LIGHT

VCD 151 · Fall 2023-24

WHAT IS LIGHT?
Before moving on to the fundamentals of photography, you first need to develop a deeper understanding of light—how it works and how to capture it,
control it, enhance it, and use it creatively.

Physics shows us that light is ambiguous and paradoxical, possessing the qualities of both particles and waves. Light’s multidimensionalism can
reveal any subject’s many diverse realities, which are as fleeting as light itself. Light’s changing physical properties demonstrate that everything is in
flux and nothing is as it appears to be, signifying the numerous ways any subject may be viewed and interpreted.

Every photograph is about light. Light is a plastic medium that is the key ingredient shared by every photograph and determines the look of every
photograph you make. Light makes known the emotional and physical contents within your visual space and activates vision and meaning. Every
image provides a different set of conditions in which we can experience light. If the light does not reveal the perceived nature of the subject, the
picture will not communicate the content you wish to transmit to a viewer. In that sense, pictures are about what others are able to see in them.

Light is a form of visual grammar that can activate specific physical sensations and psychological sensibilities, which allow us to touch with our eyes.
Light’s diverse characteristics, analogous to how we use words to explain our world, offer image makers a wealthy descriptive toolbox to call upon.
One way to think about it is to say that imagemakers use light as adjectives to bring out the attributes that best describe or modify their subjects. An
excellent way to expand on light’s broad depictive attributes to communicate expressive, emotional, metaphoric, and symbolic meaning is by
observing its natural cycle. An awareness and knowledge of natural light is the first step toward the smart use of its substitute: artificial light. The
possibilities of natural light are infinite and self-renewing. To study photography is to study light by emphasizing your visual results rather than the
means of containing them. The type of equipment one uses is not important. What matters is learning to use your gear so it becomes an extension of
your own vision.
INTERACTION OF LIGHT WITH MATTER
When in a vacuum such as outer space where no matter is present, light travels straightforward. However, light
behaves in a variety of ways when it comes in contact with water, air, and other matters – it is "absorbed", "transmitted
through", "reflected", and "scattered". When light strikes matter, a part of that light is absorbed into the matter and is
transformed into heat energy. If the matter that the light strikes is a transparent material, the light component that was
not absorbed within the material is “transmitted” through and exits to the outer side of the material. If the surface of
the material is smooth (a mirror for example), “reflection” occurs, but if the surface is irregular having pits and
protrusions, the light “scatters”.

The “transmitted,” “reflected,” or “scattered” light allows our eyes to see the colors and shapes of objects.
LIGHT REFLECTS
The sunlight striking a mountain bounces back in many directions. This is called
reflected light. Our eyes see the mountain by capturing some of the light reflected from
the mountain which directly reaches our eyes and then by forming an image of the
reflected light on the retina through the lens of the eye. (Pink lines in the figure
represent the reflected light. To make it easier to describe, this figure shows a boy
looking at a distant tree instead of a mountain.)

When there is a lake or pond between our eyes and a mountain, the light arriving there
from the mountain reflects off the surface of the lake or pond (blue dotted lines in the
figure). If the surface is calm with no wind and also flat and smooth such as on level
surfaces with no irregularities like mirrors and glass, then the angle of the incident light
(angle of incidence) and the angle of the light bouncing off the surface (angle of
reflection) are equal to each other. This is referred to as specular reflection or mirror
reflection. When the surface is located in an ideal location where the light bouncing off
the surface by means of specular reflection directly reaches our eyes, then we can see
a sharp, clear image of the mountain reflected on the surface.

On the other hand, if the surface is rough or irregular, then the direction of the
reflected light varies depending on the position on the surface, resulting in a distorted
image of the mountain reflecting on the water surface.
LIGHT SCATTERS
Why is it that on a clear day, the color of sky is blue but appears red in the
evening?

Light from the sun reaches the earth after traveling through space, it
“scatters” when striking the various particles and molecules in the
atmosphere. A part of this light returns to the outer space and the remainder
of the light reaches the surface of the earth after traveling through the
atmosphere. The level of scattering of light depends on its wavelength, and
of the lights that our eyes can see, blue light is more intensely dispersed or
scattered. This is why the sky appears blue to our eyes during the day.

On the other hand, during sunrise and sunset, the sky can appear orange,
pink, or red to our eyes. This is because when the position of the sun is
lower, the distance that the light travels through the atmosphere becomes
longer, and the blue light that is gradually scattered and weakens. Therefore,
the remaining red or orange light reaches our eyes.
LIGHT REFRACTS
When you look into a straw placed in a glass, the portion
of the straw inside the water appears bent. Why is that
so?
Light “refracts” at the boundary between air and water in
the glass. Refraction occurs because light travels at
different speed in air and water. Our eyes catch the
scattered light from the straw in the water, but refraction
occurs when the light in the water enters the air. However,
the light coming out from water appears to be moving
straightforward to our eyes, and our eyes form a “virtual
image” on the line extending from the refracted light. Thus
the tip of the straw in the water appears to have deviated
from its actual position.
LIGHT INTERFERES
How are those intriguing colors of blowing soap bubbles made?

Light moves in various directions so the light waves are constantly striking
against each other. The phenomenon that occurs when the light waves
collide with each other is called “interference.”

When the peaks of these waves overlap, the peaks become even larger.
When the peaks and valleys of the waves collide, the waves cancel each
other out. This interference is what causes us to see the various colors in
soap bubbles.

A soap bubble is made of an extremely thin film. Light reflecting from the
outer and inner sides of this film interferes with each other to cause the
colors that we see. Moreover, the viewing angle of the light interference
occurring at the soap bubble film changes due to the ceaseless movement of
the soup bubble.

Due to the waves of light repeatedly intensifying and canceling each other
out, our eyes see mysterious and constantly changing colors.
LIGHT DISPERSES
Why does rainbow appear in the sky after it rains?

The light from the sun is called white light beam, but it actually is a mixture of
different colored lights which appear white to our eyes. Using a prism to
separate the white light beam allows us to see the various colors of light.

This phenomenon is called “dispersion” of light. In the natural world, water

droplets act like a prism then they remain in the air after the rain.

Light that strikes water droplets refracts and moves to the interior of the
droplet, reflects within the droplet, and refracts when exiting the droplet. The
water droplets in the air act just like a prism causing dispersion and the light
reaching our eyes appears as continuous bands of different colors. That is
what makes a rainbow.

