Characteristics of Light
Light is the raw material we work with.
Light to photographers is like clay to a potter or words to a writer.
A writer uses a pen to write words to communicate what they see, think, or feel.
A photographer uses a camera to record light to photograph what they see, think, or feel.
Light has characteristics that we can describe. We can see and think of these light sources on a base level in two ways. The first is transmitting or illuminating, and the second is reflective.
We see reflective light sources only because an illuminating/transmitting
light affects it. Think of the sun lighting our part of the planet and illuminating, or making visible, all the reflective light sources we get to see and photograph.
And learning to describe the characteristics of the light we're seeing is good practice.
This is important because when we understand the light we're seeing, we'll know what to do with camera operation to get
the best picture possible to communicate what we'd like to express intentionally.
Characteristics of Light: Texture
Hello ,
Texture is a light characteristic that deals with degrees of or amounts of diffusion.
And we describe the texture of light as hard light or soft light.
The easiest way to think about this and observe it is in our natural world.
Think of sunny days with no clouds versus cloudy days.
Texture of Light: Hard Light
Hard light is a direct transmitting light source with no diffusion material between the transmitting light source and the object it's illuminating.
Please think of the light on a bright sunny day with no clouds between the sun and where we're standing on the planet.
We'd describe this texture as
hard light.
Hard light causes the appearance of well-defined black shadows and brings out depth and detail in the objects it affects.
The
texture will be more evident if the transmitting light's direction is not from the front or back.
But it will be more apparent if the direction is more angular.
Texture of Light: Soft Light
Soft light would be a completely overcast day without the appearance of shadows except directly under things close to the ground, like cars.
But people, trees, buildings, etc., aren't throwing shadows.
Now, imagine it's not overcast and not wholly sunny because we've got a thin layer of clouds.
There's still a shadow, but it's nothing like the shadow we'd see on a bright, sunny
day.
But it's not shadowless like we'd see on a completely overcast day.
It's still diffused, but it's a degree of diffusion between
completely hard light and soft light.
That degree of diffusion depends on the thickness of the cloud cover and how much sunlight gets through the clouds.
Studying and Practicing With Texture
The easiest way to study and practice with the texture of light is to observe the transmitting light source, describe it as hard or soft, and notice how it affects the subject's appearance.
And remember, we learn and improve by doing, so practice making at least one picture today.
That's all for now; thanks for reading!
Sam
I'll help you be a better photographer—study and practice photography with
me.
And what if the timing doesn't work for you in any of my scheduled group classes? If that's the case, let's schedule a one-time lesson or a series of in-person or online private instruction that covers the same things as my group classes.
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