Light is a source of energy for the universe and the central image of many religions, but it is also the most important resource for a photographer. The word "photography" itself comes from the Greek and literally means "writing with light". Photographers play with light, be it as powerful as that of the sun or as dim as a candle flame, and what they capture is light in its many forms and manifestations.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Backlight
Step 1. Backlight means that the light source is behind the subject
Like many things in photography, backlighting is neither "good" nor "bad" in an absolute sense.
- Depending on the effect you want, you can use the backlight to your advantage. Or, if left to chance, backlighting can lead to real disasters. Here are some examples of backlighting.
- Think of a photo of a sunset with trees. As you can see, the backlight is what transforms the subject into a silhouette against the sunset. In this case it is good and adds something to the artistic nature of the photograph.
Step 2. Remember that when you use a backlight source it doesn't technically have to be light
For example, if you photograph a subject with a clear sky in the background it will produce a backlight effect even if the sun is not visible as a light source.
- There are two critical aspects when working in backlit conditions. The metering mode of the camera determines the light conditions and consequently the "brain" of the machine adjusts the closing speed and the opening that must be used to obtain the desired effect.
- Unfortunately, there is a subtle but serious problem with this approach.
- The camera can't read your mind, and therefore doesn't know what kind of photography you want to do. Most of the time this is not a problem, but in the photographic field, backlit situations are often difficult due to the number of effects that can be created in each situation and the camera is not able to understand what you want to achieve.
- Matrix metering is used to capture a silhouette, because in this way the available light is taken into account and averaged to set the camera aperture and shutter speed.
- When you take a photo with a bright background and a dimly lit foreground subject, the camera will think the "subject" is much brighter than it actually is.
- This is because the camera treats everything in the viewfinder as the subject, not just the foreground subject. This way the subject will be underexposed and the silhouette will be created.
- To avoid this you will need to use a flash that will "fill" the subject with adequate light. This will give you a well-lit subject and a clear background. Let's now move on to another form of photographic light.
Method 2 of 4: Side Light
Step 1. Learn how the side light works
Depending on the angle of the light source, your subject will be partly illuminated and partly in shadow.
- Side light is used to give a particular effect to photographs.
- Try placing your subject in front of a window with one shoulder facing the camera.
- You can also rotate the subject relative to the window to get different intensities of light and shadow on the face.
- The camera will expose the bright side well while the other will be in the shade. If you don't want such an effect you can do two things, and one is to use a flash as described above.
- The other thing to do is to use natural light without flash to get a softer overall effect.
- Using mediums such as white surfaces will allow you to reflect the light on the shadowed side and add additional depth to the photograph.
Method 3 of 4: Diffused Light
Step 1. Learn what diffused light is
By diffused light we mean a light source modified to avoid overexposed photographs with unpleasant lighting.
- Sometimes the best thing to do about light is NOT TO TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS, because there is simply too much light.
- In this case you need to dim the light and reduce the contrast to get more pleasing photographs.
- Remember that there are times of day when it is good (or bad) to take pictures.
- The best time is when it is slightly cloudy or when the sun is behind a cloud.
- The same effect can be obtained if the subject is in the shade: in this case the light will be much more natural and the photograph will be better.
- The worst time to take pictures outdoors is around noon because this is the time when the light is at its most intense.
- Many novice photographers instead think that this is the best time because there is so much light available.
- Unfortunately the colors will be washed out and the shadows too dark. It is the exact opposite of the myth according to which the best light for taking photographs is that of a beautiful sunny day.
- The other thing to do is to use natural light without flash to get a softer overall effect.
- Using mediums such as white surfaces will allow you to reflect the light on the shadowed side and add additional depth to the photograph.
Method 4 of 4: Artificial Light
Step 1. Learn about artificial light
Artificial light means any light source other than natural external light. The most common types are regular camera flashes and indoor lights.
- The flashes are quite easy and automatic to use, but it is also easy to get the "red eye" effect.
- This can be solved by using an external flash which can be used if the camera has a hot shoe adapter.
- On the other hand, however, if you took the photograph and notice red eyes after downloading it to your computer, you can always remove them using an editing software.
Advice
- To properly photograph subjects farther than 4 meters feet you will need to use a more powerful external flash.
- An easy way to avoid this is to have the subject look slightly away from the camera.
- Most of the flashes mounted on the cameras do not have enough power to photograph subjects more than 3 meters away. Consult the instruction manual or the house website for specifics.
- Flashes mounted on cameras often cause the "red eye" effect when photographing a subject looking directly into the camera, this is because the flash is too close and parallel to the axis of the lens.
- When using indoor lights, adjust the whites of the camera.
