light science and magic, fourth edition: an introduction to photographic lighting

LightScience&MagicFourthEdition

AnIntroductiontoPhotographicLightingA {

FilHunterStevenBiverPaulFuqua

Light—Science&MagicFourthEditionLight—Science&MagicAnIntroductiontoPhotographicLightingFourthEditionFilHunterStevenBiverPaulFuquaAmsterdam•Boston•Heidelberg•LondonNewYork•Oxford•Paris•SanDiegoSanFrancisco•Singapore•Sydney•Tokyo

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Light—science&magic/FilHunter,StevenBiver,andPaulFuqua.—4thed.p.cm.

ISBN978-0-240-81225-0

1.Photography—Lighting.I.Fuqua,Paul.II.Biver,Steven.III.Title.

TR590.H842011778.7'2—dc23

2011018511

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ELSEVIERSabreFoundationIntroductionItgivesus,yourauthors,greatpleasuretowelcomeyoutothisnewedition.WewouldalsoliketothankyouforallthesupportyouhaveshownforLight—Science&Magicoverthe

pastnearquarterofacentury.Wesincerelyappreciateit.

Sinceourpreviousedition,thephotographer'sworld—andeverybodyelse's—haschangedradically.Longestablished

markets,relationships,andbusinessmodelshaveshrunk,ifnotcompletelycollapsed.Oncevaluedskillsetshavebeen

rendereduseless,andthefeesclientsarewillingtopayhavebeenreducedineverymarketsector.Allinall,it’sfairtosay

thatnotallthingsarerosyintoday'sstressed-outimage-makingworld.

Thereis,however,alsoagood—averygood—sidetothings.Whileitistruethatontheonehandwephotographersmay

bechallengedasperhapsneverbefore,itisalsotruethatoverthepastseveralyearsmanufacturershaveswampeduswith

aseeminglyendlessfloodoftrulyamazinggear.Newgenerationsofcameras,lightinggear,high-resolutionprinters,and

sophisticatedsoftwarehaverevolutionizedhowweworkandhowwethink.

Today,itiscommonplaceforustodothatofwhichwecouldnotevendreamthosefewyearsagowhentheprevious

editionofthisbookrolledoffthepresses.Andsoitgoes.Insomewaysweareworseoffthanweoncewere.Inothers,we

arebetteroff.

Andthenthereislight—thecollectiveresultofallthosebusylittlephotonsthatbuzzaroundtheuniverseastheyhave

sinceitscreation.Lightiseverythingforus.Lightis,alwayshasbeen,andalwayswillbetheveryfoundationofthat

amazingamalgamationofartandsciencewecallphotography.Andnow,thankstoyourcontinuedsupport,thereisthis,

thenewesteditionofLight—Science&Magic.Ourgreatesthopeforitisthatitwill,likeearliereditions,helpstudentsto

understandhowlightbehaves,andalwayswill.Armedwiththesetimelessprinciples,oneisreadytodobattle—and

thoroughlyenjoyit—inthisnewandcrazyworldofpicturemaking.

TryaLensPolarizingFilter56

Dark-FieldLighting8

PortableFlashwithMotion910

HowtoLearnLighting

Light—Science&Magicisadiscussion,notalecture.Youbringtothisdiscussionyourownopinionsaboutart,beauty,

andaesthetics.Wedonotintendtochangethoseopinionsandmaynoteveninfluencethemverymuch.Wewillbemore

boredthanflatteredifreadingthisbookcausesyoutomakepicturesthatlooklikeours.Forbetterorworse,youhaveto

buildyourownpicturesonyourownvision.

Whatwedohavetoofferyouisasetoftools.Thisbookisabouttechnology.Science.Brasstacks.Itisinformationfor

youtousewhenyouplease,ifyouplease,andhowyouplease.Thisdoesnot,however,meanthatthisbookisnotabout

ideas,becauseitis.Thebasictoolsoflightingareprinciples,nothardware.Shakespeare'stoolwastheElizabethanEnglish

language,notaquillpen.AphotographerwithoutmasteryoflightingislikeaShakespearewhocouldspeakonlythe

languageofthepeopleintheGlobeTheatrepit.BeingShakespeare,hestillmighthavecomeupwithadecentplay,butit

certainlywouldhavetakenalotmoreworkand,verylikely,moreblindluckthanmostpeopleareentitledtoexpect.

Lightingisthelanguageofphotography.Patternsoflightconveyinformationjustassurelyasspokenwords.The

informationthatlightconveysisclearandspecific.Itincludesdefinitestatements,suchas“Thebarkofthistreeisrough”

or“Thisutensilismadeofstainlesssteel,butthatoneissterling.”

Lighting,likeanyotherlanguage,hasagrammarandavocabulary.Goodphotographersneedtolearnthatgrammarand

vocabulary.Fortunately,photographiclightingisaloteasiertomasterthanaforeignlanguage.Thisisbecausephysics,

notsocialwhim,makestherules.

Thetoolswehaveincludedinthisbookarethegrammarandvocabularyoflight.Whateverwesayaboutspecific

techniqueisimportantonlytotheextentthatitprovestheprinciples.Please,donotmemorizethelightingdiagramsinthis

book.Itisentirelypossibletoputalightinexactlythesamespotshowninthediagramandstillmakeabadpicture—

especiallyifthesubjectisnotidenticaltotheoneinthediagram.Butifyoulearntheprinciple,youmayseeseveralother

goodwaystolightthesamesubjectthatwenevermentionandmaybeneverthoughtof.

WHATARE“THEPRINCIPLES”?

Tophotographers,theimportantprinciplesoflightarethosethatpredicthowitwillbehave.Someoftheseprinciplesare

especiallypowerful.Youwillprobablybesurprisedtofindhowfewtheyare,howsimpletheyaretolearn,andhowmuch

theyexplain.

WediscussthesekeyprinciplesindetailinChapters2and3.Theyarethetoolsweuseforeverythingelse.Inlater

chaptersweputthemtoworktolightawiderangeofsubjects.Atthispointwewillsimplylistthem:

1.Theeffectivesizeofthelightsourceisthesinglemostimportantdecisioninlightingaphotograph.Itdetermineswhat

typesofshadowsareproducedandmayaffectthetypeofreflection.

2.Threetypesofreflectionsarepossiblefromanysurface.Theydeterminewhyanysurfacelooksthewayitdoes.

3.Someofthesereflectionsoccuronlyiflightstrikesthesurfacefromwithinalimitedfamilyofangles.Afterwedecide

whattypeofreflectionisimportant,thefamilyofanglesdetermineswherethelightshouldorshouldnotbe.

Justthinkaboutthatforaminute.Ifyouthinklightingisanart,you'reexactlyright—butit'salsoatechnologythatevena

badartistcanlearntodowell.Thesearethemostimportantconceptsinthisbook.Ifyoupaycloseattentiontothem

whenevertheycomeup,youwillfindtheywillusuallyaccountforanyotherdetailsyoumayoverlookorweforgetto

mention.

WHYARETHEPRINCIPLESIMPORTANT?

Thethreeprincipleswehavejustgivenarestatementsofphysicallawsthathavenotchangedsincethebeginningofthe

universe.Theyhavenothingtodowithstyle,taste,orfad.Thetimelessnessoftheseprinciplesisexactlywhatmakesthem

souseful.Consider,forexample,howtheyapplytoportraitstyle.Arepresentative1952portraitdoesnotlooklikemost

portraitsmadein1852or2012.However,andthisistheimportantpoint,aphotographerwhounderstandslightcould

executeanyofthem.

Chapter8showssomeusefulapproachestolightingaportrait.Butsomephotographerswillnotwanttodoitthatway,and

evenfewerwilldosoin20years.Wedonotcarewhetherornotyouusethemethodofportraitlightingwechoseto

demonstrate.Wedo,however,careverymuchthatyouunderstandexactlyhowandwhywedidwhatwedid.Itisthe

answerstothosevery“hows”and“whys”thatwillallowyoutoproduceyourownpicturesyourownway.Goodtoolsdo

notlimitcreativefreedom.Theymakeitpossible.

Goodphotographstakeplanning,andlightingisanessentialpartofthatplanning.Forthisreason,themostimportantpart

ofgoodlightinghappensbeforeweturnonthefirstlights.Thisplanningcantakemanydaysoritcanhappenafractionof

asecondbeforepressingtheshutterrelease.Itdoesnotmatterwhenyouplanorhowlongittakes,aslongasyougetthe

planningdone.Themoreyouaccomplishwithyourhead,thelessworkyouhavetodowithyourhands—youcanthink

fasterthanyoucanmove.

Understandingtheprincipleswepresentedearlierenablesustodecidewhatlightsneedtobewherebeforewebeginto

placethem.Thisistheimportantpart.Therestisjustfine-tuning.

HOWDIDWECHOOSETHEEXAMPLESFORTHISBOOK?

Theportraitisbutoneofthesevenbasicphotographicsubjectswediscuss.Wechoseeachsubjecttoprovesomething

aboutthebasicprinciples.Wealsolitthesubjecttoshowtheprinciple,regardlessofwhethertheremightbeothergood

waystolightthesamething.Ifyouknowtheprinciples,youwilldiscovertheotherwayswithoutanyhelpfromus.

Thismeansthatyoushouldgiveatleastsomeattentiontoeveryrepresentativesubject.Evenifyouhavenointerestina

particularsubject,itprobablyrelatestosomethingyoudowanttophotograph.

Wealsochosesomeofthesubjectsbecausetheyarerumoredtobedifficult.Suchrumorsarespreadusuallybypeople

wholackthetoolstodealwithsuchsubjects.Thisbookdispelstherumorsbygivingyouthosetools.

Inaddition,wetriedtousestudioexampleswheneverpossible.ThisdoesnotmeanLight—Science&Magicisonlyabout

studiolighting.Farfromit!Lightbehavesthesamewayeverywhere,whetheritis

controlledbythephotographer,bythebuildingdesigner,orbyGod.Butyoucansetupindoorexperimentslikeoursat

anyhourofanydayregardlessoftheweather.Later,whenyouusethesamelightinginalandscape,onapublicbuilding,

oratapressconference,youwillrecognizeitbecauseyouwillhaveseenitbefore.

Finally,wechoseeachexampletobeassimpleaspossible.Ifyouarelearningphotography,youwillnothavetoleavethe

setupinyourlivingroomorinyouremployer'sstudiofordaysatatimetomasterit.Ifyouteachphotography,youwill

findthatyoucandoanyofthesedemonstrationsinasingleclasssession.

HowWeCreatedtheCover

BeforethepublishingofthisfourtheditionofLight—Science&Magic,severalofthosewhosawitscoveraskedhowourco-author,StevenBiver,

madeit(Figure1.1).Withthatinmind,weofferthefollowingexplanation:

Thebasicsetup.ThefirstthingthatStevendidwastoplaceasheetofglossyblackPlexiglasonhisstudiotable(Figure1.2).Next,hesuspended

frosteddiffusionmaterialaboveitasshowninthediagram.(Thiscouldhavebeendoneinanynumberofways.Stevenchoseto

1.1Thisisthecoverimagewithoutthetype.

1.2LightingDiagramForCoverImage

clampittothebackofthetableandattachittoabarsuspendedbetweentwostandsatthefront.)

Thelights.Oncehehadthetableanddiffuserarranged,Stevensetupthetwolightsheplannedonusing.Thefirst,hismainlight,wasaflashhead

fittedwithasmallreflectortowhichheattachedanambergel.Hethensecuredthislighttoaboomandsuspendeditoverthecenterofthediffusion

material,andabout1.5feetaboveit.Next,Stevenfittedasmallreflectorwithatightgridtowhichheattachedapurplegel.Hethenputthisheadon

asmallstandandplaceditclosetoandcameraleftofhiscamera.

The“pose."Thearrangementoftheclearacrylicballsontheblackwasverymuchaworkinprogress.Becausetheballstendedtorolloffthetable

atinappropriatemoments,Stevenresortedtoholdingeachinplacewithatinybitofwax.Later,duringpostproduction,hedigitally“airbrushed”

awayanyofthesethatshowed.

Theresults.WhenStevenmadehisexposures,theamber-coloredmainlightproducedasoft,circularglowinthemiddleofhiscomposition.The

gridspotatthefrontofhissetupproducedthesmallpurplehighlightsonalltheacrylicballs.Inaddition,becauseofrefraction,bothlights

producedevensmallersecondaryhighlightsonalltheballs.

Andfinally.Thiswasaninterestingshottomake.Weencourageanyofyouwhomightbeinterestedtotrymakingasimilarimage.Aquickcheck

onlinewillprovideplentyofsourcesforthekindsofPlexiglassheeting,diffusionmaterial,andacrylicballsStevenused.

Wewouldlovetoseetheresultsofyourefforts.Sowouldplentyofotherphotographers.Andthat’swhattheLight—Science&MagicsiteonFlickris

allabout.Sogoaheadandpostyourwork.Becomeamemberofthe“family.”

TODO,ORNOTTODO?

Ifyouarelearningphotographywithoutanyformalinstruction,wesuggestyoutryallofthebasicexamplesinthisbook.

Donotsimplyreadaboutthem.Whathappensinyourheadisthemostimportantpartoflighting,buttheeyeandthehand

arestillessential.Guidedexperiencecoordinatesthethree.

Whenwetalkaboutsoftshadowsorpolarizeddirectreflections,forexample,youalreadyknowhowtheylook.They

happenintheworld,andyouseethemeveryday.Butyouwillknowthemandseethemstillbetteronceyouhavemade

themhappen.

Ifyouareastudent,yourclassassignmentswillkeepyoubusyenoughwithoutanyfurtherdemandsfromus.Yourteacher

mayusetheexerciseshereorinventnewones.Eitherway,youwilllearntheprinciplesinthebookbecausetheyarebasic.

Theyhappeninalllightingsituations.