If we look closely around the rainbow, we may sometimes see another

rainbow (a secondary rainbow) whose color sequence is reversed, on the
outer side of the first rainbow. This secondary rainbow appears due to light
that reaches our eyes reflecting twice in the water droplet.
There are a lot of different words for describing light such as “red light, blue light, yellow light”, “bright light, dark light”,
“sunlight, light from a firefly, light from a lamp”, and so on. The “wavelength” of light is related to light color and
non-visible light, and “the number of photons” is related to the brightness of light. Moreover, light is not only emitted
from the sun but also from the bodies of living organisms or lighting equipment.
COLOR AND WAVELENGTH
When light is viewed as wave (electromagnetic waves), the color is defined by the wavelength which is the length between crests or between troughs
of the wave. The light that can be detected by human eyes is called visible light and is on a wavelength between 400 to 700 nanometers. One
nanometer (nm) is equal to one billionth of a meter and is used along with the micrometer (1 μm or 1 millionth of a meter) to express unit of small
length.

The electromagnetic wave region including radio waves, terahertz waves and infrared light exists on longer wavelengths than visible light. On the
other hand, ultraviolet light, as well as X-rays and gamma rays, exist on shorter wavelengths than visible light.

Electromagnetic waves are waves from electric and magnetic fields that oscillate perpendicular to each other and to the direction of propagation.
While light has the dual properties of a particle and a wave, electromagnetic wave focuses on the properties of “wave”. So, in quantum mechanics,
electromagnetic waves are photons themselves. The distance that an electromagnetic wave propagates during one cycle of the electric or magnetic
field oscillation is called the wavelength. Light (electromagnetic wave) travels in a vacuum at a speed of about 300,000 kilometers per second.
Therefore, electromagnetic waves whose oscillation cycle is one hundred-trillionth of a second are infrared lights of wavelength 3 μm.
POLARIZATION OF LIGHT
Besides color and brightness, there is another word that describes the nature of light. That word is “polarization”. Light is a transverse wave that oscillates in directions perpendicular to the direction it travels.
Natural light oscillate 360° in all directions (in the figure, the orange arrow indicates the direction of oscillation). In contrast to this, light which oscillates in only one direction is called polarized light. We make
great use of polarized light for all manner of applications.

A special plate called a polarizing plate is used to get light that oscillates in only one direction from natural light. When a polarizing plate is placed vertically as shown in the figure below, only light oscillating in
the vertical direction can pass through the polarizing plate (vertically polarized light). When a second polarizing plate is set in the horizontal direction, the vertically polarized light cannot pass through the
second polarizing plate, so no light passes through it. (For this reason, it turns pitch black where two polarizing plates are overlapped.)

For example, polarized sunglasses for fishing employ this mechanism. The polarized sunglasses cut light reflected off the surface of the water (most of which oscillates parallel to the surface of the water),
thereby reducing obstruction of light coming from underwater (reflected glare from the sun), so it is possible to better see fish in the water. Also, the LCD monitors of TVs, smartphones, and other devices
adjust the amount of red, green, and blue light with a polarizing filter in order to create different colors.
Before explaining what “polarized light” is, we must assume that light waves are “transverse waves” just like radio waves. Figure A-1 shows what happens when light travels
in the Z direction and oscillates vertically (up and down) with respect to the ground. At this time, light is linearly polarized, in the vertical direction. Figure A-2 shows what
happens when light oscillates horizontally, which is horizontal linearly polarized light. Figure A-3 shows vertical linearly polarized light and horizontal linearly polarized light
traveling together. Because the two electric fields are combined as vectors, they are linearly polarized at a diagonal 45˚ angle to the left. In Figure A-4, the horizontally
polarized waves appear inverted compared to Figure A-3. In this case, the slope of the combined wave is linearly polarized at a diagonal 45° angle to the right, unlike Figure
A-3. Next, let’s look at Figure A-5. The phase of the vertical wave is 90° out of phase with Figure A-1. Here, the combined waves are spinning around. This is called circularly
polarized light. Last, the waves in Figure A-6 are -90° out of phase with those in Figure A-1. In this case, while it is still the same circularly polarized light, the rotation direction
is reversed. Therefore, even with two waves, horizontal and vertical, the plane of polarization changes significantly when combined through the phase relationship between
the two waves. When light passes through the polarizer, it will become linearly polarized light with the same direction as the polarizer, regardless of what state the “transverse
wave” was in at the time of incidence.
VISIBLE LIGHT
Seven colors of the rainbow are visible light
Visible light is light in a wavelength range between about
400 to 700 nanometers. Human eyes can detect the light
in this wavelength range. Visible light expressed as color
ranges from purple in the vicinity of 400 nm to longer
wavelengths, to deep blue, blue, green, yellow and orange
and red in the vicinity of 700 nm. Human eyes are most
sensitive to green-colored light on the 555 nm wavelength.
The reason that the leaves of plants appear green in
sunlight is that substances contained in the leaves soak
up blue and red light and reflect back only the green light
that reaches our eyes.
INFRARED LIGHT
Infrared lights are present wherever there is heat
Infrared light presents on a relatively wide wavelength range between 700
nm to 1 mm and are generally categorized as follows.

Near-infrared ray:700 nm to 2.5 μm

Mid-infrared ray:2.5 μm to 4 μm
Far-infrared ray:4 μm to 1000 μm (1 mm)

Near-infrared lights close to visible light are found in devices used in daily life
such as remote controllers for home appliances and audio-visual equipment
and communications between portable terminals.

Infrared lights are emitted from a heat source (or anything that has heat). For
example, the human body at a temperature of about 37 °C constantly emits
far-infrared lights around 10 μm. Ear thermometers and thermography can
measure human body temperature by detecting the far-infrared emissions.
ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT
Birds and insects can see ultraviolet lights
Ultraviolet lights on a short wavelength away from
visible light are invisible to humans yet can be seen
by birds and insects. As shown in the picture on the
right, even flower petals that appear to the human eye
to have no patterns, can be seen as having intense
patterns in the center section to insects that can see
ultraviolet light. Insects can in this way find and swoop
down on the nectar from flowers.
BRIGHTNESS OF LIGHT
When the light wavelength changes in this way, our eyes sense the difference in “color” to see things as blue or as red. Well then, in the case of bright light or faint light, what
kind of difference do our eyes sense? The “photon,” the smallest form of light, is the key to answering that question.

