or rim light.

Some things to keep in mind about the intensity of lighting:
- Hard/harsh lighting: unflattering, makes actors less likable
- Soft lighting: flattering, makes actors more likable
- Bottom lighting: light source is positioned below the actors, often casting eerie shadows
- Side lighting: light source hits only one side of face; suggests actor's mixed state of mind

If you're outdoors and have no portable electric lights you need extra light! There are portable reflectors, sold in photography stores that one holds up. You can reflect the sunlight (and these can be used indoors as well with tungsten lights) using these very handy tools. I've seen them in the $20 range. You don't need a huge one. Mirrors can also be used to reflect back light, but sometimes those are too intense and are hard to control (and can break!). For $20 those light reflectors are worth it.

WHERE CAN I BUY LIGHTS?
DO NOT BUY EXPENSIVE LIGHTS FROM PHOTOGRAPHY STORES! I should preface this with a "buy it if you want to set up a fancy-schmancy studio environment". If you have the money, feel free, but usually I've found many cheaper variations that work just as well. I'm ALL for saving money where I can (so I can spend it on clothes and dolls instead!). Camera stores have all different types of lighting available, with stands, reflective equipment of all types, filters, sizes and budgetary needs. I would, however, avoid going to them first when you are just starting out.

The big home improvement centers (like the Home Depots of the world) have shop lighting, many of which are portable and small that you can direct with. Using bull clips you can attach these suckers just about anywhere. I've seen LOTS of sizes, shapes, and ones that have their own stands. Whatever you buy, you need to be able to adjust/direct the light, so keep this in mind! Plus, think about how you are going to hold the light in place. Do they have to hang it off something? It's always good that if you are taking pictures by yourself, find lights that you can set up, point and leave without holding them. Keep your hands free to take the pictures!

Desk lamps, for me, have been the best to use. Most of them have adjustable necks, are tall (or can get pretty tall) direct the light perfectly, and you can usually find them at Goodwill and junk stores for next to nothing. The best one I have was about $7. Just be careful with them. Some can only take a 30w bulb and overheat with higher watt bulbs. I usually put 100w bulbs in one, a 75w in the other, and the third one I have a 30w, allowing me to periodically turn them off to allow the lamp to cool down. Draft table lights are great as well, since they have very long arms and usually have two different types of lighting choices and intensities.

NATURAL LIGHT
Natural light affects colors in an image completely differently than light coming from an artificial source. Full sunlight, dappled, shade, cloud-filtered, morning, all of these types of light change the coloring effects in a picture. Normal clear, sunny day, the sun castes a yellow-orange caste, but perhaps on a rainy day, there would be more grey-blue in the light that the camera would pick up.

The time of day (morning, noon, or evening) and time of the year (spring, summer, winter or fall) also affects the color in the atmosphere, thus changing the colors that are captured. You can have mixed lighting situations (both natural and artificial lighting), which can be both a challenge and a wonderful experience. Experimentation is always key in any photography situation.

NOW WHAT?
Once you understand how light works, PLAY with it. Use different intensity bulbs; direct the light from different angles. Use more light or less light. Take notes so you can remember how you did certain things and recreate them again. Buy different colored bulbs. Move the lights closer and further from your subject. Have fun!

Bibliography:
Terms for Lighting
Ralph Dickinson: Your Guide to Better Movie Lighting

Mercy Neumark is a freelance artist and writer
Doll Website: The Loft
Moderator of Isle of Misfit Toys which is a doll photography board, running for over two years now and Ethereal Angels Forum