Ifyouareaprofessionalphotographertryingtoexpandyourareasofexpertise,yourjudgmentaboutwhatexercisesyou

needisbetterthanours.Generally,thesewillbethosethatareleastlikethethingsyouarealreadyphotographing.You

mayfindourbasicexamplestobetoosimpletobeanentertainingchallenge.Trycomplicatingthingsabit.Addan

unexpectedprop,anunusualviewpoint,oraspecialeffecttoourbasicexample.Youmightaswellgetastrikingportfolio

pieceoutoftheeffortwhileyouareatit.

Ifyouareateacher,youcanlookatthisbookandseethatmostoftheexercisesshowatleastonegood,simple,easy-to-

masterwaytolighteventhosesubjectswithreputationsformaximumdifficulty:metal,glass,whiteonwhite,andblack

onblack.

Notice,however,thatalthoughwe'vedonethisinalmosteverycase,weweren'tabletodoitinabsolutelyeveryoneof

them.The“invisiblelight”exerciseinChapter6,forexample,isprettydifficultformostbeginners.Somestudentsmay

alsofindthesecondarybackgroundbehindtheglassofliquidinChapter7tobebeyondthelimitoftheirpatience.Forthis

reason,ifyoufindanythinginthisbookthatyouhaven'talreadydonewithyourownhandsandeyes,westrongly

encourageyoutobesuretotryityourselfbeforedecidingwhetheritisappropriatetotheskillsofyourstudents.

WHATKINDOFCAMERADOINEED?

Asking“WhatkindofcameradoIneed?”mayseemsillytoexperiencedphotographers.Butwehavetaughtthismaterial.

Weknowhowmanystudentsaskit,andwehavetoanswerit.Therearetwogoodanswers,andtheycontradicteachother

slightly.Theweightweplaceoneachanswermattersmorethantheanswersthemselves.

Successfulphotographsdependonthephotographermorethantheequipment.Inexperiencedphotographersworkbest

withthecamerawithwhichtheyarefamiliar.Experiencedphotographersworkbestwiththecameratheylike.These

humanfactorssometimeshavemoretodowiththesuccessofaphotographthanthepurelytechnicalprinciples.

Ideally,peoplelearningphotographyshouldshootdigitallyfortheinstantfeedbackthisapproachprovides.Shooting

digitallyisfarlessexpensive,andthequalitythatmanyoftoday'sdigitalcamerasprovidebordersonamazing.Ofthe

manyphotographsinthisbook,wemadeallbutahandfuldigitally.

Justwhichdigitalcamerayoushouldgetisuptoyou.Fortunately,mostmanufacturersofferanumberofreasonably

pricedcameras.Checkoutthemanyreviewsthatyouwillfindinphotographymagazinesandontheweb.Talktoother

photographersand,ifpossible,dealwithacamerastorewhosesalesstaffknowswhattheyaretalkingabout.Cameraclubs

arealsoanothergoodsourceofinformation,andifyouareinschool,yourinstructorwillalsobeabletohelpyouselect

thecamerathatbestfitsyourneedsandbudget.

AWORDOFCAUTION

Anywayyoulookatit,theadventofthedigitalworldhasbeenawonderfulthingforstudents.Itisnot,however,atotally

win-winsituation.Anydigitalcamerais,atitsheart,acomputer.Becauseofthis,thecameramakercanprogramthe

cameratoaltertheimagewithouttheforeknowledgeorconsentofthephotographer!Thisisoftenagoodthing.The

camera'sdecisionsare,inourexperience,moreoftenthannotcorrect.Sometimes,however,theyarenot.

Astillbiggerproblemisthatitisharderforthestudenttoknowwhetherwhat'shappened,forbetterandforworse,is

becauseofthecamera'sdecisionorbecauseofthephotographer'sdecision.Youmaymakemistakesthatthecamerafixes,

costingyoualearningexperience,orthecameracanmakeamistakeandyouinnocentlyblameyourselfforit.

Inlightoftheprecedingparagraphs,weoffertwosuggestions:

1.Developatleastaminimalcompetenceinpostproductionskills.Youdonothavetobeawhiz-bangPhotoshopgeniusto

beaneffectivedigitalshooter.Youdo,however,needtolearnatleastthebasicsofoneofthenumerous(andnowoften

amazinglyinexpensive)digitaleditingprogramsthatarenowavailable.

2.ShootintheRawformat.Becauseofitsminimalin-cameracompression,itstoresfarmoreofthevisualinformation

thatreachesyourcamera'ssensorthandoesthealternateJPEGformat.Thus,duringpostproductionwhenyouarefine-

tuningyourimages,yoursoftwarehasfarmoredigitalinformationwithwhichtowork.Andthiscanmakeabig

difference—averybigdifference.

Unfortunately,thisbookdoesnothavethespaceneededtodealwiththeabovetwoissuesindetail.Digitalcamerasand

postproductionsoftwaredifferfromeachotherbecauseofthemanydecisionstheirdesigners,programmers,and

manufacturershavemade.Ifyouareastudent,theremedyforthisisaclose,ongoingtalkwithyourinstructorabout

what'shappeninginyourpictures.Ifyouareanexperiencedphotographer,youcanalreadytellwhenthecameraishelping

youandwhenitishurtingyou.

Thehardestpathisthatofanovicephotographerattemptingtolearnthematerialinthisbookwithoutthebenefitofformal

instruction.Whatwecanofferthosephotographersistheassurancethatthematerialcan,indeed,belearnedexactlythat

way.Allthreeoftheauthorsofthisbookdidso.Talkwithotherphotographersasmuchaspossible.Askquestions,and

alwayssharewithotherswhateveryouhavelearned.

WHATLIGHTINGEQUIPMENTDOINEED?

Weexpectyoutoaskthisquestion,andweofferthistwo-partanswer:

1.Nophotographerhasenoughlightingequipmenttodoeveryassignmentaswellaspossible.Nomatterhowmuch

lightingequipmentyouhave,therewillbetimeswhenyouwantmore.Suppose,forexample,youcanilluminatealarge

settoshootatf/96at1/5000asecond.(Pleasecallthefiredepartmentbeforeturningonthisapparatus.)Youwillprobably

thenfindthatyouwantstillmorelightinaparticularshadow,oryoumayfindthatyouneedtolightastilllargerareatofit

therequiredcomposition.

2.Mostphotographershaveenoughequipmenttodoalmosteveryassignmentwell.Evenifyouhavenolighting

equipmentatall,youmaybeabletogetthejobdone.Canthesubjectbephotographedoutdoors?Ifnot,sunlightthrougha

windowmaybeagoodlightsource.Inexpensivetools,suchaswhitecloth,blackpaper,andaluminumfoil,canallowyou

tocontrolsunlightaseffectivelyasthebestmanufacturedequipment.

Goodlightingequipmentisagreatconvenience.Ifthesunmovestoofaracrosstheskybeforeyouarereadytoexpose,

youmayhavetowaituntilitreturnsthenextdayandhopethereisnomoreandnolesscloudcoverthesecondtime

around.Professionalphotographersknowthatconveniencebecomesnecessitywhentheyhavetophotographwhatthe

clientwantswhentheclientwants.

Thismessageisnotaimedatprofessionals,however.Theyalreadyknowhowtodowhateverisneededwithwhateveris

available.Wearemoreinterestedinencouragingstudentsnow.Youhaveadvantagesthatprofessionalsdonot.Within

broadlimits,youcanselectthesizeofyoursubject.

Smallscenesrequirelesslight.Youmaynothavea3-by-4-footsoftbox,butadesklampwitha60-wattbulbwitha

tracingpaperdiffusercanlightasmallsubjectnearlyaswell.

Lackofequipmentis,nodoubt,ahandicap.Youknowitandweknowit.Butitisnotnecessarilyaninsurmountable

obstacle.Agooddoseofcreativitymaywellovercomeit.Justrememberthatcreativelightingistheresultofplanningthe

lighting.Partofthatcreativitymeansanticipatingthelimitationsanddecidinghowtobestworkaroundthem.

WHATELSEDOINEEDTOKNOWTOUSETHISBOOK?

Weassumeyouknowbasicphotography.Youknowhowtodetermineareasonableexposure,atleastcloseenoughthat

bracketingcancovererrors.Youunderstanddepthoffield.Youhavemasteredthebasicoperationofyourcamera.

Thatisall.Wehavenointentionofbeingruthlessinourexaminationofyourbackgroundcredentials.Justtobesafe,

however,wesuggestyoukeepagoodbasicphotographybookonhandwhenyoureadthisone.(Wedidwhenwewrote

it.)Wedonotwantyoutofindeasymaterialdifficultjustbecauseweunknowinglyuseatechnicaltermyouhavenotseen

before.

Finally,donotoverlooktheInternet.Thereisawealthofinformationonitaboutlightingandphotography.Asearchhere

andasearchtherearemomentswellspentbyanyphotographer,advancedorbeginner.

WHATISTHE“MAGIC”PARTOFTHISBOOK?

Learnaboutthelightandthescience.Themagicwillhappen.

Light:TheRawMaterialofPhotography

Insomeways,photographersresemblemusiciansmorethanpainters,sculptors,andothervisualartists.Thisisbecause

photographers,likemusicians,aremoreinterestedinthemanipulationofenergythanthatofmatter.

Photographybeginsthemomentlightisemittedfromasource.Itclimaxeswithstillmorelightreflectedfromaprinted

pageorbeamingfromamonitorandstrikingahumaneye.Allstepsbetweenmanipulatelight,whethertocontrolit,to

recordit,or,ultimately,topresentittoaviewer.

Photographyisthemanipulationoflight.Whetherthosemanipulationsserveartisticortechnicalpurposeshardlymatters;

thetwoareoftensynonymous.Whetherthemanipulationsarephysical,chemical,electrical,orelectronic,theyareall

motivatedbythesamemissionandguidedbythesameunderstandingofhowlightbehaves.

Inthischapterwearegoingtotalkaboutlight,therawmaterialfromwhichwemakepictures.You,reader,arealready

familiarwithmostoftheideaswewilldiscuss.Thisisbecauseyouhavebeenlearningtoseesincethedayyouwereborn.

Evenifyouhappentobeanovicephotographer,theoccipitallobeofyourbrainhasenoughinformationaboutthe

behavioroflightforyoutobeamaster.

Wewanttoattachwordsandlabelstosomeofthisunconsciousandsemiconsciousinformation.Thiswillmakeiteasier

forustotalkaboutlightwithotherphotographers,justasmusiciansfinditeasiertosay“bflat”or“4/4time”insteadof

hummingascaleortappingarhythm.

Thisisthemosttheoreticalchapterinthisbook.Itisalsothemostimportantbecauseitisthefoundationforallthat

follows.

WHATISLIGHT?

Acompletedefinitionofthenatureoflightiscomplex.Infact,severalNobelPrizeshavebeenawardedforvarious

contributionstotheworkingdefinitionweusetoday.Wewillsimplifyourdiscussionbyusingadefinitionadequatefor

appliedphotography.Ifyouarestillcuriousafterreadingthis,seeanybasicphysicstext.

Lightisatypeofenergycalledelectromagneticradiation.Electromagneticradiationtravelsthroughspaceintiny

“bundles”calledphotons.Aphotonispureenergyandhasnomass.Aboxofphotonsthesizeofanelephantweighs

nothing.

Theenergyofthephotonproducesanelectromagneticfieldaroundthephoton.Afieldisinvisibleandcannotbedetected

unlessthereisamaterialobjectinthefieldonwhichitcanexertaforce.Thissoundsprettymysteriousuntilwerealize

thatonecommonexampleofafieldisthemagneticfieldsurroundinganordinarymagnet.Wecannottellthefieldexists

unlesswemoveanailcloseenoughforthemagnettoattractit.Thentheeffectofthefieldisapparent:thenailjumpsto

themagnet.

Unlikethefieldaroundthemagnet,however,theelectromagneticfieldaroundthephotonisnotconstantinstrength.

Instead,itfluctuatesasthephotontravels.Ifwecouldseethischangeinthestrengthofthefielditwouldlooksomething

likeFigure2.1.

Noticethatthestrengthofthefieldmovesfromzerotoitsmaximum-positivestrengthsandthenbacktozero;itthen

repeatsthepatterninthenegativedirection.Thisiswhythefieldaroundabeamoflightdoesnotattractmetallikeaniron

magnetdoes.Thefieldaroundaphotonoflightispositivehalfofthetimeandnegativetherestofthetime.Theaverage

chargeofthetwostatesiszero.

Asthetermimplies,anelectromagneticfieldhasbothanelectricalcomponentandamagneticone.Eachcomponenthas

thesamepatternoffluctuation:zerotopositive,tozero,tonegative,andbacktozeroagain.Theelectricalcomponentis

perpendiculartothemagneticone.

TherelationshipbetweenthesetwocomponentsiseasiertoseeifweassumethatFigure2.1representsjustthemagnetic

component.Then,ifyouturnthisbooksothattheedgeofthepageistowardyou,thesamediagramwillrepresentthe

electricalfield.Wheneverthestrengthofeitherthemagneticortheelectricalcomponentisatitsmaximum,theotherisat

itsminimum,sothetotalfieldstrengthremainsconstant.

Allphotonstravelthroughspaceatthesamespeed,buttheelectromagneticfieldofsomephotonsfluctuatesfasterthan

thatofothers.Themoreenergyaphotonhas,thefasterthefluctuation.Humaneyescanseetheeffectofthisdifferencein

photonenergylevelsandinthe2.1Themagneticfieldaroundaphotonfluctuatesfromitsmaximum-positivetoitsmaximum-negativestrengthasthephotontravels.Theelectricalfieldbehavesexactlythesamebutoutofphasewiththemagneticfield;wheneveronefieldisatits

maximum,theotherisatitsminimumstrength.

rateoffieldfluctuation.Wecalltheeffectcolor(Figure2.2).Redlight,forexample,haslessenergythanbluelight,sothe

rateofitselectromagneticfieldfluctuationisonlyabouttwothirdsasfast.