We use units such as illuminance or power density (W/m2) to express brightness of light. Here, let’s try to express brightness of light based on the number of photons. The
photon is a particle of light and the energy it contains is determined by the wavelength so the photons gradually appear when made darker.

On a sunny day, the brightness of sunlight in terms of visible light power density is approximately 400 W/m2. Expressing this as the number of photons gives about
1,000,000,000,000,000 photons per second per square millimeter, or in other words about a quadrillion photons per square millimeter, reach to the earth every second. The
brightness of a full moon is about 1 millionth that of the sun, and the brightness of a star of zero magnitude is 1 hundred-thousandth that of a full moon. The light emitted from
living organisms such as fireflies and bioluminescent jellyfish is about the same level as the brightness of the moon or stars.
NATURAL vs. ARTIFICIAL LIGHT
As far as photographers are concerned, light falls into two broad categories: natural and artificial. Both
categories include subsets of light that have different properties from one another. For example, natural
light is usually produced by the sun, but natural light can also come from flames such as a candle or even
a forest fire. Moonlight is also a form of natural light. But even though all these types of light come from
natural sources, they have vastly different characteristics. Candle light, for example, will produce light with
an orange cast while the mid-day sun produces light that is much bluer. Even the properties of sunlight can
be vastly different during one time of the day than during another: morning sunlight, for example, is diffuse
and produces softer shadows, while the sun at noon is direct and produces darker shadows. In other
instances, ambient light (meaning the available light in an environment) can be considered as natural
because it isn’t directly influenced by the photographer’s lighting equipment. This usually indicates natural
lighting from outside that lights up a room through a window. Natural light is abundant (so you get to
practice consistently, free of charge) and, by paying attention to certain factors such as how the sun
behaves throughout the day and in different weather conditions, you will learn to see light better, maximize
its potential, and apply the basic techniques in any genre of photography.
BASIC PRINCIPLES
The diagram of white ball on a white ground illustrates a sunny afternoon. The main source of light is the sun, while
the blue sky supplies a second source of light with very different characteristics. Some bounced white light between
the white base and the ball supplies a third source of light.

The brightest light is coming from the sun and is white light emanating from a small source, which causes it to cast
sharp-edged shadows. The second source, the blue sky, is a very large light source and, as a result, has very soft
shadows (which are completely masked by the direct light coming from the sun). The smaller the source of the light,
the harder the shadows.

Finally, the light that is reflected between the card and the ball is also predominantly blue (even though the card and
ball are white), since it is blue skylight that is being reflected by the white objects. The surfaces that are closer
together receive more of this reflected light than those that are further apart; the bottom part of the ball is lighter than
the center because it is closer to the white card.

The darkest areas in the image are the base of the cast shadow and the border between the areas of the ball that
are in sunlight and in shade: this zone is called the terminator. The base of the cast shade is very dark because it
receives no sunlight and the ball masking it from most of the skylight and bounced light. The other end of the cast
shadow is lighter because it is receiving more light from sky and bounced light from the ball.

Why is the terminator the darkest area on the ball? This is partly because of the effect of contrast -being so near to
the very bright side of the ball in sunlight makes it appear to be darker, but it also receiving less of the bounced light
reflected by the white card. So, unlike the rest of the ball, which is receiving either full sunlight or light reflected from
the white card, its main source of illumination is the blue sky. It is the area in between the main light (the sun) and
the fill light (the sun) and the fill light (the reflected light from the card).
Why is the light from the sky blue? Visible light is made up of tiny particles of pure energy called
photons, which have different wavelengths depending on their color: blue light comprises photons
with shorter wavelengths, whereas red light is made up of photons with longer wavelengths. White
light from the sun is composed of a continuous spectrum of colors of the rainbow (with progressively
longer wavelengths: violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red). It is the mixture of these
colors that produces white.

However, when light travels through the atmosphere of the earth, the shorter wavelengths of light
become scattered. The earth’s atmosphere is composed of various gases, and the atoms and
molecules from which these are formed are suspended within it. Photons travelling through the
atmosphere interact with these atomic particles, which can absorb and re-emit the photons and
make them travel in another direction. Shorter wavelengths are more likely than longer ones to be
deflected, so that the photons scattered in all directions by this interaction are predominantly blue.

Longer wavelengths of light, such as red, can travel further through the atmosphere without being
scattered. This is why sunsets are red: as the sunlight travels through a thicker layer of air to reach
us when it is lower in the sky a lot of the blue light is lost from scattering, and the light that remains
is predominantly red.

The effect of blue photons bouncing in all directions is that the atmosphere is actually glowing with
blue light, an effect that is clearly visible from space. This blue light is strong enough to illuminate
areas that are not in direct sunlight, which is why you can still see when you are in open shade.
The sun’s light glows
red at sunset because
the shorter blue
wavelengths have
been lost due
scattering. Note,
however, that the
scattered blue light is
reflecting back from
eastern sky and
acting as a fill on the
foreground waves.
RADIANCE
When light hits a surface it either bounces or is absorbed by it, depending on
the colour of the surface. A white object will reflect all wavelengths equally,
whereas a black object will absorb them all. When white light hits a red surface
the blue and green wavelengths are absorbed and the red light is reflected.

So, if white light hits a red surface the photons reflected by the surface will be
red. When these photons hit the next surface in their path they will therefore
illuminate it with red light. This phenomenon is known as radiance, and causes
the colours of adjacent objects to have an effect on each other.

Radiance is usually a subtle effect, and it takes a great deal of light for it to
become apparent. In soft or dim light it may not be visible at all, but in bright
light it can add a lot of color to the objects it affects. Light reflecting between
objects of the same color can create a very saturated effect -the bounced light
reinforces the existing color of the underlying surface, making the color glow
vividly.
WHITE BALANCE
Most light sources in everyday situations have a color cast, although the brain is very
good at filtering this out. As long as there is a vague mixture of the three primaries in the
light the brain interprets it as white. Even under lighting with very strong color we have
the ability to filter the information our eyes receive and make sense of the colors so that
we perceive them in a relative manner rather than an absolute one.

