“What I’ve Learned So Far”
In December I decided to write a post every day on the things that I have learned over the years of my journey. It was fun and it was exhausting… but mostly it was good to reflect.
I will soon be making these posts into an EBook, but if you wish to read them before that happens, well, here you go. Sorry I cannot put them in front order, so start at the back if you want to read them in order. That said, read them in whatever order you want.
02: Lighting Class: Light Principle Two: The Distance of the Light Source
DISTANCE OF THE LIGHT SOURCE FROM THE SUBJECT The second principle of light is the distance of the light source from the subject. One thing for sure, if it is artificial light, the distance of the light source from the subject can change the size relationship, but...
03: Lighting Class: Lighting Principle Three: The Color of Light
LIGHTING PRINCIPLE THREE: THE COLOR OF LIGHT We see light usually as a white source, or at least a neutral source. It isn't. neutral, it has a color to it and that color can influence all the parts of your image, from shadows to highlights. We don't see the color of...
“Lighthouse: Maine; A Photoshop Twist
I recently rediscovered this image from a shoot I did in Maine a few years ago. I really wanted this image to work, but after trying it several times it just didn't have the snap I wanted. A few days ago, I was revisiting that shoot for a client and found the image....
04: Lighting Principle Four: Angle of the Light Source to Subject / Camera
Lighting Principle Number Four: The Angle of the Light to the Subject and the Camera Law of Physics: Angle of Incidence equals the Angle of Reflection. This is an axiom that a lot of people hear and repeat without taking careful note of what it means to their...
05: Subject Properties: Part One
EVERYTHING REFLECTS. Let me say that again. Everything reflects. Some things reflect more than others. Some surfaces are more reflective than others. But since everything reflects, we are sometimes presenting what that subject reflects rather than ‘bouncing’ light...
Announcing Lighting Essentials V4
Here we start the new year with a bang... a big bang. Lighting Essentials has always been a quiet site for a select group of serious photographers and that will not change. However, I have decided on some new content ideas for the upcoming year. MY LIGHTING WORKSHOP A...
06: Subject Properties: Part Two
Matte Surfaces These are surfaces that are not as rough as texture, but not smooth either. Skin, cloth, natural leather, finished woods and many food items are examples. Most of what we deal with in our daily lives would fall under the Matte surface example. Matte...
07: Subject Properties: Part Three
Shiny or Glossy surfaces: The third of our major surface efficiencies is glossy or very shiny surfaces. The complete opposite of the textured surface, the glossy surface will record the reflection of the light source absolutely. That means we have to be very careful...
08: Controlling The “Presentation of Light”
Subject Centric Lighting: The Five Areas of Light Presentation Cover image by Project 52 student, Gabriel Alvarez. When the lighting choices we have made are used, the light is 'presented' back to the camera in expected, and controlled ways. There are five parts of...
Arc of Beauty: Side to Back Lighting
Have You Considered the "Arc of Beauty" in your lighting? (Image by Tracy Sutherland) We are going to take a high-level view of lighting today and discuss what I call the "Arc of Beauty". And while no lighting scheme is going to be directly discussed, what we are to...