Wecalltherateoffluctuationoftheelectromagneticfielditsfrequency,andwemeasureitwiththeunitcalledHertz,or,

forconvenience,megahertz(1megahertz=1,000,000Hertz).Hertzisthenumberofcompletewavelengthsthatpassa

pointinspaceeachsecond.Visiblelightisonlyonenarrowrangeoutofallthemanypossibleelectromagnetic

frequencies.

Electromagneticradiationcantravelthroughavacuumandthroughsomeformsofmatter.Weknowthatlight,for

example,canpassthroughtransparentglass.Electromagneticradiationisnotcloselyrelatedtomechanicallytransmitted

energy,suchassoundorheat,MagneticORElectricalFieldStrength

2.2Therateatwhichtheelectromagneticfieldfluctuatesvaries.Weperceivethisvariationasdifferentcolorswhichcantravelonlythroughmatter.(Infraredradiationandheatareoftenconfusedbecausetheytendtoaccompanyoneanother.)Sunlightreaches

Earth,andverymuchbeyond,withoutanyfiber-opticlinestogetithere.

Moderncamerasaresensitivetoawiderrangeofelectromagneticfrequenciesthanthehumaneyecanperceive(Figure

2.3).Thisiswhyapicturecanbedegradedbyultravioletlight,whichwecannotseeinalandscape,and,evenworse,film

canbedegradedbyx-rays,whichwecannotseeemittedbyamachineatanairport.

HOWPHOTOGRAPHERSDESCRIBELIGHT

Evenifweconfineourattentiontothevisibleportionoftheelectromagneticspectrum,everyoneknowsthattheeffectof

onegroupofphotonsmayberadicallydifferentfromthatofanother.Examiningouralbumofmentalimages,weallsee

thedifferencebetweenanautumnsunset,awelder'sarc,andanearlymorningfog.Eveninastandard

2.3Thisdiagramshowstheelectromagneticspectrum.Noticethatvisiblelightisonlyonesmallpartofit.

officelocation,thedecisiontoinstallfluorescenttubes,tungstenspots,orlargeskylightscanhaveamajoreffectonthe

decor(aswellasonthemoodandtheproductivityoftheoccupants).

Photographers,however,areinterestedinmorethanjustthementalimagesofagivenlightingeffect.Theyneedtechnical

descriptionsoftheeffect.Beingabletodescribethelightisthefirststepinbeingabletocontrolit.Orifthelightisnot

controllable,asitisnotinalandscapeoranarchitecturalpicture,describingthelightimpliesseeingthelightwellenough

toknowwhethertoshootortowaituntilconditionsimprove.

Asphotographers,weareprimarilyconcernedwiththebrightness,color,andcontrastofthelight.Inthefollowingpages,

wewilltakeabrieflookateach.

Brightness

Toaphotographer,thesinglemostimportantqualityofalightsourceisitsbrightness.Abrighterlightisalmostalwaysa

betterlight.

Atthemostbasiclevel,ifthelightisnotbrightenough,wecannotgetapicture.Ifthelightisbrighterthantheminimum

wemusthave,thenwecanprobablygetabetterpicture.

Photographerswhousefilmcanuseasmallerapertureorafastershutterspeediftheyhavemorelight.Iftheydonot

need,orwant,asmallerlensopeningorashorterexposuretime,thenmorelightallowsusingaslower,finergrainedfilm.

Eitherway,theimagequalityimproves.

Eveniffilmisirrelevant,thebrightnessofthelightsourcestillisimportant.Videographerspreferasmalleraperturefor

mostshots,asdostillandmotionpicturephotographers.Furthermore,adequateilluminationallowsavideographerto

foregoboostingthegainonthecamera.Thisproducessharperpicturesonthescreenwithbettercolorsaturationandless

videonoise.

Usuallyphotographerspreferadimmerlightsourceonlywhenthereisanaestheticimprovementinoneoftheother

qualitiesoflight:thecolororthecontrast.

Wecanuselightofanycolorweplease,andverystronglycoloredlightsfrequentlymakeanartisticcontributiontothe

photograph.Nevertheless,mostpicturesaremadewithwhitelight.However,even“white”lightcomesinarangeof

colors.Photographersconsiderlighttobe“white”whenitisaroughlyevenmixofthethreeprimarycolors:red,blue,and

green.Humanbeingsperceivethiscombinationoflightcolorstobecolorless.

Theproportionsofthecolormixturemayvarytoagreatextent,andpeoplestillcannotperceiveanydifference,unless

theyhavethedifferentlightsourcessidebysideforcomparison.Theeyecandetectaveryslightchangeinthecolor

mixture,butthebrainrefusestoadmitthedifference.Aslongasthereisareasonableamountofeachprimarycolor,the

brainsays,“Thislightiswhite.”

Digitalcamerasmakethesameautomaticadjustmenttocolorthatthebraindoes,butnotnearlyasreliably.Photographers

mustthereforepayattentiontothedifferencesbetweenvariouswhitelightsources.Toclassifyvariationsinthecolorof

whitelight,photographersborrowthecolortemperaturescalefromphysicists.Thecolortemperaturescaleisbasedonthe

factthatifweheatamaterialinavacuumhotenough,itwillglow.Thecolorofthisglowdependsonhowmuchweheat

thematerial.WemeasurecolortemperatureindegreesontheKelvintemperaturescale.Themeasurementunit,degrees

Kelvin,issimplyabbreviated“K.”

Itisinterestingthatlightwithahighcolortemperatureiscomposedofadisproportionateamountofthosecolorsartists

callcool.Forexample,10,000°Klighthasagreatdealofblueinit.Similarly,whatphysiciststellusisalowtemperature

sourcehasmuchofthosecolorsartistscallwarm.Thus,a2000°Klighttendstowardtheredtoyellowfamilyofcolors.

(Noneofthisissurprising.Anyweldercantellusthattheblue-whiteweldingarcishotterthanthepieceofred-hotmetal

gettingwelded.)Photographersusethreestandardlightcolortemperatures.Oneoftheseis5500°Kandiscalleddaylight.Therearetwotungstencolortemperaturestandards,3200°Kand3400°K.Thelasttwoarecloseenoughtogetherthat

sometimesthedifferencebetweenthemdoesnotmatter.Thesethreelightstandardsweredevelopedforfilm,andwecan

stillbuyfilmthatiscolorbalancedforanyofthesethreelightcolorstandards.Digitalcameras,however,offermuchmore

flexibilitybyadjustingnumbersinthedataprocessingtoeffectivelyallowshootingproperlycolor-balancedpicturesnot

onlywithlighttemperaturesbetweenanytwoofthethreestandardsbutalsoattemperaturesmuchlowerthan3200°Kand

muchhigherthan5500°K.

Contrast

Thethirdimportantcharacteristicofaphotographiclightisitscontrast.Alightsourcehashighcontrastifitsraysallstrike

thesubjectfromnearlythesameangle.Lightraysfromalow-contrastsourcestrikethesubjectfrommanydifferent

angles.Sunlightonacleardayisacommonexampleofahigh-contrastlightsource.TheraysofsunlightinFigure2.4are

paralleltooneanotherandallstrikethesubjectfromthesameangle(despitetheapparentdifferenceinanglecausedhere

byhavingtodrawthreedimensionsonflatpaper).

Theeasiestwaytorecognizeahigh-contrastlightsourceistheappearanceoftheshadows.Inthediagram,weseethatno

lightenterstheshadowarea.Thiscausestheedgeoftheshadowtobesharpandclearlydefined.WemadeFigure2.5with

suchalightsource.Noticethecrisp,hard-edgedshadowofthepepper.

Ashadowwithsharplydefinededgesiscalledahardshadow.Forthisreason,high-contrastlightsourcesarealsosaidto

behardlights.

Nowletusimaginewhathappenswhencloudcoverobscuresthesun.LookatFigure2.6.Thesunlightscattersasitpasses

throughthecloud.Consequently,thelightthatpassesthroughthecloudsstrikesthesubjectfrommanydifferentangles.

Therefore,onanovercastdaysunlightbecomesalow-contrastlightsource.

2.4Theraysfromasmall,high-contrastlightsourceallstrikeasubjectatapproximatelythesameangle,producingahard-edgedshadow.

2.5Hard-edgedshadowsarecharacteristicallyproducedbysmalllightsources.

2.6Thecloudscattersthesun’slightrays,causingthemtostrikethesubjectfrommanyangles.Thisproducesthesoftshadowcharacteristicoflargelights.

Again,thecontrastofthelightsourceisrevealedbytheappearanceoftheshadow.Someoftheraysoflightpartly

illuminatetheshadow,especiallyatitsedge.ThisdifferenceisapparentinFigure2.7.

Inthephotographusinglow-contrastlight,theshadowofthepepperisnolongerclearlydefined.Itisnolongerhard.The

viewercannotdecideexactlywhatpartofthetabletopisinshadowandwhatisnot.Ashadowsuchasthisone,withno

clearlydefinededge,iscalledasoftshadow,andthelightproducingitiscalledasoftlight.

Noticethatweareusingthewordshardandsoftonlytodescribehowsharplytheedgeofashadowisdefined.Wearenot

usingthesetermstodescribehowlightordarktheshadowis.Noticethatthecenterofeachshadowisaboutthesamegray

ineachpicture.Asoftshadowmaybeeitherlightordark,justasahardshadowmaybeeitherlightordark,dependingon

factorssuchasthesurfaceonwhichitfallsandhowmuchlightgetsreflectedintotheshadowbynearbyobjects.

Forsinglelightsources,thesizeofthatsourceistheprimaryfactorinfluencingitscontrast.Asmalllightsourceisalways

ahardlightsource,andmostlargesourcesaresoftones.WeseethatthesuninFigure2.4occupieslittleareainthe

diagram,soitisasmalllightsource.ThecloudcoversagreaterareainFigure2.6,makingitalargesource.

2.7Ashadowsosoftthatmuchofitisjustbarelyvisibleistheresultofaverylargelightsource.

Noticethatthephysicalsizeofalightdoesnotcompletelydetermineitseffectivesizeasaphotographiclightsource.We

knowthatthesunismorethan1millionkilometersindiameter.However,itisfarenoughawaytoactasasmallsource

foraphotographicsubjectonEarth.

Ifwecouldmovethesuncloseenoughtous,itwouldbecomeanextremelylargelightsource.Wecouldthenmakesoftly

litphotographsinsunlight,evenwithoutanycloudcover,assumingwecouldfindasolutiontotheheatproblem!Another

extremeexamplehasamorepracticaluse:asmalllamponalaboratoryworkbenchcanbeaneffectivelylargesourceif

weputitcloseenoughtoaninsectspecimen.

Beaware,however,thatthecorrelationbetweenthesizeofalightsourceanditscontrastisjustagenerality,notan

absolute.Rememberthatwecanopticallyalteralightwithspecialattachments.Forexample,aspotattachmentcanfocus

thelightraysofastrobehead,Thecontrastofthelightisonlyoneoftheinfluencesonthecontrastofaphotograph.Ifyouareanexperiencedphotographer,youknowthatyoucanfindhighcontrastinanimagewithlow-contrastlightandviceversa.

Contrastisalsodeterminedbysubjectmattercomposition,exposure,anddevelopment.Aseveryoneknows,ascenethatincludesblackandwhite

subjectsislikelytohavemorecontrastthanonewithentirelygrayobjects;butasoftwareLevelsorCurvesadjustmentcanproducehighcontrast,

eveninanentirelygraysceneinvery-low-contrastlighting.

Therelationshipbetweenexposureandcontrastisabitmorecomplex.Increasedanddecreasedexposurecanreducecontrastinanaverage

scene.However,increasingexposurewillincreasecontrastinadarksubject,whereasdecreasingexposuremayincreasecontrastinalightgray

scene.

Wewilltalkabouttherelationshipbetweenlightingandcontrastthroughoutthisbook,andwewillshowhowexposureaffectscontrastinChapter9.

andagridblockstheraysfromallbutanarrowrangeofangles.Inneithercasecanthelightstrikethesubjectfrommany

differentangles.Thismakesalightequippedwithsuchadevicehard,regardlessofitssize.

LIGHTVERSUSLIGHTING

Wehavetalkedaboutthebrightness,color,andcontrastoflight.Thesearealloftheimportantcharacteristicsoflight.

However,wehavesaidverylittleaboutlighting.Indeed,thelittlewehavesaidaboutlightinghasmoretodowiththe

absenceoflight,theshadows,thanwiththelightitself.

Shadowisthepartofthescenethatthelightdoesnotstrike.Highlightistheareailluminated.Wewanttotalkabout

highlight,butwearenotquitereadyforit.Ifyoulookatthetwopepperpictures,youwillseewhy.Thetwophotographs

haveverydifferentlighting,andyoucanseeadifferenceinthehighlightsinthetwopictures.However,thedifferencein

thetwohighlightsisminor;mostviewerswillnoticeonlythedifferenceintheshadow.

Isitpossiblethatlightingdeterminestheappearanceoftheshadow,butnotthehighlight?Figures2.8and2.9prove

otherwise.

TheglassbottlesinFigure2.8wereilluminatedbyasmall,high-contrastlightsource.Figure2.9istheresultofalarge,

softsource.Nowthedifferenceinthehighlightsisobvious.Whydoesthecontrastofthelighthavesuchadramaticeffect

ontheappearanceofthehighlightonthebottlebutalmostnoeffectonthepepper?Asyoulookattheexamples,you

alreadyknowthatthedifferenceinthelightingiscausedbythesubjectitself.

2.8Asmalllightsourceproducessmall,hardhighlightsontheseglassbottles.Comparethesewiththehighlightsinthefollowingphotograph.

2.9Weproducedtheselargehighlightsonthebottlesbyusingalargelightsource.

Photographiclightingismorethanjustlight.Lightingisarelationshipbetweenthelight,thesubject,andtheviewer.Ifwe

wanttosayanymoreaboutlighting,wemusttalkaboutthesubject.

HOWTHESUBJECTAFFECTSLIGHTING

Photonsmove.Photographicsubjectsoftensitstill.Thisiswhywetendtoconsiderlighttobethe“active”playerinthe

photographicevent.Butthisattitudehandicapsourabilityto“see”ascene.