The obvious way of demonstrating this is to use a digital camera with the white balance
set to daylight: this is a neutral setting, which will reflect the colors that are actually
there.

The brain will convert the color to make them resemble the first image, but the camera
paints the true picture. An easy way to confirm this fact is to look at windows from the
outside: next time you are outdoors in the evening look at the color coming from the
windows of houses and you will see that the house interiors are bright orange. When we
aren’t directly under the light source we can see its true color.

Something very similar happens when we stand in open shade, where light is very blue.
We perceive the light as being neutral, but if we step back and look at the shade from
under sunlight the blue cast is much easier to see. There are many other situations
where lights have a strong cast: fluorescent light is often green, street lighting is very
deep orange, evening sunlight progresses from a light yellow to a deep red, an so on.
COLOR TEMPERATURE: KELVIN SCALE
Adjusting the white balance on the
Kelvin scale is the equivalent of manual
mode for exposure — it gives
photographers complete control over the
white balance. Shade is often set at
7500K, while daylight is about 5500K
and sunset 2500K. An accurate white
balance means that objects that are
white in real life are also white in the
image — but "accurate" isn’t always
what’s right for the photograph. Using
the Kelvin scale to skew the white
balance to be more orange creates a
warm feeling in an image, creating a
look similar to shooting near sunset. On
the other side, adjusting the white
balance towards the blue end creates a
cooler look, often used to create a
somber mood in a photograph. Film
photographers often used warming and
cooling filters to create these effects, but
digital photography makes it easy to
simply adjust the white balance in
camera (or in post).
PROPERTIES OF COLORED LIGHT
Three properties are used to describe color: hue,
saturation or intensity, and lightness. Hue describes
what we usually think of as the color, which is the
actual value on the color wheel, saturation describes
the intensity of the color or how pure it is, and lightness
describes the value, or how light or dark it is. In the
diagram, Y is a given color that can be defined by
three criteria: A is its hue, as defined by its position in
the spectrum, B is its saturation as defined by the
intensity or purity of the hue -the purer it is the less
white it contains (white being a mixture of other colors)
and C is the intensity or value of the color in terms of
light, black being the absence of light.
Front Lighting
Front lighting is where the light source is directly
behind the observer’s point of view. In some situations
very attractive images can result from soft frontal
lighting. Front lighting does little to reveal form or
texture since the shadows are mostly hidden from
view, and, as a result it can make things look flat.
However, soft diffused frontal lighting can be flattered
to some objects for this very reason - it can help
conceal wrinkles and blemishes, so it is quite often
used in portrait and product photography. Soft front
lighting is generally attractive and is the kind of lighting
encountered at the beginning and end of the day.
Side Lighting
Side lighting is very good for showing form and texture and
lends a three-dimensional quality to objects. Shadows are
prominent and, as a result, contrast can be high. You can
use side lighting to throw dramatic shadows onto surfaces
such as walls to create atmosphere. Side lighting is
generally attractive and is often used to great effect: it is the
type of lighting encountered at the beginning and the end of
the day, as such, is often seen in films and photographs.
Some potential drawbacks of using side lighting are that
areas of the image can be lost in shadow and imperfections
and wrinkles can be revealed. In portrait photography it is
generally used on men rather than women.
Back Lighting
Back lighting is where the viewer is looking into the light source, and
objects will have their lit sides facing away from us, so that they are
either silhouetted or darkly lit by the fill light. It is usually a high contrast
situation and can often look very atmospheric and dramatic. If the light
source is at a slight angle relative to your point of view, objects will
have a rim of light defining one or more of their edges. The harder the
light the more pronounced this rim will be.

Back-lit scenes usually contain a lot of shadow unless the light source
is very soft. Most of the time the image will be predominantly dark with
dramatic pools of light. The rim lighting that occurs in this situation can
be very useful for defining forms among the shadows. Another feature
of this kind of light is that it reveals transparency, translucency and any
fine detail or texture along rimlit edges. Back lighting is thus very
effective for lending drama to an image.
Lighting from above
Top lighting is a slightly more unusual situation, although it is
common in overcast daylight. It can also be encountered in
sunshine at midday, in some interiors and in other situations,
such as stage lighting. In soft light it is an effective way of
showing form. Under hard light it can lend an air of mystery by
casting dramatic shadows that conceal most of the forms
beneath them - people directly beneath hard lights will have
black holes for eyes since their eye sockets will be in total
shadow.
Top lighting is rarely used by artists, although that doesn’t mean
it shouldn’t be. For overcast daylight it is the most realistic
set-up, with the whole sky acting as a large diffused light source.
It is also an unusual lighting solution for more atmospheric
situations and the very fact that it’s not often seen can be used
to create an uncomfortable feeling.
Lighting from below
If lighting from directly above is rare, the lighting from directly
below is even more unusual. In a natural context this might
happen if you were standing over a campfire, or holding a torch.
Reflected light can also come from below, from water, for
instance. It lends a strange appearance to even the most familiar
things, since what is usually seen in light and shade would be
reversed (think of a person shining a torch onto his face from
below: the shadows appear to be upside down.)

Again, the very rarity of this kind of lighting can be used to

creatively recognize when things don’t look right, and you can
use this to create specific moods by changing the lighting to
convey different emotions and provoke responses.
NATURAL LIGHT - Mid-morning sunlight
The diagram represents sunlight at mid-morning or mid-afternoon, and is
probably the most straightforward kind of sunlight in terms of color and
character. However, there are also two major factors that affect the character
of sunlight: these are scattering and cloud cover.

Clouds have a major impact on both the color and the character of sunlight.
Clouds are translucent, which means that they let light pass through them, but
in a diffuse manner. When light travels through a transparent surface, such as
glass, the rays remain parallel; where a surface is translucent the light that
travels through it is diffused by the substance and the rays bounce around
inside it, emerging from it in several directions. This is a similar phenomenon
to the scattering of blue light by the atmosphere, except that in clouds it occurs
across all wavelengths of light, not just the shorter ones. The effect that this
diffusion has on sunlight is to soften it, turning a small hard light source (the
sun) into a large and soft one (the whole sky). Color is also profoundly affected
by cloud cover, since clouds conceale the blue sky and the light coming from
it.
NATURAL LIGHT - Midday sunshine
When the sun is at its highest point in the sky the light is at its whitest and
strongest. Contrast is very high and shadows are very dark, so dark that film
emulsions generally render them black -although it is still possible to see some
detail in the shadows with the naked eye. For this kind of lighting to be
recreated believably there needs to be very strong and high contrast.

