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: Intensity
Hello ,
We're constantly observing light intensity, but if we're gonna be better photographers, we've gotta start to think about light intensity like a photographer.
And we can think about it in terms of transmitting and reflective light sources.
Furthermore, observing and describing light intensity is important because the intensity of the light we see becomes tonality in the pictures we make.
Light Intensity and Transmitting Light
The easiest
way to think about this is by comparing the brightness of an overcast and fully sunny day.
We can also observe different intensities during a fully sunny day by comparing the brightness of the transmitting light of the sun to the transmitting light in the shade.
Of course, the light is more intense in direct sunlight, and in the shade, the
light is less intense.
Other characteristics are happening, too, but right now, we're just talking about intensity.
Light Intensity and Reflective Light
Regarding reflective light, black and white are extremes and the easiest way to demonstrate light intensity.
Of course, black is less intense than white.
However, we could also consider intensity in terms of color: dark red versus bright red, dark green versus light green, etc.
Light intensity is straightforward, and as I mentioned, we're doing this constantly, but we should do our best to think of it
in terms of what we do as photographers.
Studying and Practicing With Light Intensity
We measure light intensity with a light meter. And it happens that most, if not all of us, have a reflective light meter in our camera.
We can also describe light intensity in terms
of our camera settings, specifically aperture, shutter speed, and ISO settings.
For example, imagine keeping ISO and aperture the same, and we meter two separate objects to a standard tonality.
One gives us a shutter speed of 1/125, and the other object gives us a shutter speed of 1/1000.
If we understand light and camera operation, we'd realize which of those two shutter speeds represents a brighter or darker reflective light source.
We see light every day, but as photographers, it's good practice to see light and describe its characteristics.
And intensity is one of
them.
Working with light intensity and controlling tonality are just a couple of things that you'll get good at doing during the Introduction To Photography class.
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, we can schedule a one-time lesson or a series of in-person or online private instruction that covers the same things as my group classes.
Ways to work with me are listed below.