Twoidenticalphotonsstrikingtwodifferentsurfacescanappeardramaticallydifferenttotheeyeandtothecamera.The

subjectchangesthelight,anddifferentsubjectschangethelightindifferentways.Thesubjectplaysanactiverole,justas

thephotondoes.Toperceiveortocontrollighting,wehavetounderstandhowthesubjectdoesthat.

Thesubjectcandothreethingstoaphotonthatstrikesit:itcantransmit,absorb,orreflectthatphoton.

Transmission

Lightthatpassesthroughthesubject,asinFigure2.10,issaidtobetransmitted.Cleanairandclearglassareexamplesof

commonmaterialsthattransmitlight.

Showingyouaphotographoftransmittedlightwouldbeuseless.Asubjectthatonlytransmitsthelightcannotbeseen.

Thesubjectthatdoesnotalterthelightinsomewayisinvisible.Ofthethreebasicinteractionsbetweenthelightandthe

subject,simpletransmissionistheleastsignificantinadiscussionofphotographiclighting.

However,thesimpletransmissionshowninFigure2.10canoccuronlyifthelightstrikesthesurfaceatanangle

perpendiculartoit.Atanyotherangle,thetransmissionofthelighthasaccompanyingrefraction.Refractionisthebending

ofraysoflightastheyaretransmittedfromonematerialtoanother.Somematerialsrefractlightmorethanothers.Air,for

example,refractslightverylittle,whereastheglassusedinacameralensrefractsitagreatdeal.Figure2.11illustratesthe

phenomenon.

Refractioniscausedbyavariationinthespeedoflightcausedbythematerialthroughwhichitistransmitted.(Thespeed

oflightisconstantinavacuum.)ThelightinFigure2.11isslowedasitentersthedenserglass.Thephotonsthatstrikethe

glassfirstarethefirsttohavetheirspeedreduced.Theotherphotons,stillinair,raceahead,causingabendingoftheray.

Thentheraybendsasecondtime,butintheoppositedirection,aseachphotonregainsitsspeeduponexitingbackintothe

2.10Transmittedlight.Clearglassandcleanairarecommonmaterialsthattransmitvisiblelightwell.

IncidentRay

RefractedRay

2.11Alightraystrikingalight-transmittingmaterialatanyanglebends.Thisbendingiscalledrefraction.Denseglass,suchasthatusedforcameralenses,refractslightespeciallystrongly.

Unlikesimpletransmission,refractioncanbephotographed.Thisisoneofthereasonsthatcompletelytransparentsubjects

arenotinvisible.RefractioncausesthewavyedgeofthemartiniglassinFigure2.12.

2.12Theforegroundglassbottlerefractstheimageofthecocktailglassintheback.

DirectandDiffuseTransmissionSofarwehavetalkedaboutdirecttransmission,inwhichlightpassesthroughamaterialinapredictablepath.Materialssuchaswhiteglassandthinpaperscatterthelightraysinmanyrandom,

unpredictabledirectionsastheypassthrough.Thisiscalleddiffusetransmission(Figure2.13).

Materialsthatproducediffusetransmissionarecalledtranslucenttodistinguishthemfromtransparentmaterials,suchas

clearglass,whichdonotsignificantlydiffusethelight.

2.13Diffusetransmissionisthescatteringoflightpassingthroughatranslucentmaterial.

Diffusetransmissionismoreimportantwhenwetalkaboutlightsourcesthanindiscussingphotographicsubjects.

Coveringasmalllightwithalargetranslucentmaterialisonewaytoincreaseitssizeand,therefore,tosoftenit.A

diffusionsheetinfrontofastrobeandthecloudscoveringthesun,asinFigure2.6,areexamplesoftranslucentmaterials

servingsuchafunction.

Translucentsubjectsareoflittlespecialimportancetophotographersbecausetheirtranslucenceusuallyrequiresnospecial

lightingconsideration.Thisisbecausetheyalwaysabsorbsomeofthelightandreflectsomeofthelight,inadditionto

transmittingit.Absorptionandreflectionarebothmoremajorinfluencesonphotographiclighting.Wewilldealwiththese

Absorption

Lightthatisabsorbedbythesubjectisneveragainseenasvisiblelight.Theabsorbedenergystillexists,butthesubject

emitsitinaninvisibleform,usuallyheat(Figure2.14).

2.14Absorbedlightturnstoheat.Wecanfeelit,butitisnolongervisibletothecamera.

Liketransmission,simpleabsorptioncannotbephotographed.Itis“visible”onlywhenwecompareittootherlightinthe

scenethatisnotabsorbed.Thisiswhyhighlylight-absorbingsubjects,suchasblackvelvetorblackfur,areamongthe

mostdifficultthingstophotograph.

Mostsubjectsabsorbpart,butnotall,ofthelightstrikingthem.Thispartialabsorptionoflightisoneofthefactorsthat

determinewhetherweseeagivensubjectasblack,white,orsomeintermediategray.Anyparticularsubjectwillalso

absorbsomefrequenciesoflightmorethanothers.Thisselectiveabsorptionofcertainlightfrequenciesisoneofthe

factorsdeterminingthecolorofasubject.

Reflection

Reflectionislightstrikingasubjectandbouncingoff.Youknowthatandneednofurtherexplanationfromus.The

conceptiseasybecauseweuseitdaily.Reflectionmakesvisionpossible.Wedonotseeobjects;weseelight.Because

mostobjectsproducenolight,theirvisibilitydependsentirelyonlightreflectedfromthem.Wedonotneedtoshowyoua

photographofreflection.Almostanypictureyouhaveonhandwillservethepurpose.

However,thefamiliarityofreflectiondoesnotmeanthatitneedsnofurtherdiscussion.Onthecontrary,itsimportance

demandsthatwedevotemostofthenextchaptertoit.

TheManagementofReflectionandtheFamilyofAngles

Inthepreviouschapterwelookedatlightandhowitbehaves.Welearnedthatthethreemostimportantqualitiesofany

lightsourceareitsbrightness,color,andcontrast.Wealsolearnedthatthesubject,notjustthelight,hasamajorinfluence

onlighting.Asubjectcantransmit,absorb,orreflectthelightthatstrikesit.

Ofthethreewaysthesubjectcanaffectthelighting,reflectionisthemostvisible.Highlytransparentsubjectshave

minimaleffectonlight,sotheytendtobeinvisible.Highlyabsorbentsubjectsmayalsobeinvisiblebecausetheyconvert

lightintootherformsofenergy,suchasheat,whichwecannotsee.

Photographiclighting,therefore,isprimarilyanexerciseinreflectionmanagement.Understandingandmanaging

reflection,fortheresultthephotographerwants,isgoodlighting.Inthissection,wewilllookathowsubjectsreflectlight

andhowtocapitalizeonthosereflections.

Wewillbeginourdiscussionofreflectionwitha“thoughtexperiment.”Wewouldlikeyoutocreatethreedifferent

imagesinyourmind.First,onadesktop,imagineapieceofverythick,perfectlysmooth,graypaper.Thegrayshouldbea

mediumone,lightenoughtowriteonbutdarkenoughthatnoonewouldconfuseitwithwhite.Next,visualizeapieceof

metalofthesamesizeasthepaper.Wesuggestoldpewter.Themetalshouldalsobesmoothandexactlythesamegrayas

thepaper.Third,makeamentalceramictile,veryglossyandthesameshadeofgrayastheothertwosubjects.Finally,put

thethreementalimagestogetheronthesamedeskandexaminethedifferencesyouseeinthethreesubjects.

Noticethatnoneofthesubjectstransmitsanylight.(Thatiswhywemadethepaperthick.)Furthermore,theyallappearto

absorbthesameamountoflight(becausetheyareallthesamegray).Yetthedifferenceinthethreesubjectsisapparent.

Youhaveseenit.(Ifnot,tryagain,andyouwill,nowthatyouknowweexpectyoutodoso!)

Thereasonthatthesesubjects,withidenticaltransmissionandabsorption,appeardifferentisthatthesubjectsreflectthe

lightdifferently.Thereasonyoucanseethedifferenceswithoutlookingatexamplesonthispageisthattheyarepartof

thatvisualknowledgeyoualreadyhaveintheoccipitallobeofyourbrain.

Inthischapter,wearenotgoingtotellyouverymanythingsyourbraindoesnotalreadyknow.Wewill,however,put

someofthatknowledgeintowords.Thiswillmakeiteasyforustotalkaboutreflectionfortherestofthisbook.

TYPESOFREFLECTIONS

Lightcanreflectfromasubjectasdiffusereflection,directreflection,orglare.Mostsurfacescausesomeofeachofthese

threetypes.Theproportionsofeachtypeofreflectionvarywiththesubject,anditistheproportionofeachreflectionin

themixthatmakesonesurfacelookdifferentfromanother.

Wearegoingtoexamineeachofthesetypesofreflectionsinsomedetail.Ineachcase,wewillassumethatthereflection

isaperfectexample,uncontaminatedbyeitheroftheothertwo.Thiswillmakeiteasiertoanalyzeeachofthem.(Events

innaturesometimesoffernearlyperfectexamples.)

Fornow,wedonotcarewhattypeoflightsourcemightbeproducinganyofthefollowingexamples.Onlythereflecting

surfacematters.Anysortoflightcouldwork.

DiffuseReflection

Diffusereflectionsarethesamebrightnessregardlessoftheanglefromwhichweviewthem.Thisisbecausethelight

fromthesourcesisreflectedequallyinalldirectionsbythesurfaceitstrikes.Figure3.1showsadiffusereflection.Initwe

seelightfallingonasmallwhitecard.Threepeoplearepointingtheircamerasatit.

Ifeachoftheseindividualsweretophotographthewhitecard,eachoftheirpictureswouldrecordthesubjectasthesame

brightness.Onfilm,theimageofthecardwouldhavethesamedensityineachnegative.Neithertheangleofillumination

ofthelightsourcenorthe

3.1Awhitecardgivesoffalmostnothingbutdiffusereflection.Becausediffusereflectionfromalightsourceisreflectedequallyinalldirectionsfromthesurface,allthreecamerasseethecardashavingthesamebrightness.

camera’sangleofviewwouldaffectthebrightnessofthesubjectinsuchapicture.

Otherthaninlightingtextbooks,nosurfacesreflectlightinaperfectlydiffusemanner.However,whitepaper

approximatessuchasurface.NowlookatFigure3.2.Noticethatthescenecontainsamostlywhitediagram.

Thereisareasonthatwechosetoputthewhitecircuitdiagraminthisparticularexample.Allwhitethingsproduceagreat

dealofdiffusereflection.Weknowthisbecausetheyappearwhiteregardlessoftheanglefromwhichweviewthem.

(Walkaroundtheroomyouareinnow.Lookatthewhiteobjectsandtheblackobjectsfromdifferentangles.Noticethat

theapparentbrightnessoftheblackobjectsmaychangewithviewpoint,butthewhiteobjectsstayaboutthesame.)

Thecontrastofthelightsourcedoesnotaffecttheappearanceofadiffusereflection.Itisworthprovingthiswithone

morepictureofthe

Photographersdiffusethelightsourcebyreflectingthelightfromanumbrellaorbycoveringitwithatranslucentmaterial.Wecalllightpassing

throughtranslucentmaterialdiffusetransmission.Nowwespeakofdiffusereflection.Thetwoconceptshaveenoughincommonthatweshouldpay

specialattentiontothedifferencesbetweenthem.

3.2Thediagraminthisscenegivesoffprimarilydiffusereflection.Itwouldappearwhitefromanyangle.

Diffusingthelightsourcehasnoeffectonwhetherthereflectionisdiffuse.Rememberthatsmalllightsourcesarealways“hard”(undiffused)and

thatlargelightsourcesarealmostalways“soft”(diffused).ThennoticethatFigures3.2and3.3showdiffusereflectionsproducedbybothdiffused

andundiffusedlightsources.Similarly,Figures3.5and3.6showdirectreflectionsproducedbydiffusedandundiffusedlightsources,asyou’llsee

laterinthechapter.

Theworddiffusionisagoodonebecauseitsmeaningisperfectlyconsistentinbothuses.Ineachcase,itmeansascatteringofthelight.Butwhat

doesthescattering—thelightorthesubject?Thesourcedeterminesthetypeoflight,andthesurfacedeterminesthetypeofreflection.Anylight

canproduceanyreflection,dependingonthesubject.

3.3Thesoftshadowsproveweusedalargelight.Thehighlightsonthediagramlooksimilarbecausethesizeofthelightsourcedoesnotaltertheappearanceofdiffusereflection.

samescene.Asmalllightwasusedfortheearlierphotograph.Wecouldseethatbythehardshadowscastbytheobjects

init.NowlookatFigure3.3toseewhathappenswhenweusealargelightinstead.

Predictably,thelargelightsourcehassoftenedtheshadowsinthescene,butnoticethatthehighlightsonthepaperlook

aboutthesame.ThediffusereflectionfromthesurfaceofthepaperisidenticaltothatinFigure3.2.

Sowenowhaveseenthatneithertheanglenorthesizeofthelightsourceaffectstheappearanceofadiffusereflection.

However,thedistancefromthelighttothesurfaceofthesubjectdoesmatter.Thecloserthelightgetstothesubject,the

brighterthesubjectbecomesand,atagivenexposuresetting,thelighterthesubjectappearsinthefinishedpicture.

Photographerssometimescalldirectreflectionspecularreflection.Asasynonymfordirectreflection,thisisaperfectlygoodterm.Ifyouusethe

wordspecularinthisway,pleasefeelfreetosubstitutethewordsasyoureaddirectreflection.

However,somephotographersalsousespeculartomeansmaller,brighterhighlightswithinalargeone;othersmeanhighlightscreatedbyasmall

lightsource.Directreflectiondoesnotnecessarilyimplyeitherofthese.Becausespecularreflectionhasdifferentmeaningstodifferentpeople,we

willnotusetheterminthisbook.