The strong light has the effect of bleaching out colors, and these appear to be
less saturated than at other times of the day. The strong contrast can make it
difficult to create appealing images in this sort of light, although in situations
where contrast is naturally lower it can work very well. Water, for example, can
benefit from this strong light, and many images of tropical seas are taken at
midday. In other case the high contrast can be used to creative effect.

The small shadows and strong light aren’t particularly revealing of form, and
the low saturation is another drawback. Most photographers avoid using
strong midday light, but that doesn’t mean that these conditions are
impossible. Going against conventional wisdom can lead to unusual and
creative solutions.
NATURAL LIGHT -Late afternoon/early evening sunlight
As the sun goes down its light becomes progressively warmer,
and by evening it has an obvious yellow cast. The color of the
sky also takes on a deeper shade of blue due to decreasing light
levels. Evening light is generally considered to be very attractive,
the warm colors and softer contrast being very easy on the eye.
From about an hour before sunset this effect is at its most
noticeable -photographers and filmmakers call this the ‘golden
hour’ because the light takes on very photogenic qualities. Color
saturation is very high and the color of the light itself has a huge
effect on our perception of the surfaces it touches, lending them
a warm and rich appearance. By an aesthetically pleasing
coincidence the shadows are close to the complementary color
of the highlights - the main light is a warm yellow while the
shadows are a cool blue. These pleasing properties mean that
evening light is often seen in photographs, films and
advertisements.
NATURAL LIGHT - Sunset
By the time the sun is about to set it has become a deep orange
or red color and its light has also become much weaker, which
means that contrast is very low. The weaker sunlight also means
that skylight takes on a greater importance and shadow areas
become a deeper and richer shade of blue. Shadows at sunset
are very long and texture is very apparent.
The sky at sunset can be extremely colorful if there are any
clouds. The clouds are now lit from below, taking on dramatic red
or orange hues. These colors add some complexity to the color
of the skylight and, as a result, can affect the color in shadow
areas, sometimes turning them purple or pink.
Sunsets are also very varied in terms of color and atmosphere -if
you observe several sunsets in succession, no two will be the
same.
NATURAL LIGHT - Dusk
Dusk is a special time of day, with unpredictable but often
very beautiful lighting. Since the sun is no longer above the
horizon, the sky itself is the only source of natural light. As
a result the light is soft, with little shadow and contrast, and
the colors can be extremely delicate.
After sunset on a clear day there is often a pink area in the
eastern sky, a phenomenon called alpenglow. This is a
frequent occurrence, but can surprise those who aren’t
used to noticing it. Alpenglow can cast a noticeable pink
light onto surfaces that are reflective, such as white
houses, sand or water. This pink light is too faint to affect
darker surfaces such as foliage, so the land will often look
dark.
NATURAL LIGHT - Open shade
In open shade the sky becomes the main source of
illumination, and as a result the light has a strong blue cast.
The light from the sky is diffuse with soft shadows. Without
the atmosphere to scatter light there would be no
illumination here -if you were to stand in a shady area on
the moon it would be pitch black.
Light in open shade can also be reflected from the
environment, from nearby walls, for example. Foliage and
other surfaces can also reflect light into shady areas, with
resulting effects on the color of the light. If you would stand
in a dense forest where the sky is hidden but leaves are
reflecting light, then the color of the light will be green. The
same effect can be seen between trees and grass.
NATURAL LIGHT - Overcast light
Overcast light comes in a few varieties, depending on the
thickness of the cloud and the time of day. It can be quite
beautiful, with several attractive qualities. Since the whole sky is
acting as one light source the light is soft and diffuse, with soft
shadows. Contrast is low and color saturation is usually quite
high.

Color is dependent mostly on time of day. Color temperature

charts often claim that overcast daylight is blue, and the thicker
the cloud the deeper the blue. However, if the sun is high the
light can appear to be white or grey and the thicker the cloud the
whiter the light. It’s only when the sun gets lower in the sky that
overcast light becomes bluer, and the lower the sun goes the
more obvious this becomes.
NATURAL LIGHT - Bright overcast light
On day with thinner cloud it is possible to get a little directional
sunlight coming through. This creates stronger shadows, which
can still be soft as long as there is cloud in front of the sun.
Bright overcast light is an almost ideal compromise between the
strong contrast of sunshine and the relative dullness of heavy
cloud.
Thinner cloud cover means that the sky can have a lot of texture,
whereas on days with heavy cloud cover it tends to look a solid
white or grey. Varying cloud thickness or small gaps between
clouds can also help to introduce color into the sky, with blue
skylight and yellow sunlight reflecting onto the surface of the
clouds. Colors in the sky can vary enormously when cloud is
thinner, and the sky can often be very striking when cloud is thin
or broken. Another factor influencing cloud color is distance
-distant clouds can appear yellow or even orange because of
light scattering, even in the middle of the day.
NATURAL LIGHT - Broken cloud & dappled light
It is also quite common to come across mixtures of light and shade in natural
environments. With broken cloud you get a type of light that is different from pure
sunshine or overcast light. The blue fill light from the sky is absent yet the sun can shine
brightly if there is a gap in the cloud. Clouds will cast visible shadows on the landscape
and there will be patches of sunlight in between these shadows. Contrast can be high,
and the grey skies are a dramatic backdrop to surfaces that are in sunshine, with the
difference between the bright light and the gloomy background creating interesting
juxtapositions.

Again skies in this light can be very colorful, with many factors influencing the colors:
time of day, thickness of the clouds, distance, etc. Colors can range from many shades
of blue through yellows, oranges and greys. Light can change very fast as the clouds
move across the sky, with light appearing and disappearing from moment to moment.

Dappled light, such as that found under trees in sunshine, is another mixture of light and
shade commonly found in nature. It is a high contrast light, and in full sunlight it can be
very bright in contrast to the shade around it. Most cameras will not be able to capture
the full range of tones that exist in dappled light, although they may be visible to the
naked eye.
INDOOR & ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING - Window Light
Light indoors has a very different character from that found outside, the
biggest difference being that falloff is a significant factor indoors. Falloff affects
all man-made lights and light coming from windows, but in sunlight (either
direct or diffused by cloud) it is not noticeable because the sun is so far away.
When human beings are in control of the light source there is an added twist in
that the light is often designed for a specific purpose. For instance household
lights are designed to give off appealing, generally diffused light, whereas
office lighting is more functional and cost-effective, and tends to be harsher.

