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.
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: Be
Prepared
Hello ,
If the light meter in our camera is working, then when our camera is powered on, our camera is always metering.
And, if we're
working in aperture or shutter priority or fully manual exposure modes, we can usually see meter measurements on an exposure indicator.
We can usually see exposure indicators in our viewfinders or rear LCD screens.
And these meters let us know how much we deviate from a standard tonality given the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO
settings.
But If we're working in manual exposure mode, we don't always need to pay attention to the exposure indicator to ensure a standard tonality.
Because once we pick our exposure and ISO settings, we can confidently photograph at these settings and be sure our tonality will be what we want.
Regardless of what the exposure indicator tells us.
But there's a catch.
We've gotta be working in the same transmitting light source characteristics.
For example, imagine if we're photographing
street scenes, and the sun is behind us.
And we're photographing the shady part of the street.
As long as we keep making pictures in the shady part of the street with the sun behind us, our settings should give us what we want regarding tonality and other visual outcomes.
Of course, as the transmitting light noticeably changes intensity, we've got to remeter to get to the tonality we want.
All we need do is be prepared for what we may see to photograph in terms of tonality and other creative controls.
In other words, when working in manual exposure mode, we need to get our preferred tonality
and other aspects of the composition, like depth of field, blur, and noise, the way we need them.
And then, if we're working in the same transmitting light, all we need to do is to frame the picture focus and make the exposure; That's it!
But it's important to remember that for this to work, we've gotta work with the same characteristics of
transmitting light.
This is why observing and describing the characteristics of transmitting and reflective light sources we're working with is essential.
I've always considered photography a craft involving observing and intentionally recording light.
That means we've
got to understand the light we're working with and have a good handle on camera operation.
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
Study and practice photography with me.
And if the timing doesn't work for you in any of my scheduled group classes, we can schedule a one-time lesson or a series of in-person or online one-on-one private instruction that cover the same things as any of my group classes.
Ways to work with me are listed below.