Modernusageaddsfurtherinconsistency.Originally,specularwasusedtodescribeonlythereflection,notthesourceofthelight.(TheGreekroot

means“mirror.”)Today,somephotographersusespecularlightasasynonymforhardlight,buta“specular”lightsourcedoesnotnecessarily

producea“specular”reflection.Ahardlightisalwayshard,butthewayitreflectsdependsonthesurfaceofthesubject.Sowewillalwayscall

specularlightshardtomakeitclearthatwearetalkingaboutthelight,notthereflection.

TheInverseSquareLaw

Adiffusereflectiongetsbrighterifwemovethelightsourceclosertothesubject.Ifweneeded,wecouldcalculatethis

changeinbrightnesswiththeinversesquarelaw.Theinversesquarelawsaysthatintensityisinverselyproportionaltothe

squareofthedistance.Thus,alightatanyparticulardistancefromthesubjectwilllightthesubjectwithanintensityfour

timesasbrightasthesamelighttwiceasfaraway.Similarly,alightwillhaveninetimestheintensityofthesamelight

movedthreetimesasfarfromthesubject.Astheintensityofthelightfallingonthesubjectvaries,sodoesthatofthe

diffusereflection.

Ignoringthemath,thissimplymeansthatreflectionfromasurfacegetsbrighterifwemovethelightcloseranditgets

dimmerifwemovethelightfartheraway.Intuitively,thisseemsimmediatelyobvious.Whyevenbothertomentionit?

Becausesuchintuitionisoftenmisleading.Somesubjects,asweshallsoonsee,donotproducebrighterreflectionsasthe

lightmovesclosertothem.

DirectReflection

Directreflectionsareamirrorimageofthelightsourcethatproducesthem.Theyarealsocalledspecularreflections.

Figure3.4issimilartoFigure3.1,butthistimewehavereplacedthewhitecardwithasmallmirror.Boththelightsource

andtheobserversareinthesamepositionsastheywereinearlier.

Noticewhathappens.Thistimeoneofthethreecamerasnowseesablindinglybrightreflection,whereastheothersseeno

reflectionatallinthemirror.

3.4Directreflection.Lookingatthemirror,oneofthecamerasseesablindingreflectionofthelightsource,whereastheothersseenoreflectionatall.

Thisdiagramillustratesthedirectreflectionproducedwhenalightisdirectedatapolishedsurfacesuchasglass.Thelight

raysbouncefromthesmoothsurfaceatthesameangleatwhichtheyhitit.Morepreciselystated,theangleofincidence

equalstheangleofreflectance.Thismeansthatthepointatwhichdirectreflectionscanbeseenisexactlydeterminedby

theanglesbetweenthelightsource,thesubject,andthecameraviewpoint.

Sowithallthatinmind,itiseasytounderstandwhythethreecamerasseesuchadifferenceinthebrightnessofthe

mirror.Thosepositionedoneachsidereceivenoreflectedlightrays.Fromtheirviewpoint,themirrorappearsblack.None

oftheraysfromthelightsourceisreflectedintheirdirectionbecausetheyarenotviewingthemirrorfromtheone(and

only)angleinwhichthedirectreflectionofthelightsourcecanhappen.

However,thecamerathatisdirectlyinlinewiththereflectionseesaspotinthemirrorasbrightasthelightsourceitself.

Thisisbecausetheanglefromitspositiontotheglasssurfaceisthesameastheanglefromthelightsourcetotheglass

surface.Again,norealsubjectproducesaperfectdirectreflection.Brightlypolishedmetal,water,orglassmaynearlydo

so,however.

BreakingtheInverseSquareLaw?

Diditalarmyoutoreadthatthecamerathatseesthedirectreflectionwillrecordanimageasbrightasthelightsource?

Howdoweknowhowbrightthedirectreflectionwillbeifwedonotevenknowhowfarawaythelightsourceis?

Wedonotneedtoknowhowfarawaythesourceis.Thebrightnessoftheimageofadirectreflectionisthesame

regardlessofthedistancefromthesource.Thisprincipleseemstostandinflagrantdefianceoftheinversesquarelaw,but

aneasyexperimentwillshowwhyitdoesnot.

Youcanprovethistoyourself,ifyoulike,bypositioningamirrorsothatyoucanseealampreflectedinit.Ifyoumove

themirrorclosertothelamp,itwillbeapparenttoyoureyethatthebrightnessofthelampremainsconstant.

Notice,however,thatthesizeofthereflectionofthelampdoeschange.Thischangeinsizekeepstheinversesquarelaw

frombeingviolated.Ifwemovethelamptohalfthedistance,themirrorwillreflectfourtimesasmuchlight,justasthe

inversesquarelawpredicts,buttheimageofthereflectioncoversfourtimesthearea.Sothatimagestillhasthesame

brightnessinthepicture.Asaconcreteanalogy,ifwespreadfourtimesthebutteronapieceofbreadoffourtimesthe

area,thethicknessofthelayerofbutterstaysthesame.

Nowwewilllookataphotographofthesceneinthepreviousdiagram.Onceagain,wewillbeginwithahigh-contrast

lightsource.Figure3.5hasamirroredsurfaceinsteadoftheearlierdiagram.Hereweseetwoindicationsthatthelight

sourceissmall.Onceagain,theshadowsarehard.Also,wecantellthatthesourceissmallbecausewecanseeitreflected

inthemirroredsurfaceoftheDVD.Becausetheimageofthelightsourceisvisible,wecaneasilyanticipatetheeffectof

anincreaseinthesizeofthelight.Thisallowsustoplanthesizeofthehighlightsonpolishedsurfaces.

NowlookatFigure3.6.Onceagain,thelarge,low-contrastlightsourceproducessoftershadows.Thepictureismore

pleasing,butthatisnottheimportantaspect.Moreimportantisthefactthatthereflectedimageofthelargelightsource

completelyfillstheDVDs.Inotherwords,thelargerlightsourcefillsthefamilyofanglesthatcausesdirectreflection.

Thisfamilyofanglesisoneofthemostusefulconceptsinphotographiclighting.Wewilldiscussthatfamilyindetail.

TheFamilyofAngles

Ourpreviousdiagramshavebeenconcernedwithonlyasinglepointonareflectivesurface.Inreality,however,each

surfaceismadeupofaninfinitenumberofpoints.Aviewerlookingatasurfaceseeseachof

3.5Twocluestellusthispicturewasmadewithasmalllightsource:hardshadowsandthesizeofthereflectionintheDVD.

3.6Alargerlightsoftensshadows.Moreimportant,thereflectionofthelightnowcompletelyfillstheDVDs.Thisisbecausethelightweusedthistimewaslargeenoughtofillthefamilyofanglesthatcausesdirectreflection.

3.7Thelightpositionedwithinthefamilyofangleswillproducedirectreflection.Theotherlight,outsidethefamilyofangles,willnot.

thesepointsataslightlydifferentangle.Takentogether,thesedifferentanglesmakeupthefamilyofanglesthatproduces

directreflection.

Intheory,wecouldalsotalkaboutthefamilyofanglesthatproducesdiffusereflection.However,suchanideawouldbe

meaninglessbecausediffusereflectioncancomefromalightsourceatanyangle.Therefore,whenweusethephrase

familyofangleswewillalwaysmeanthoseanglesthatproducedirectreflection.

Thisfamilyofanglesisimportanttophotographersbecauseitdetermineswhereweshouldplaceourlights.Weknowthat

lightrayswillalwaysreflectfromapolishedsurface,suchasmetalorglass,atthesameangleasthatatwhichtheystrike

it.Sowecaneasilydeterminewherethefamilyofanglesislocated,relativetothecameraandthelightsource.This

allowsustocontrolifandwhereanydirectreflectionwillappearinourpicture.Figure3.7showstheeffectoflights

locatedbothinsideandoutsidethisfamilyofangles.AsyoucanseefromFigure3.7,anylightpositionedwithinthe

familyofangleswillproduceadirectreflection.Alightplacedanywhereelsewillnot.Consequently,anylightpositioned

outsideofthefamilyof

3.8Polarizeddirectreflectionlookslikeunpolarizeddirectreflection,onlydimmer.

angleswillnotlightamirror-likesubjectatall,atleastasfarasthecameracansee.

Photographerssometimeswanttoseedirectreflectionfrommostofthesurfaceofamirror-likesubject.Thisrequiresthat

theyuse(orfindinnature)alightlargeenoughtofillthefamilyofangles.Inotherscenes,theydonotwanttoseeany

directreflectionatallonthesubject.Inthoseinstances,theymustplaceboththecameraandthelightsothatthelight

sourceisnotlocatedwithinthefamilyofangles.Wewillusethisprinciplerepeatedlyinthecomingchapters.

PolarizedDirectReflection

Apolarizeddirectreflectionissosimilartoanordinarydirectreflectionthatphotographersoftentreatthemasthesame.

However,thesereflectionsofferphotographersseveralspecializedtechniquesandtoolsfordealingwiththem.

Likethedirectreflection,onlyoneviewerinFigure3.8willseethereflection.Unlikethedirectreflection,animageofthe

polarizedreflectionisalwayssubstantiallydimmerthanaphotographofthelight

sourceitself.Aperfectlypolarizeddirectreflectionisexactlyhalfasbrightasanunpolarizedone(providedthelight

sourceitselfisnotpolarized).However,becausepolarizationisinevitablyaccompaniedbyabsorption,thereflectionswe

seeinthescenearemorelikelytobemuchdimmerthanthat.

Toseewhypolarizedreflectioncannotbeasbrightasanunpolarizeddirectreflection,weneedtoknowabitabout

polarizedlight.Wehaveseenthattheelectromagneticfieldfluctuatesaroundamovingphoton.Figure3.9representsthis

fluctuatingfieldasajumpropebeingswungbetweentwochildren.Onechildisspinningtheropewhiletheothersimply

holdsit.

Now,let'sputupapicketfencebetweenthechildren,asshowninFigure3.10.Theropenowbouncesupanddown

insteadofswinginginanarc.Thisbouncingroperesemblestheelectromagneticfieldalongthepathofaphotonof

polarizedlight.

Moleculesinapolarizingfilterblocktheoscillationofthelightenergyinonedirection,justasthepicketfencedoestothe

oscillatingenergyofthejumprope.Themolecularstructureofsomereflectingsurfacesalsoblockspartoftheenergyof

thephotoninthesamemanner.Weseesuchaphotonasapolarizedreflectionorglare.Nowsuppose,notbeingsatisfied

witheliminatingjustapartofthechildren'splay,weinstallahorizontalfenceinfrontofthefirst,asshowninFigure3.11.

Withthesecondfenceinplace,ifonechildspinstherope,theotherseesnoropemovementatall.Thecrossedpicket

fencesblockthetransmissionofenergyfromoneendoftheropetotheother.Crossingtheaxesoftwopolarizingfilters

blocksthetransmissionoflight,justasthetwopicketfencesdowithropeenergy.Figure3.12showstheresult.Wherethe

polarizersoverlapwiththeiraxesperpendicular,noneofthetypeisvisibleonthepage.Thetransmissionoflightreflected

fromthepagetothecamerahasbeencompletelyblocked.

Alake,paintedmetal,glossywood,orplasticcanallproducepolarizedreflection.Liketheothertypesofreflections,the

polarizationisnotperfect.Somediffusereflectionandsomeunpolarizeddirectreflectionaremixedwiththeglare.Glossy

subjectsproduceagreateramountofpolarizedreflection,butevenmattesurfacesproduceacertainamount.

Polarizeddirectreflectionismorevisibleifthesubjectisblackortransparent.Blackandtransparentsubjectsdonot

necessarilyproducestrongerdirectreflectionsthanwhiteones.Instead,theyproduceweakerdiffusereflection,makingit

easiertoseethedirectreflection.Thisiswhyyousawthechangeinapparentbrightnessoftheblackobjects,butnotofthe

whiteones,whenyouwalkedaroundyourroomawhileago.

3.9Theoscillatingelectromagneticfieldaroundaphotonrepresentedasajumprope.Thechildontheleftisspinningtheropewhiletheoneontherightholdson.

3.10Whenthechildrenspintheropethroughthepicketfence,itbouncesupanddowninsteadofspinninginanarc.Apolarizingfilterblockstheoscillationoflightenergyinmuchthesameway.

3.11Becausewe’veaddedahorizontalfencetothefirst,whenonechildspinstherope,theotherwillseenomovement.

3.12Theaxesonthetwooverlappingpolarizersareperpendicular.Theyblocklightmuchasthetwofencesdidwiththeenergyofthejumprope.

Glossyblackplasticcanshowusenoughpolarizedreflectiontomakeagoodexample.ThesceneinFigure3.13includesa

blackplasticmaskandafeatheronasheetofglossyblackplastic.Weusedthesamecameraandlightpositionasinthe

picturesofthediagramandmirroredsurface.Youcantellbythesizeofthereflectionsthatweusedalargelightsource.

Boththemaskandtheplasticsheetproducenearlyperfectpolarizedreflection.Fromthisangle,glossyplasticproduces

almostnounpolarizeddirectreflection;blackthingsneverproducemuchdiffusereflection.However,thefeatherbehaves

quitedifferently.Itproducesalmostnothingbutdiffusereflection.

Thelightsourcewaslargeenoughtofillthefamilyofanglesdefinedbytheplasticsheet,creatingdirectreflectionover

theentiresurface.Thesamelightwaslargeenoughtofillonlypartofthefamilyofanglesdefinedbythemask.Weknow

thisbecauseofthehighlightsweseeonlyonthefrontofthemask.

NowlookatFigure3.14.Wemadeitwiththesamearrangementusedinthepreviouspicture,butnowwe’veplaceda

polarizingfilteroverthecameralens.Becausepolarizedreflectionwasalmosttheonlyreflectionfromtheblackplasticin

Figure3.14,andbecausethepolarizingfilterblocksglare,littleofthelightreflectedfromanyoftheblackplasticitems

photographedreachedthecamera.Asaresult,theplasticnowlooksblack.