Sunlight indoors is almost always diffused, bouncing between walls, floors and
ceilings. Direct sunlight can get in through windows but, because of the
comparatively small size of windows in relation to walls, much of the home will
never receive sunlight that hasn’t been reflected by one surface or another.
Window light is how we generally see natural light indoors. Since the window
itself is the effective light source this means that the light is quite soft. Window
light is attractive and very photogenic. If there is only one window then contrast
is lower as there will be more fill light.
INDOOR & ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING - Window Light
The color of the light is dependent on several things. The weather will affect the light
coming through the window. If it is overcast the initial light will be white, grey or blue. In
sunny conditions it will be either blue skylight or white, yellow or red sunlight (depending
on the time of day). Once the light has come through the window it will be affected by
the surfaces in the room from which it is reflected. Wall, floor and furniture colors will all
influence the light as it bounces around.

This means that to portray window light convincingly you need to think very carefully
about all the possible permutations and plan the strength, color and contrast
thoughtfully. The simplest set-up would be an overcast day with white light coming into a
white room from one large window; you can then plan any permutations using this
simple model as your starting point and vary it from there.

One very famous type of window light is called the North Light, the light provided by a
north facing window. In the past artists didn’t have reliable artificial lighting, so by having
a studio with a window that faced north it was possible to have a fairly constant and
consistent light throughout the day. The reason is that the sun is always in the south (in
the northern hemisphere), so only diffuse light from the sky would shine in through a
north facing window -soft light with no strong direction or shadows. The main qualities of
the North Light are the same as any window light without direct sunlight. Although
north-facing rooms are dark due to lack of sunlight the light is quite pleasing.
INDOOR & ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING - Household Lighting
Most artificial lights indoors are diffused - this is the purpose of the lampshade
- in order to soften the light and the shadows it produces. The major exception
to this is spotlights, which produce hard lighting. However, lighting designers
will generally use multiple spotlights so that there isn’t one hard light but
several, which together will soften one another’s shadows, yet still create a
multitude of highlights.

Tungsten has historically been the most common form of indoor lighting,
although it is gradually being replaced by more efficient lighting technologies,
some of which emulate the colour of tungsten and some of which are closer to
white.

The color of tungsten is a strong yellow/orange; this is because it is easy to

manufacture light bulbs that emit this color, and since our brains have the
capacity to filter out the orange color we perceive it as being white. If you are
photographing, drawing or painting a tungsten-lit interior it is usually more
realistic to depict the light as being whiter rather than absolute reality, should
be your benchmark to follow. Photos or drawings that look bright orange might
look less convincing, despite being more accurate.
INDOOR & ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING - Fluorescent Lighting
Fluorescent lights are primarily used in situations where
cost is a factor - their color temperature is usually greenish,
and although the brain can compensate for the white
balance we still perceive the light as being quite ugly. This
kind of lighting is commonly found in offices, stations, public
buildings and anywhere that needs to be lit economically.
Fluorescent lights are often used to light relatively large
areas with many individual lights, so there will be complex
overlapping shadows and multiple rectangular highlights.
The density of lights will dictate the brightness of the
lighting: shop will use many lights to create a bright
environment, while more spartan spaces, such as car
parks, will use fewer and will be darker.
INDOOR & ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING - Mixed Lighting

It is very common to see a mixture of natural light and

artificial light, both indoors and outdoors, especially at dusk
and at night. This can lead to interesting mixtures of colors
and intensities, especially since natural light and tungsten
light often have complementary colors in blue and orange.

Any object near any uncovered window in the evening or at

night would have some mixture of natural and artificial light
on it. This kind of lighting is also commonly found outdoors
- things illuminated by street lighting usually have some
natural light as fill. Lights on buildings can also create
striking contrasts with natural light coming from the sky.
INDOOR & ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING - Fire & candlelight

Light that comes from a flame is even redder than

incandescent light from light bulbs - its color temperature is
so low that the brain can’t compensate for it and we
actually perceive it as being orange or red.
This types of light source are often placed much lower than
incandescent lights: fires are usually at ground level and
candles are placed on tables or other furniture, whereas
bulbs most often light from above. This will have an obvious
effect on everything from the way that light strikes various
surfaces to shadow and highlight placement. It is worth
remembering that the light source is often moving, since
light from fire and candles flickers.
INDOOR & ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING - Street lighting

Street lights are deep orange and they have a very

narrow spectrum, which is why they can’t show any
other colors. This makes everything under them
appear to be very monochromatic orange color.
Objects between two or more street lights will cast
multiple shadows. The pool of light beneath them is
usually quite small, and fades into darkness fairly
quickly, making streets at night very high in contrast.
INDOOR & ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING - Studio lighting

Lighting equipment can fall into one of three major

categories: the light sources themselves, modifiers that
control the spread of light, and grips or stands that
support the lights.
Light sources
Professional studio light sources generally fall into one of two categories: a kit with a flash head
and a power pack, or a monolight kit. A head and power pack kit consists of the flash head and a
small power pack that acts as the generator that supplies energy to the flash head. The flash
head contains flash tubes that emit light once supplied with high voltages.
There are two kinds of power packs: symmetric power packs and assymetric power packs.
Symmetric power packs split power equally between multiple flash heads. Assymetric power
packs allow the user to vary the power supply to different flash heads. Monolights, on the other
hand, are compact substitutes for a power pack/flash head combinations. Their size limits their
power, but they are often desired for their portability.
Having all the controls on the power pack makes it easier to change the settings of multiple flash
heads in one place quickly. Monolights come with the controls built directly into the light itself. So
if you have multiple monolights, you'll need to control and adjust the settings of each one
separately. Head/power pack kits also offer faster flash durations than monolights, which can
really come in handy when you want to freeze action during fast motion. They also have faster
recycle times.
Light sources
If you're shooting outdoors or with complicated modifier setups, you are going to need a lot of power to overcome the
sun or the light loss caused by the modifiers. Head/pack systems have a big advantage in the power department.
Whereas, if you're shooting indoors or inside your studio, monolights will probably be more than enough for regular
work.

