Photographing is inseparable from light, and light is in shadow. Photography is the use of light to paint. How to use light and shadow to form images and tone is a key to photography. The natural light in real life comes from the only sunlight. For the light projected on the subject, not only the position and area of the shadow will change with the direction and angle, but also the impression, feeling, including the shadow of the subject. Blended tones also show distinctly different visual effects. Therefore, choosing the right light, including proper light direction and angle, is the first step in photographic creation.
In general, the classification of light from the direction of illumination can be divided into three main categories, namely, directional light, side light and back light. Directional lighting is the light coming from the back of the camera. Since light is radiated uniformly from the front to the subject, the subject has a large light receiving area and the shadow is relatively small. It is relatively easy to measure and control the exposure when shooting. Even with the camera’s automatic exposure system, exposure errors will not occur. However, under the condition of smooth light, the surface of the subject is uneven regardless of unevenness, because the light is completely the same reason, the shadow is not easy to appear, it will result in the lack of texture and three-dimensional sense of the object, the description of the subject tends to be flat; light refers to the light coming from the side of the subject. It can give a clear shadow to the surface of the subject. For the texture of the surface, the texture is a very ideal light. Sidelight can both outline the outline of the subject and reflect the stereoscopic effect. It is a light that is commonly used when shooting light. Backlight refers to the light that sunlight shines from behind the subject. It can be imagined that in the case of backlighting, the subject often becomes a silhouette, so it is relatively difficult to grasp the exposure. Backlighting can set a dazzling and moving Phnom Penh on the outline of the subject. With appropriate processing, it can create a unique aesthetic feeling and produce dramatic feelings of light and shadow. When shooting backlit photos, if you press background metering or exposure by automatic program, you will often underexpose. Be sure to pay attention to exposure compensation or fill light. The fill light can be synchronized with the reflector or flash during the day.
We know that from sunrise to sunset, the sun changes position every second. Therefore, the light that shines on the subject will change its angle as the sun’s position changes. As the angle changes, the texture of the subject’s surface and the balance of the shadow will directly affect the overall performance. In general, the light around 45 degrees above the side of the subject is considered to be the optimal daylighting angle, which corresponds to about 10 o’clock in the morning and about 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Because the same is the sidelight, the shadow of the subject is shorter at high angles, and the shadow of the subject is longer at low angles. The light of the same condition is only once a day. The choice of the angle of light cannot be taken lightly. This requires the photographer to carefully observe the subtle changes of light in different seasons, different weather conditions, different times, different directions and angles, as well as the images that can appear on the screen. Emotional effects for better use of light based on themes and ideas of performance.
Moreover, if the light is differentiated from the light quality, there are soft and hard points. Direct light is often referred to as “hard light,” and generally refers to sunlight that is not shielded by clouds or other objects, or artificial light that directly strikes the subject, such as lights, flash lights, and the like. Subjects under direct light illumination have relatively large light in the light receiving part and shadow part, clear light part, heavy shadow, strong contrast in the picture, and strong three-dimensional effect. But for some subjects, such as petals and human skin, when the contrast between light and dark is too large, it will give people a rough feeling. The direct flash will often leave an exaggerated shadow behind the subject, making the picture appear too rigid and lacking in aesthetics. It is worth noting. Scattered light is a kind of soft light that doesn’t produce obvious projections. It is also called “soft light.” Light rays such as when it is cloudy or when it is blocked by the sun are scattered light. When using artificial light, the light reflected by the translucent paper or the reflector also belongs to the scattered light. Because the light is not directed but reflected from the different directions to the subject, the shadow is very light, the contrast is small, and the tone is relatively soft. In the overcast sky of clouds, because of the transition of light, the hue and shadow will appear unchanged, and the picture will appear dull. The bright cloudy sky with a faint cloud sheltering the sun, direct light and scattered light, is generally recognized as the best “photograph day”.
When it comes to photography, there is another factor that must be taken into consideration: the relationship between light and color temperature. In color photography, the color temperature of the light source directly affects the true reduction of the subject’s color. The color temperature is the spectral component of the light source and is a measure of the color of the light source. It is expressed in terms of the temperature scale K (Kelvin). In general, in a light source with a high color temperature, there are more blue light components than red light. In a light source with a low color temperature, there are more red light components than blue light sources. The color temperature values of different light sources are not the same. In the same daytime, the color temperature of sunlight varies in different time periods. For example, the color temperature of the sun at sunrise or sunset is low, about 2000-3000K, and the morning or afternoon sunlight is about 3800K to 5200K, the sun around the time of noon is around 5500K. The electronic flash has a color temperature of 5500K, a tungsten-iodine lamp, and a tungsten light for photography is generally around 3300K. In color photography, there are two types of color film: daylight and light. The calibrated balanced color temperature of the daylight type color film is 5500K, and the calibrated balanced color temperature of the light type color film is 3200K. In other words, the daylight type color film must be used under the light source of 5500K in color temperature to obtain the standard color reproduction, and the light type color film is suitable for use under the light source of 3300K color temperature. If a daylight-type film is used to record under a light source with a color temperature of about 3200K, the picture will be orange-red. For example, if the color temperature of sunlight is low in the morning and in the evening, photographs taken on a daylight-type film at sunrise and sunset tend to be orange-red. Also here. One method is to use a daylight-type film to shoot under a light source with a color temperature of 3300K.
You can also increase the color temperature by adding a blue color temperature conversion filter to the lens to obtain a normal color reproduction. Similarly, the light color film can also be used under a 5500K light source by lowering the color temperature by using an amber color temperature conversion filter. For an experienced photographer, it is necessary to master the changes in the color temperature of different light sources in order to better grasp the color and tone of the photo, and to fully reflect the theme of the creation and the atmosphere of the picture.