3.13Theglossyblackplasticsheetandmaskproducealmostnothingbutpolarizeddirectreflection.Thefeathergivesoffalmostnothingbutdiffusereflection.

3.14Apolarizeroverthecameralensblocksthepolarizeddirectreflection.Onlythefeather,whichgivesoffdiffusereflection,iseasilyvisible.

Wedidhavetoopenouraperturebyabouttwostopstocompensatefortheneutraldensityofthepolarizingfilter.Howdo

youknowthatwedidnotaccidentallymiscalculatetheexposure?(Maybewedidsodeliberately,justtogettheimage

darkenoughtoproveourpoint.)Thefeatherprovesthatwedidnot.Thepolarizerdidnotblockthediffusereflectionfrom

thefeather.Sowithaccurateexposurecompensation,thefeatherisaboutthesamelightgrayinbothpictures.

IsItPolarizedReflectionorOrdinaryDirectReflection?

Polarizedandunpolarizeddirectreflectionsoftenhavesimilarappearance.Photographers,outofneedorcuriosity,may

wanttodistinguishonefromtheother.

Weknowthatdirectreflectionappearsasbrightasthelightsource,whereaspolarizeddirectreflectionappearsdimmer.

However,brightnessalonewillnottelluswhichiswhich.Rememberthatrealsubjectsproduceamixtureofreflection

types.Asurfacethatseemstohavepolarizedreflectionmayactuallyhaveweakdirect,plussomediffuse,reflection.

Hereareafewguidelinesthattendtotelluswhetheradirectreflectionispolarized:

•Ifthesurfaceismadeofamaterialthatconductselectricity(metalisthemostcommonexample),itsreflectionislikely

tobeunpolarized.Electricalinsulatorssuchasplastic,glass,andceramicsaremorelikelytoproducepolarizedreflection.

•Ifthesurfacelookslikeamirror—forexample,brightmetal—thereflectionislikelytobesimpledirectreflection,not

glare.

•Ifthesurfacedoesnothaveamirror-likeappearance—forexample,polishedwoodorleather—thereflectionismore

likelytobepolarizedifthecameraisseeingitatanangleof40to50degrees.(Theexactangledependsonthesubject

material.)Atotherangles,thereflectionismorelikelytobeunpolarizeddirectreflection.

•Theconclusivetest,however,istheappearanceofthesubjectthroughapolarizingfilter.Ifthepolarizereliminatesthe

reflection,thenthatreflectionispolarized.If,however,thepolarizerhasnoeffectonthesuspectreflection,thenitis

ordinarydirectreflection.Ifthepolarizerreducesthebrightnessofthereflectionbutdoesnoteliminateit,thenitisa

mixedreflection.

TurningOrdinaryDirectReflectionintoPolarizedReflection

Photographersoftenpreferthatareflectionbepolarizedreflectionsothattheycanmanageitwithapolarizingfilter

mountedontheircamera

Mostphotographersknowthatpolarizerscaneliminatepolarizedreflectiontheydonotwant,butinsomesceneswemaylikethepolarized

reflectionandwantevenmoreofit.Insuchcaseswecanusethepolarizertoeffectivelyincreasethepolarizedreflection.Wedothisbyrotatingthe

polarizingfilter90degreesfromtheorientationthatreducesreflection.Thepolarizedlightthenpassesthrougheasily.

Itisimportanttounderstandthatapolarizeralwaysblockssomeunpolarizedlight.Bydoingthis,ineffect,itbecomesaneutraldensityfilterthat

affectseverythingexceptdirectreflection.Thus,whenweincreasetheexposuretocompensatefortheneutraldensity,thedirectreflection

increasesevenmore.

lens.Ifthereflectionisnotglare,thepolarizeronthelenswillhavenoeffectexcepttoaddneutraldensity.

However,placingapolarizingfilteroverthelightsourcewillturnadirectreflectionintopolarizedreflection.Apolarizer

onthecameralenscanthenmanagethereflectionnicely.

Polarizedlightsourcesarenotrestrictedtostudiolighting.Theopenskyoftenservesasabeautifullyfunctionalpolarized

lightsource.Facingthesubjectfromananglethatreflectsthemostpolarizedpartoftheskycanmakethelenspolarizing

filtereffective.Thisiswhyphotographerssometimesfindpolarizingfiltersusefulonsubjectssuchasbrightmetal,even

thoughthefiltermanufacturermayhavetoldthemthatpolarizershavenoeffectonsuchsubjects.Inthosecases,the

subjectisreflectingapolarizedsource.

APPLYINGTHETHEORY

Excellentrecordingofasubjectrequiresmorethanfocusingthecameraproperlyandexposingthepictureaccurately.The

subjectandthelighthavearelationshipwitheachother.Inagoodphotograph,thelightisappropriatetothesubjectand

thesubjectisappropriatetothelight.

Themeaningofappropriateisthecreativedecisionofthephotographer.Anydecisionthephotographermakesislikelyto

beappropriateifitisguidedbyunderstandingandawarenessofhowthesubjectandthelighttogetherproduceanimage.

Wedecidewhattypeofreflectionisimportanttothesubjectandthencapitalizeonit.Inthestudio,thismeans

manipulatingthelight.Outsidethestudio,itoftenmeansgettingthecameraposition,anticipatingthemovementofthesun

andclouds,waitingfortherighttimeofday,orotherwisefindingthelightthatworks.Ineithercase,thejobiseasierfor

thephotographerwhohaslearnedtoseewhatthelightisdoingandtoimaginewhatitcoulddo.

SurfaceAppearances

Allsurfacesproducediffuse,direct,andpolarizedreflectioninvaryingdegrees.Weseeallofthesereflections,butweare

notalwaysconsciousofthem.

Yearsofprogrammingenableourbrainstoedittheimageofthescene.Thiseditingminimizesreflectionthatisdistracting

ortrivialtothesubject.Atthesametime,itmaximizestheimportanceofwhateverlightisessentialtoourcomprehension

ofthescene.Thepsychologicalimageinthebrainmaybequitedifferentfromthephotochemicalonetheeyeactually

Psychologistshavenotcompletelyexplainedwhythisdifferenceexists.Movementcertainlyhassomethingtodowithit,

butnoteverything.Somevisualdefectsarelessdisturbinginamotionpicturethantheymightbeinastillphotograph,but

notmuch.

Photographersknowthatthebraincannoteditanimageofthesceneaswellasthesceneitself.Wediscoveredthatfact

whenwelearnedhowquicklywecouldspotdefectsinourimages,eventhoughwecouldnotseethematallwhenwe

carefullyexaminedtheoriginalscene.Unconsciouspartsofourbraindidusthe“service”ofeditingthescenetodelete

extraneousandcontradictorydata.Theviewerbecomesfullyconsciousofthesamedetailsuponseeingthepicture.

Howdopicturesrevealdetailswemightneverotherwisenotice?Thisisaquestionforanotherbook.Thisbookisabout

whatweneedtodoaboutthatfactandhowtotakeadvantageofit.Whenwemakeapicturewehavetoconsciouslydo

someoftheeditingthatotherobserversdounconsciously.

THEPHOTOGRAPHERASANEDITOR

Photographiclightingdealsmainlywiththeextremes:thehighlightsandtheshadows.Whenwearehappywiththe

appearanceofthesetwo,wearelikelytobepleasedwiththemiddlerangealso.Highlightandshadowtogetherreveal

form,shape,anddepth.Buthighlightaloneisusuallyenoughtorevealwhatthesurfaceofanobjectislike.Inthischapter

wewillconcernourselvesprimarilywithhighlightandsurface.Mostofourexamplesubjectswillbeflat—two

dimensional,ornearlyso.InChapter5wewillcomplicatemattersabitwiththree-dimensionalsubjectsandamore

detaileddiscussionofshadow.

Inthepreviouschapter,wesawthatallsurfacesproducebothdiffuseanddirectreflectionsandthatsomeofthedirect

reflectionsarepolarized.Butmostsurfacesdonotproduceanevenmixofthesethreetypesofreflections.Somesurfaces

produceagreatdealmoreofonethananother.Thedifferenceintheamountsofeachofthesereflectionsdetermineswhat

makesonesurfacelookdifferentfromanother.

Oneofthefirststepsinlightingasceneistolookatthesubjectanddecidewhatkindofreflectioncausesthesubjectto

appearthewayitdoes.Thenextstepistopositionthelight,thesubject,andthecameratomakethephotographcapitalize

onthattypeofreflectionandminimizetheothers.

Whenwedothiswedecidewhatkindofreflectionwewanttheviewerstosee.Thenweengineertheshottomakesure

theyseethatreflectionandnotothers.

“Positionthelight”and“engineertheshot”implymovinglightstandsaroundastudio,butwedon'tnecessarilymeanthat.

Wedoexactlythesamethingwhenwepickthecameraviewpoint,day,andtimeoutsidethestudio.Wewillusestudio

examplesinthischaptersimplybecausetheyareeasyforustocontroltodemonstratethespecificsclearly.Theprinciples

applytoanytypeofphotography.

Intherestofthischapter,wewillseesomeexamplesofsubjectsthatrequireustocapitalizeoneachofthebasickindsof

reflections.Wewillalsoseewhathappenswhenwephotographreflectionsthatareinappropriatetothosesubjects.

CAPITALIZINGONDIFFUSEREFLECTION

Photographersaresometimesaskedtophotographpaintings,illustrations,orantiquephotographs.Suchcopyworkisone

simpleexampleofacircumstanceinwhichweusuallywantonlydiffuse,andnotdirect,reflection.

Becausethisisthefirstconcretedemonstrationoflightingtechniqueinthisbook,wewilldiscussitingreatdetail.The

exampleshowshowanexperiencedphotographerthinksthroughanylightingarrangement.Beginnerswillbesurprisedat

theamountofthinkinginvolvedinevensuchsimplelighting,buttheyshouldnotbedismayedbyit.Muchofthisthinking

isidenticalfromonepicturetothenext,anditquicklybecomessohabitualthatittakesalmostnotimeoreffort.Youwill

seethisasweprogress,andwewillomitsomeofthedetailinfuturechapters.

Diffusereflectiongivesustheinformationabouthowblackorhowwhitethesubjectis.Theprintedpagesofthisbook

haveblacksandwhitesdeterminedbyareasthatproduceagreatdealofdiffusereflection—thepaper—andthosethat

producelittlediffusereflection—theink.

Becausediffusereflectioncanreflectlightfrequenciesselectively,italsocarriesmostofthecolorinformationaboutthe

subject.Wecouldhaveprintedthispagewithmagentainkonbluepaper(ifthosepickyeditorswouldhaveallowedit),

andyouwouldknowitbecausethediffusereflectionfromthepagewouldtellyou.

Noticethatdiffusereflectiondoesnottellusverymuchaboutwhatthesurfacematerialis.Hadweprintedthispageon

smoothleatherorglossyplasticinsteadofpaper,thediffusereflectionwouldstilllookaboutthesame.(Youcould,

however,tellthedifferenceinmaterialbythedirectreflection.)

Whenwecopyapaintingoranotherphotograph,weareusuallynotinterestedinthetypeofsurfaceonwhichitwas

produced;wewanttoknowaboutthecolorsandvaluesintheoriginalimage.

THEANGLEOFLIGHT

Whatsortoflightingmightaccomplishthis?Toanswerthatquestion,letusbeginbylookingatastandardcopysetupand

atthefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflection.

Figure4.1showsastandardcopycameraarrangement.Thecameraisonastandandisaimedattheoriginalartonacopy

boardbeneathit.Assumethattheheightofthecameraissetsothattheimageoftheoriginalartexactlyfillstheimage

Wehavedrawnthefamilyofanglesfromwhichalight,orlights,canproducedirectreflection.Mostcopyarrangements

usealightoneachsideofthecamera.Weneedonlyonelighttoseetheprinciple.

Suchadiagrammakesiteasytolightthesetup.Onceagain,anylightwithinthefamilyofangleswillproducedirect

reflection,andalightlocatedoutsidethatfamilywillnot.WealsoknowfromChapter3thatalightcanproducediffuse

reflectionfromanyangle.Becausewewantonlydiffusereflection,weplacethelightanywhereoutsidethefamilyof

angles.

4.1Thefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflectionsina“copy”lightingsetup.Thelightinsidethefamilyofangleswillproducedirectreflection;theotherwillnot.Thereisasimilarfamilyofanglesoneachsideofthecamera.

InFigure4.2thecigarboxisphotographedwiththelightplacedoutsideofthefamilyofangles.Weseeonlydiffuse

reflectionfromthesurface,andthetonevaluesinthephotographcloselyapproximatetheoriginal.

Bywayofcontrast,inFigure4.3thelightwasinsidethefamilyofangles.Theresultingdirectreflectioncausesan

unacceptable“hotspot”ontheglossysurface.

Thisisallstraightforwardinthestudioorthelaboratory.However,photographersarealsoaskedtophotographlarge

paintingsinmuseumsorotherlocationsfromwhichtheycannotberemoved.Anyonewhohaseverdonethisknowsthat

museumcuratorsalwaysplacedisplaycases

4.2Inagoodpicture,theboxlabelweseehasnothingbutdiffusereflections(ignoring,fornow,thereflectionfromthegoldfoil),andthetonescloselyresemblethoseintheoriginal.

4.3Placingthelightinsidethefamilyofanglescausedanunacceptablehotspotandobscuredsomeofthedetail.

orpedestalsexactlywherewewanttoputthecamera.Insuchsituations,weneedtoplacethecameraclosertothesubject

thanwemightotherwise.Wethenswitchtoawide-anglelenstogetthewholesubjecttofittheimagearea.

Figure4.4isabird’s-eyeviewofourmuseumsetup.Nowthecamerahasaverywide-anglelenswithabouta90-degree

horizontalangleofview.