With each option, you can find equipment prices that vary widely. Be sure to also check out used gear, as you can
often find good deals on lighting kits that can serve you well. Whichever your choose, keep in mind that the most
durable equipment is made mainly of metal rather than plastic.

Most lights, regardless of the brand or model, provide heads that come in the form of a strobe surrounded by a
reflector. Some, like the Profoto Acute/D4 flash heads, come with a zoom reflector which slides and locks at your
chosen position allowing you to further control the spread of light. Their zoom reflector, like many others, provides the
ability to attach a honeycomb grid for an even more focused spread, or other kinds of light modifiers used for different
effects.

If your flash head does not come with a zoom reflector, you can find many types of wide or narrow reflectors sold as
accessories. Wide reflectors produce a larger pool of light and a softer light quality, narrow reflectors produce smaller
pools of light and a harsher light quality. Most strobe lights allow you to completely remove the reflector and attach
different kinds of light modifiers.
Light modifiers
The most common types of light modifiers are umbrellas and softboxes.
Reflecting umbrellas produce a diffused and soft light due to the larger size of the reflecting
surface. They are mounted in such a way that the strobe light is actually facing away from the
subject or model. Light flies from the strobe head hitting the inside of the umbrella and then
bounces back towards the subject.
There are silver-lined, white, and gold tinted umbrellas. Silver-lined umbrellas are the most
efficient and can focus light more narrowly than the other types. White umbrellas offer a wider
spread of reflected light, and gold umbrellas produce a warm tone.
Softboxes on the other hand are usually square or rectangular. They are lightweight boxes that
come with a reflective inside and a translucent front. Softboxes come in different shapes and
sizes and are attached to the front the strobe over the light source. Light emitted from the strobe
head gets reflected inside the walls of the softbox and diffused through the box's translucent front
creating a soft, but more focused light source illuminating the model or scene.
Light modifiers
The difference between reflecting umbrellas and softboxes is that the spread of light with a softbox is more contained. With an
umbrella on the other hand, light can spill beyond the boundaries of the reflective surface affecting the amount of light getting back
to the subject. Spilled light can also hit walls and ceilings indoors causing it to reflect and bounce all over the place. An umbrella
simply isn't as controllable as a softbox.

Some other tools that control and modify the quality of light are barn doors, snoots, and honeycomb grids. These are attached
directly to your strobe head by mounting to the reflector that comes with (or is bought for) your strobe, as discussed above.

Snoots are conical shaped tools that narrow the distribution of light. These can be used to produce a very focused, harsh light. They
are often used like a spot light or to light the background. They are also very handy as a rim or hair light to illuminate the model from
the back. Barn doors are flaps surrounding a strobe that can be opened or closed to control the light and prevent it from spilling.
They don't produce a concentrated and direct light like snoots, but they can come in handy depending on your needs.

Honeycomb grids, as the name suggests, are basically honeycomb shaped metallic grids that direct the light for a more focused
spread. These come in different degrees. The smaller the grid cells the tighter the holes through which the light travels, and in turn
the more focused the light becomes. Flags are another type of light modifiers. A flag is any kind of opaque object placed in the way
of light to better direct it, to prevent lens flare or to prevent it from spilling. A semi-translucent flag is called a scrim and is used to cut
down on light spill.
Grips and stands
Stands and grips are used to support your light sources, strobes, and even light modifiers or backdrops.

There are two main types of light stands: lightweight stands and C-stands which are more heavy duty. Both types
come in varying sizes, lengths, and prices. Heights can usually be adjusted. Sandbags can also be attached to weight
the stand and better stabilize your lights. When you shop for a lightweight stand, the ones with an air-shock are
superior. The extra few bucks you pay will go a long way in protecting your expensive lights when you accidentally
loosen a knob. The air-shock will soften the fall of your light, minimizing or even eliminating any damage. Also, make
sure you get one with a wide footprint (meaning the legs of the stand spread far apart) so that your setup is stable and
doesn't fall over.

C-stands are very good, but they comes at a price. They are heavy duty and very stable. C-stands typically don't have
air-shocks, so you need to pay attention while loosening your knobs so you don't harm your gear. C-stands are
frequently used in the video industry due to their durability and stability. They can come with a number of attachments
like boom arms that can be mounted onto the stand. These arms allow you to add reflectors, scrims, flags and other
modifier and rotate them to any angle you wish. The c-stand is strong enough to hold backgrounds and seemless
white paper in addition to lights. They are also very useful when you're shooting outdoors in windy conditions because
their weight adds to their stability.
SHADOWS
There are two kinds of shadow: form and cast. Form shadows are the
shaded areas on a surface where a light source cannot reach. Cast
shadows are what we typically think of as shadows: the shadow
projected by an object onto a surface (such as the ground) when the
object comes between the light source and the surface. Shadow plays
an important role in your artwork, giving it solidity and form and well as
creating drama and suspense.

If we were somewhere where ambient and reflected light didn’t occur,

such as space, the values of form and cast shadows would be
identical: absolutely black. However, here on earth thing aren’t that
simple -the atmosphere acts as a giant diffuser, scattering light
everywhere, and our world is also full of reflective surfaces that scatter
this light even further. This means that shadows are, in most cases,
filled with some secondary light, and generally more of this secondary
light will illuminate form shadows as opposed to cast shadows. The
diagrams demonstrate why this happens.
SHADOWS
When light bounces off a large area, such as the ground, the reflected light is
effectively coming from a large and therefore bright source. This means that
the form shadow on the sphere is getting quite a lot of fill light coming from the
ground, as well as light coming from the atmosphere.

Because the sphere itself is much smaller than the ground, it reflects less light.
The cast shadow therefore gets only a small amount of fill light from the
sphere, and is mostly lit by the atmosphere. Notice also that the terminator is
dark and saturated. This means that in ordinary outdoor situations cast
shadows will usually be darker than form shadows. This is just a rule of thumb,
and there will be occasions where some sıurce of light might be providing
more fill to the cast shadows than the form shades, therefore making them
brighter. It is important to observe for yourself rather than blindly follow a ‘rule’.