Lookwhathashappenedtoourfamilyofangles.Thefamilyofanglescausingdirectreflectionhasgrownmuchlarger,

andtherangeofacceptableanglesforcopylightingismuchsmaller.Thelightnowneedstobemuchfarthertothesideto

avoidunacceptabledirectreflections.

Shootingacopywiththecamerainthispositionwouldyielddrasticallyinferiorresultsifwekeptthelightwherewehadit

inFigure4.1.Thesamelightinganglethatworkswellwhenthecameraisfartherawaycancausedirectreflectionifthe

cameraiscloser.Inthiscase,wewouldhavetomovethelightfarthertotheside.

Finally,noticethatinsomemuseum-likesituations,theshapeoftheroommaymaketheplacementofthelightsmore

difficultthanthatofthecamera.Ifitseemsimpossibletopositionthelightstoavoiddirectreflection,wesometimescan

solvetheproblemjustbymovingthecamerafartherawayfromthesubject(andusingacorrespondinglylongerlensto

obtainalargeenoughimagesize).

4.4Thefamilyofangleshasgrownmuchlargerinthisarrangementusingawide-anglelens.Theresultisasmallrangeofacceptablelightingangles.Onlythelightoutsidethefamilyofangleswillproduceglare-freelighting.

4.5Acopysetupusingalonglens.Becausethefamilyofanglesthatproducesadirectreflectionissmall,findingagoodplacetoputthelightisusuallyeasy.(Hadthewallontherightbeenabitcloser,however,itwouldhavebeguntolimitthelightplacement.Wewilldealwithsuchaproblem

inafewmorepages.)

InFigure4.5,theroomistoonarrowtoalloweasylightplacement,butitisdeepenoughtoallowthecameratobeplaced

atalmostanydistance.Weseethatwhenthecameraisfartherfromthesubject,thefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirect

reflectionissmall.Nowitiseasytofindalightinganglethatavoidsdirectreflection.

THESUCCESSANDFAILUREOFTHEGENERALRULE

Textsthatattemptsimplytodemonstratebasiccopywork(asopposedtogenerallightingprinciples)oftenuseadiagram

similartoFigure4.6torepresentastandardcopysetup.

Noticethatthelightisata45-degreeangletotheoriginal.Thereisnothingmagicaboutsuchanangle.Itisageneralrule

thatusuallyworks—butnotalways.Aswesawinthepreviousexample,ausablelightingangledependsonthedistance

betweenthecameraandthesubjectandtheresultingchoiceoflensfocallength.

4.6The“standard”copysetupsometimesproducesgoodresultsandsometimesdoesnot.Ausablelightingangledependsalsoonthedistancebetweenthecameraandsubjectandthechoiceoflensfocallength.

Moreimportant,weneedtonoticethatthisrulemayfailtoproducegoodlightingifwedonotgiveattentiontothe

distancebetweenthelightandthesubject.Toseewhy,wewillcombinetheprincipleinFigure4.1withthatofFigure4.6.

InFigure4.7,weseetwopossiblelightpositions.Bothlightsareata45-degreeangletothesubject,butonlyoneofthem

willproduceacceptablelighting.Thelightthatisclosertothesubjectiswithinthefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirect

reflectionandwillcauseahotspotonthesurface.Theotherlightisfarenoughawaytobeoutsidethefamilyofangles

andwillilluminatethesurfacenicely.

Soweseethatthe45-degreerulewillworkfineifthephotographergetsthelightsfarenoughawayfromthesubject

surface.Infact,theruleoftendoesservewellbecausephotographersgenerallydomovethelightsfartherawayfromthe

subjectforyetanotherreason,toobtainevenillumination.

4.7Theimportanceofthedistancefromthelighttothesubject.Bothofthelightsshownareat45degreestothecenterofthesubject,butonlyoneissatisfactory.Thelightinsidethefamilyofangleswillproducedirectreflection.

THEDISTANCEOFLIGHT

Uptonowwe’veonlyconsideredtheangleofthelight,notitsdistance.Butclearlythat’simportanttoo,becauseweknow

thatdiffusereflectionsgetbrighterasthelightgetsclosertothereflectingsurface.Figure4.8revisitsanearlier

arrangement,nowemphasizingthedistanceofthelight.

Onceagain,weareusingawide-anglelenstophotographthesubject.Rememberingthatsuchsituationsleaveavery

smallrangeofanglesofilluminationthatdonotcausedirectreflection,wehavepositionedthelightataveryshallow

angletothesurface.Buttheedgeofthesubjectthatisclosertothelightreceivessomuchmorelightthantheedgefarther

awaythatuniformexposureisimpossible.

Figure4.9showstheresultingexposure.Theshallowlightingangleavoidsdirectreflection,butthediffusereflectionon

onesideoftheimageissobrightthattheconsequencesarealmostasbad.

4.8Theshallowanglethatavoidsdirectreflectionisalsomorelikelytocauseunevenilluminationifwedon’ttakecaretoavoidit.

4.9ApossibleconsequenceofthesituationshowninFigure4.8.Althoughthelightplacementavoideddirectreflection,theilluminationistoouneventopreservedetailonboththeleftandrightsides.

Obviously,asecondlightontheothersideofthesubjectwouldhelpprovidemoreevenillumination.(Thisisexactlywhy

mostcopysetupsdo,indeed,usetwolights.)Withextremelyshallowlightingangles,however,thesecondlightstilldoes

notprovideuniformexposure.Wesimplygettwooverexposedareasinsteadofone,withadarkareainthecenter.

Onesolutiontothisproblemistomovethelightclosertothecamera.(Anextremeexampleofthisisaflashmounted

directlyonthecamera.)Thenthelightisroughlythesamedistancefromallpointsonthesurface,andtheilluminationis

moreeven.Butthissolutionisalsolikelytoplacethelightinthefamilyofanglesthatcausedirectreflection,whichisa

worseproblem.

Theonlysolutiontothisproblemthatalwaysworksistomovethelightfartherawayfromthesubject.Intheory,alight

thatisaninfinitedistanceawaywillproduceexactlyequallybrightdiffusereflectionsatallpointsonthesurface,evenat

themostshallowangle.Unfortunately,alightaninfinitedistanceawayisalsolikelytobeinfinitelydim.(Wewillnot

evenbegintodealwiththeproblemsoffindingalightstandthathigh.)

Inpractice,wedonotusuallyneedtogetthelightquitethatfarawaytoobtainsatisfactoryresults.Wejustneedtogetthe

lightfarenoughfromthesubjecttoproduceacceptablyevenillumination,butweneedtokeepitcloseenoughfor

acceptablyshortexposuretimes.

Wecouldofferyoumathematicalformulastocalculateanacceptabledistancebetweenthelightandthesubjectatany

givenangle(andforanygivenacceptableside-to-sideexposureerror),butyouwouldnotusetheformulasbecauseyoudo

notneedthem.Thehumaneyeisgoodatjudgingtheacceptablecompromisedistance,providedthephotographerisaware

ofthepotentialproblemfromthestart.Placethelightssothattheilluminationlooksreasonablyeven;thendouble-check

thatjudgmentbymeasuringvariouspointsonthesurfacewithalightmeter.

DOINGTHEIMPOSSIBLE

Theprecedingexamplestellusthatevenilluminationandglare-freeilluminationcanbemutuallyexclusivegoals.The

closerthelightsourceistothecamera,themoredirectlyitlightsthesubjectandthemoreeventheilluminationbecomes.

However,thefartherthelightistotheside,thelesslikelyitistobewithinthefamilyofanglesthatcausesdirect

reflection.

Wehavealsoseenthattheusualsolutiontothisdilemmarequiresmoreworkingspaceinanydirection.Hereiswhy:

•Movingthelightsclosertothecameraaxis,forexample,meansmovingthecamerafartherawayfromthesubject(and

usingacorrespondinglylongerlenstogetasimilarimagesize).Thiscreatesasmallerfamilyofanglesthatcausesdirect

reflectionsandallowsmorefreedominchoosingtheangletolightthesubject.

•Conversely,ifcircumstancesdictatethatthecamerabeveryclosetothesubject,wemustlightthesubjectatavery

shallowangletokeepthelightsourceoutsidethefamilyofangles.Wemustthenplacethelightsmuchfartherfromthe

subjecttoachieveevenillumination.

Unfortunately,wesometimeslacktheworkingspaceweneedforeitherofthesesolutions.Aphotographermayhaveto

photographararedocumentinastorageareasofilledwithfilingcabinetsthatthereisalmostnoroomtowork.Evenina

galleryarea,theremaynotbeenoughfloorspacetoproperlylightareallylargepainting.

Figure4.10showssuchan“impossible”lightingproblem.Thecameracouldbeonatripodaimedatadocumentonthe

floor,the

4.10An“impossible”lightingsituation:wecannotpositionthecameraandlightstoprovideuniform,glare-freeillumination.

obstaclesonthesidescouldbefilingcabinets,andtheceilingcouldsettherestrictiononcameraheight.Orthecamera

couldbefocusedonan8-by-10-footpaintingonawallwithotherwallsordisplaycasespresentingtheobstacles.Either

way,wecannotpositionthecameraandlightstoprovideilluminationthatisbothuniformandglare-free.

Ataglancewepredictthatthephotographmadewithsuchanarrangementisuseless.Figure4.11confirmstheprediction.

Thesolutioniseasywhenwerememberthat(1)the“glare”weseeonthesurfaceoftheoriginalisamixtureofdirectand

diffusereflection,and(2)apolarizingfilteronthelenscaneliminatepolarizeddirectreflection.

4.11Oneresultofthe“impossible”situationshowninFigure4.10.Thispictureis,asyoucanclearlysee,useless.Becauseofthewayinwhichwewereforcedtosetupourlights,theoriginalwaspartiallyobliteratedbythedirectreflectionfromitssurface.

4.12Thesolutiontothe“impossible”lightingrequiresplacingthelightsforevenilluminationandusingpolarizerstopreventglare.Theaxisofthelightpolarizerpointstothecamera;theaxisofthelenspolarizerisperpendiculartothat.

Figure4.12showshow.Wefirstpositionthelightsforevenillumination,withoutconcernaboutwhetherwearecreating

directreflection.Thenweplacepolarizingfiltersoverthelightswiththeiraxesorientedtowardthecamera.Thisassures

usthatthedirectreflectionispolarized.Next,apolarizingfilteronthecamera,withitsaxisoriented90degreestothose

onthelights,eliminatesthatpolarizeddirectreflection.

Intheory,thisarrangementallowsthecameratoseeonlythediffusereflection.Inpractice,wemaystillseesome

polarizedreflectionbecausenopolarizingfilterisperfect.However,thedefectisnegligibleinallbuttheworstcases.

Figure4.13provesit.Neitherthecameranorthelighthasbeenmoved,buttheimprovementisdramatic.

4.13Agoodphotographdespite“impossible”circumstances,usingthesolutionfromFigure4.12.ThispictureshowsthesamesubjectlitbythesamelightinthesamepositionasinFigure4.11.Comparethetwopictures.

Polarizingthelightsourcehasseriousdrawbacksandisasolutiontoavoidwheneverpossible.Fortunately,understandingandcontrollingthesize

andangleofthelightsourcemakespolarizingthelightsourceitselfunnecessaryinmostsituations.Somephotographersgoforyearswithout

needingtouselight-polarizingfilters.

Wehavedeliberatelyconceivedthe“impossible”copyproblemtobeoneofthoserarecasesinwhichpolarizingthelightistheonlysolutiontothe

problem.Photographerswhosespecialtyroutinelyrequireshighlycontrolledlightingwilloccasionallyencounterthesecases.Becauseawarenessof

aproblemisthefirststeptowardthesolutionoftheproblem,wewanttolistthepossibledifficultiesnow.

Intheory,thecombinedeffectofa“perfect”polarizingfilteronthelightandanotheronthelensshouldcostatotaloftwostopsofexposure.Real

polarizersarefarfromperfect,though.Inpractice,becausepolarizershavealotofneutraldensity,theactualexposurereductionislikelytobefour

tosixstops.

(Continued)

Theproblemgetsevenworseinnoncopysituations,wherewearelikelytoloseadditionallightthroughdiffusionmaterials.Theconsequentaperture

maybetoowidetomaintainadequatedepthoffield,ortheexposuremaybesolongthatreciprocityfailurebecomesdifficulttocalculateand

cameraorsubjectmovementisincreasinglydifficulttoavoid.

Theidealsolutiontothisproblemistousethemostpowerfullightsthatourbudgetandtheavailableelectricalcurrentallow.Ifthatisnotenough,

wetreattheproblemaswewouldanyotherlow-light-levelscene:weuseacamerasupportthatisassturdyaspossibleandfocusthecameraas

carefullyaspossibletomakemaximumuseofwhatlittledepthoffieldwehave.

Thesecondproblemisthatpolarizingfiltersarevulnerabletodamagebyheat.Rememberthatthelightabsorbedbythepolarizersdoesnotsimply

disappear.Itturnsintoheatandthreatenstocookthings!

Photographersusingstrobesoftenleavethepolarizersoffthelightsuntiltheyarereadytoshoot.Theyturnoffthemodelinglightsbeforeattaching

thepolarizingfilters.Thebriefflashoftheflashtubepresentsminimalheatdanger.

Polarizingfiltersusedwithincandescentlightsneedtobeattachedtoabracketoraseparatelightstandadistanceawayfromthelight.Theexact

distancedependsonthewattageandthereflectordesignofthelight.Itisworthcuttingasmallpieceofthepolarizingmaterialanddeliberately

burningitinfrontofthelighttodetermineasafedistance.

Finally,wemustrememberthatpolarizingfilterscanhaveaminoreffectoncolorbalance.Ifyouareshootingfilmandcan’tadjustthecolorbalance

inthecamera,itiswisetoshootandprocessacolortestandadjustthecolor-compensating(CC)filtrationbeforeexposingthefinalfilm.