Form shadows give objects depth, especially with side lighting, and really help
to convey the form of an object. The absence of form shadow is why frontal
lighting can look so flat. Form shadow also reveals texture.
Ambient Occlusion
In 3-D imaging another layer of realism can be added to rendered images by
creating an ambient occlusion pass.

This is created by darkening surfaces that are adjacent to others, and creating
a shadow around the area where they meet, simulating the effect of a large
diffuse light source. Although there is no actual lighting in the scene below, the
technique creates a sense of depth and solidity, illustrating perfectly how
shadows contribute to the illusion of depth and form. Darkening areas where
surfaces meet in this fashion will help any image, whether it is 3-D render or
painting or illustration.

In diffuse lighting this is the main way we have of reading forms: as objects get
closer to each other, less light is available from the environment and so the
surfaces darken. The form of the grapes is perfectly defined by this
shadowing. Also, the more obstacles there are in the path of the environmental
light, the darker the shadows become. The grapes that are behind or
underneath others are darker than those that are on the outside of the bunch.
Base Shadow

It is also very useful to give objects a base shadow,

since most things do not sit perfectly flush to the
ground, but will have rounded edges at their base that
will leave a gap where a shadow will form between
them and the surface on which they are resting. This
effect is most pronounced in diffuse lighting, where it
will often provide some of the strongest shadow in the
image.
Light Source
The most important factor in determining the appearance of shadows is the size and
distance of the light source: a small or distant light will cast hard-edged shadows,
whereas a large or adjacent light will cast soft-edged shadows. The reason for this is
that the rays of light cast by the small or distant light will be more or less parallel, but in
the case of the large and adjacent light there will be considerable overlap of the light
rays.

This will affect form shadows, cast shadows and the texture contrast, as is illustrated in
the tree trunk renders. Larger light sources provide soft, diffuse light, which creates soft,
diffused shadows. The quality of the light, whether hard or diffuse, has a big impact on
the overall appearance of any scene, its effect on shadows being the most pronounced
result. The overall aesthetic quality of any image will be greatly influenced by the
resulting shadows.

When recreating natural light, the sun şs a very distant light source, which casts hard
shadows, and the higher up the sun is in the sky the harder the harder the shadows will
be. There is some softening of the edges on the sun’s shadow, as it does cover about
half a degree in the sky: the further the shadow is from the base of the object the softer
its edge becomes, and as the shadows get longer when the sun is lower in the sky this
softening becomes more pronounced.
Light Source
With a small o distant light source, the rays of light have little or no overlap,
giving the shadow a crisply defined hard edge. The darkest part of the
shadow, known the penumbra, covers most of the area and the lighter, softer
part of the shadow, known as umbra, is found only at the far fringe. The umbra
increases in area as it gets further away from the shadow casting object.

However, with a large adjacent light source there is far more overlap of the
light rays, which results in a shadow with a much softer edge. In this case, the
umbra becomes much more prominent, as the edge is being filled by
overlapping rays from the larger light, and it is the penumbra that is less
prominent. The larger the light and the closer it is to the object, the softer the
shadow becomes as more rays are able to overlap into the shadow area.

As the distance of projection increases the shadows can become very soft
indeed, even in harsh midday light. This softening is not a uniform blur, but is
much closer in appearance to the optical blur produced by lens, so the soft
forms become rounded, resulting in spots of light and shadow.
During a partial eclipse of the sun, the rounded spots actually becomes
crescents, as the pinhole projection of the sun changes shape.
Overcast Daylight
Overcast sunlight is completely different in character from direct sunlight. All
shadows will be very soft since the entire sky will be acting as one enormous
sky will be very soft since the entire sky will be acting as one enormous light
source. Shadows can be so soft as to almost non-existent, except for dark
areas beneath cars or trees.

The soft quality of overcast daylight is very underrated, although most studio
photography goes to great lengths to reproduce this effect, because the low
contrast and soft shadowing is flattering. It is quite simple to stimulate an
expensive photographs on white backgrounds outdoors on overcast days.

Any light source, whether reflected, diffuse or direct, will cast a shadow. In the
case of a fill light this shadow may well be overpowered by the main light, or
be so diffuse as to be invisible. However, whenever multiple light sources,
including light coming from reflective surfaces, are being considered, there will
be multiple shadows of some sort - even if they are very hard to spot. In many
artificially lit environments these will be quite obvious, since multiple lights are
the norm in any large area lit by artificial light.
REFLECTION
Diffuse reflection is what gives objects depth and dimension, and is the
reflective component that lends color to a surface. As light is reflected from a
diffuse surface is is scattered along a very wide axis, and there is only the very
vaguest sense of what is in fact being reflected -at best you can expect to see
some lightening towards the light source, but there wil be no detail.

Another common kind of reflection is called direct reflection, or specular

reflection. This is the kind of reflection you get from mirrors, polished metals
and water. In this case there is much less diffusion and therefore a much
clearer image of what is being reflected. The local surface color has far less
influence on specular reflection, and the form of the object is not defined by
the lighting to the same extent.

Diffuse and direct reflection give us information about the volume of the object,
the matt sphere having a form shadow that helps define its volume. Direct
reflection gives us information about environment -the form of the shiny sphere
is not conveyed by light and shade but by distortion in the reflection. In very
highly reflective surfaces there is no form shadow.
REACTION TO LIGHT
There are really only four fundamental properties that any surface will
possess in terms of how it reacts to light: diffuse reflection, direct
reflection, transparency/translucency and incandescent (emitting light).
The two types of reflection are the most commonly encountered
reactions, and in most natural materials diffuse reflection is far more
common than direct reflection. Surface define the volume of the
objects they envelop, and light is what enables us to perceive surfaces.
We see areas of light and shade, and these give us the information we
need to picture the volume they describe.

Another important element in this process is that of transitions, or

edges. It is the edges between planes that help define the form of an
object, whether those edges are sharp as on a cube, or gradual, as on
a sphere. Edges also define the boundaries between surfaces and
between objects. There are 1-hard edges, 2-firm edges, 3-soft edges,
4-lost edges.
Light for Visual Artists - Richard Yot
https://photonterrace.net
https://photography.tutsplus.com/articles/a-fundamental-introduction-to-studio-light
ing-equipment--photo-6067
https://www.canva.com/learn/beginners-guide-natural-light-use-take-great-photos/
https://www.colesclassroom.com/learning-the-basics-of-studio-photography-lightin
g/