USINGDIFFUSEREFLECTIONANDSHADOWTOREVEALTEXTURE

Inanydiscussionofsurfacedefinition,wemusttalkabouttexture.(Thisiswhywepromisedatthebeginningofthis

chapterthatallexampleswouldbenearlytwo-dimensional.)Wewillfirstlookataphotographthatfailstorevealthe

textureofthesubject.Thiswillhelpusanalyzetheproblemandcomeupwithabettersolution.

Wephotographedthedetailontheglove’ssurfaceshowninFigure4.14withaportablestrobemountedonthecamera.If

theobjectistoshowtexture,thepictureisdecidedlyunsatisfactory.

Thelightcoloroftheglovecontributestotheproblem.Weknowthatalllightsubjectsproducediffusereflections,andwe

knowthatthebrightnessofaperfectdiffusereflectiondoesnotdependontheangleofillumination.Forthisreason,light

strikingthesideofaparticleoftexturereflectsbacktothecameraalmostasbrightlyaslightstrikingthetopofthe

particle.

Thesolutionistomovethelighttoaveryshallowangletothesurfacesothatitskimsacross,asseeninFigure4.15.This

giveseachparticleoftextureahighlightsideandashadowside.

Noticethatthisarrangementmayproduceunevenillumination,justasitdidwhenwemovedthelighttoashallowangle

inthecopysetup

4.14Aglovephotographedwiththelightmountedonthecamera.Withnocontrastinghighlightsandshadows,muchoftheglove’ssurfacedetailisinvisible.

4.15Asmalllightataverylowangletothesubjectproducesthecontrastinghighlightsandshadowsneededtorevealtextureinmedium-andlight-tonedsubjects.

4.16ThesamegloveweusedinFigure4.14.OnlythistimewephotographeditwithrakinglightsuchasshowninFigure4.15.

inFigure4.8.Thesolutionisthesame:movethelightfartherfromthesubject.

Thetextureinthistypeofsurfacecanbehelpedstillmoreifweuseassmallalightsourceaspossible.Thisisbecause

smalllightsourcesproducesharplydefinedshadows.

Iftheparticlesoftexturearetiny,theirimagemaybetoosmalltoresolvesharply.Iftheshadowitselfisassharpas

possible,thentheimageoftheshadowismorelikelytosurvivetheopticallimitations.Figure4.16istheresult.

Lightingfortextureinthismannerissoeasytounderstandthatitisalmostintuitive.Novicephotographerssoonerorlater

learnthiswithnohelpfromus.Wearenottryingtopointouttheobvious.Instead,wewanttocontrastthelightingofthis

clothwithanother,lessobvious,exampleinwhichthesametechniquedoesnotworkatall.

CAPITALIZINGONDIRECTREFLECTION

Figure4.17wasproducedbythesamelightingasthesuccessfulphotographoftheleatherglove’stexturethatyousawin

Figure4.16.Itshowshowapplyingagoodtechniqueatthewrongtimecanproduceabadpicture.Thelightingthat

revealedthetexturesowellinthegloveloses

4.17Thesamelightingthatrevealedtextureinthebrownglovelosesmostofthedetailintheblackleatherbookcover.

almostalldetailinthenotebook'scover.Youhavetotakeourwordthatthetextureexists.

Therakinglightweusedonthelight-browngloverevealeddetailbyplacingashadowononesideofeachparticleof

textureandadiffusehighlightontheotherside.Thesameshadowexistsononesideofeachparticleoftextureinthe

blackleathernotebookcover(althoughyoucannotseeit),butthediffusehighlightontheothersideofeachparticleis

gone.Theproblemwiththisphotographiscausedbythesubjectitself.Itisblack,andblacksubjects,bydefinition,

producelittlediffusereflection.

Weknowthatincreasingexposurewouldenabletheweakdiffusereflectionsontheleathertorecord,butanexposure

increaseisrarelyanavailableoptionbecauseimportantlight-tonedareasalsoexistin

mostscenes.Ifweincreasedtheexposure,thehighlightdetailinthelightersubjectmattermightbehopelesslylost.

Besides,thisisabookaboutlighting,andwearehonorboundtodealwiththeproblemswithoutexposuremodification,

usinglightingtechniquealone.

Ifwecannotgetsignificantdiffusereflectionfromtheleathersurface,wewilltrytoproducedirectreflectioninstead.This

seemstobeouronlyremainingoption.Becausedirectreflectioncanonlybeproducedbylightcomingfromalimited

familyofangles,ourfirststepistoseewherethatfamilyofanglesmightbe.

Figure4.18showswherethelightmustbeifthecameraistoseedirectreflectiononthesurface.Furthermore,toproduce

directreflectionacrosstheentiresurface,thelightmustbelargeenoughtocompletelyfillthisfamilyofangles.Therefore,

weneedalightofatleastthesizeandinthepositionshowninthediagram.Thelightsourceforthispicturecouldbean

overcastsky,asoftbox,orareflectorcardilluminatedbystillanotherlightsource.Allthatmattersisthatthelightbethe

rightsizeandintherightplace.

Noticethatthisarrangementcouldnotbemoredifferentfromtheonethatworkedwellforthewhitecloth.Insteadof

rakingthelight

FamilyofAnglesDefinedbyCameraPositionandSizeofSubject

GlossyBlackSubject

4.18Alightfillingthefamilyofanglesdefinedbytheblackleatherbook.

fromtheside,wehaveputitabovethesubject.Thisnearlyeliminatesthesmallshadowsthatdefinedtheclothtexture.

Insteadofasmalllightsource,wehavealargeone.Thismeansthatwhateverslightshadowsdoremaininthetexturewill

betoosofttodefinethetextureclearly.

Inotherwords,thetheorythatpredictsthebestwaytolighttheclothalsosaysthatournewlightingarrangementisthe

worstpossiblewaytolighttheleather!Thisapparentcontradictioniscausedbytheearliertheoryneglectingone

consideration:directreflection.

ThelargelightabovethetableproducesthemagnificenttexturevisibleinFigure4.19.Noexposureincreasewas

necessary.TheamountoflightfallingontheleatheristhesameasthatinFigure4.17.Nevertheless,thehighlightinthe

leathertexturehasmovedupthetonalscalefromnearblacktomiddlegray.

4.19UsingthelightingdiagrammedinFigure4.18maximizesdirectreflectionandrevealstextureintheleather.

Theapparentincreaseinilluminationcomesfromgoodreflectionmanagement.Theleathersurfacecanproducelittle

diffusereflectionbutagreatdealofdirectreflection.Bycapitalizingonthetypeofreflectionappropriatetothesurface,

wehaverecordedthesubjectaswellaspossible.

COMPETINGSURFACES

Photographerswouldhavelessgrayhair,andlessincome,ifallworkwereaseasyastheexampleswehaveseensofarin

thischapter.Somesurfacesarerenderedbetterbycapitalizingondiffusereflection;othersaredepictedbestby

capitalizingondirectreflection.We’veseenthatthebestlightingforonecanbetheworstfortheother.Whenwehave

bothinasinglescene,ourjobgetsharder.

Toooften,however,tobecompletelylegible,somepartsofthescenerequirediffusereflection,whereasothersneeddirect

reflection.Inmanyofthesecases,wecansimplydealwiththemoreimportantpartofthescene.Ifwegetthatright,

viewersdonotnoticeminordefectsinthelightingoftherestofthesurface.Onotheroccasions,however,severalentirely

differentpartsofthesurfaceareallimportant,andthosedifferentpartsofthepictureabsolutelymusthavedifferent

lighting.

Thisdoesnotrequireanynewprinciples.Itdoesmeanthatwehavetoapplymorethanoneprincipletolightasingle

scene.Aswesawinthephotographsofthewhiteclothandtheblackleather,thetechniquethatproducesoneeffectoften

excludesanother.Inextremecases,thismeansthattheproblemspresentedbycompetingsurfacescan’tbesolved.When

thathappens,weshootmorethanonepicture,eachlitdifferently,andthenwecombinethemdigitally.Whethertogetthe

picturerightinthefirstplaceortofixitlaterisentirelyamatterofchoosing,onacase-by-casebasis,whatevertakesless

Commercialphotographerssometimesworkoutthecompositionofaphotographbeforebeginningtoperfectthelighting.

Afterall,iftherelationshipoftheanglesbetweenthelight,thesubject,andthecameraiscritical,itmakesnosenseto

carefullypositionthelightbeforeknowingtheorientationofthesubject.

Figure4.20isonesuchpreliminarycomposition.Onesmalllighttotherightofthecamerailluminatesthiscollectionof

surfaces.Thepositionofthelightissimilartothesingle-lightcopysetupshowninFigure4.1.Fornow,theonlypurpose

ofthatlightistolightthesubjectwellenoughtoseeitinthecamera.

Beforelightingascenewell,wehavetodecidewhatisimportantinit.Thispictureisintendedtoproduceinterestina

musicCDscheduledtobereleased.Almostanyadvertisingimageneedstocarrythemessageasstronglyaspossibleand

asindependentlyofthetextaspossible.

4.20Litbyonesmalllighttotherightofthecamera,thisphotographwasexposedonlybydiffusereflection.

(Areadermaycontinueturningpageswithoutbotheringtoreadthecopyifthephotograph,byitself,doesnotcreate

enoughinterestintheproduct.)Withthatinmind,thisphotographmustmakethediscanditspackagingimmediately

visible.Atthesametime,thestick-onlabelisessentialtotheadconcept.

Oftheimportantcompetingsurfaces,onlythetypeonthelabelisadequatelyrecordedinthefirstphotograph.Wewould

expectthatbecausethelightingresemblescopylightingandthereisnotechnicaldifferencebetweenphotographingalabel

andcopyingapainting.Buttheblackdiscinitsblackenvelopeandblackcasedoesnothaveenoughshadowdetailto

surviveeventhereasonablygoodreproductioninthisbook.Hadthisshotbeenusedfortheintendedadinatrade

newsletter,onnewsprintpaper,theresultwouldhavebeenevenworse.

4.21Directreflectionaloneproducesgooddetailintheblacksubjects,buttheblacktypeonthelabelistooweak.

Becausethetestshotsuffersfromthesameproblemswesawintheblackleather,wedecidedtotrythesamesolution

diagrammedearlierinFigure4.18.Weusedalightlargeenoughandpositionedtomaximizethedirectreflectiononthe

blacksurfaces.

Figure4.21istheresult.Predictably,thedetailintheblackdiscandpackagingaregood.Equallypredictable,thedirect

reflectionthatbrightenstheblackplastichasthesameeffectontheblacktypeinthelabel.Thetypeistooweaktolook

good.Unlessyoureyesaregood,itisnotevenlegible.

Thus,eachbasiclightingtechniqueisgoodforonetypeofsurfacebutbadfortheother.Still,bothsurfacesareimportant.

Thiscomplicateslifeconsiderably.Fortunately,severalpossiblesolutionsareavailable.Wewillpresentfourofthemore

promisingones.

TryaLensPolarizingFilter

Trythissolutionfirst;it’stheleastlikelytowork,butit'stheeasiest.Onsomesurfaces,thedirectreflectionwedonot

wantwillturnouttobepolarizeddirectreflection.Ifthisisthecase,wecaneliminatetheoffendingreflectionwitha

polarizingfilteronthelens.Ifwearelucky,thedirectreflectionwewanttokeepwillbeunpolarizedandwillnotbe

significantlyaffectedbythefilter.

Morelikely,however,thedirectreflectionwillbepolarizedonbothsurfacesoronneither.Soifthepolarizereliminates

theundesirablereflection,italsofiltersoutthedirectreflectionwedolike.

UseaStillLargerLight

Figure4.22showsalightlargeenoughtofillthefamilyofanglescausingdirectreflection,plusalargerangeofangles

thatdonot.Thelightcomingfromthefamilyofanglescausingdirectreflectionlightsthe

4.22Thislightsourceismuchlargerthanthatneededtofillthefamilyofanglesthatcausesdirectreflection.

blackplasticwell.Therestoftheraysfromthissourcestrikethesurfacefromanglesthatcanonlyproducediffuse

reflectionand,therefore,lightthelabelwell.

Thissolutionisespeciallyeffectiveusingalight,plusanindependentlysupporteddiffusionsheet,ratherthanasoftbox.

Thenwecanlightonepartofthediffusionsheetmorebrightlythananothertoplaceslightlymoredirectreflectiononthe

blackplasticthanonthelabel.

Unfortunately,thisapproachisacompromise,notacompletesolution.Thetypewillnotbequiteasblackasitwasinthe

firstphotographofthisscene,andtheplasticswillnothaveasmuchdetailastheydidinthesecondpicture.Bothtypesof

surfacesmightbelitadequatelybutnotaswellaspossible.

UseMoreThanOneLight

WecouldalsocombinethelightingusedinFigure4.20withthatinFigure4.21.Suchatwo-lightarrangementisshownin

Figure4.23.Inprinciple,thissolutionisthesameasusingasingleverylargelight:some

4.23Thelargelightproducesdirectreflection,whereasthesmallonenearthecameraproducesonlydiffusereflection.Theresultisacompromise.

oftherayscomefromanglesthatcausedirectreflection,whereasotherscomefromanglesthatcanonlycausediffuse

reflection.Usingtwolightsmaybeeasiertocontrol,however,becausewecanadjustthepowerineachlight

independently.

Likeasingleverylargesource,themultiple-lightsolutionisalsoacompromise.It'sabettercompromise,butneitherthe

diffusereflectionnorthedirectreflectionwilllookasgoodasitmightifwehadtolightforonlyoneofthetwo.

Thesizeofthesubjectoftendetermineswhethertousemultiplelightsorasingleverylargeone.Allotherthingsbeing

equal,smartphotographersdowhateverrequirestheleastwork.Inthiscase,itiseasytocomeupwithasinglesourcethat

isverylargecomparedwiththesizeofthesubject.Ifthesubjectwerelarger,itmightbeeasiertousetwolights.

UseaGobo

Wehavebeencarefultopointoutthattheprecedingtechniquesarecompromises.Theyworkformany,butnotall,

competingsurfaces.

Ifthestick-onlabelisnotveryglossy,andifweknowthephotographisgoingtobewellreproduced,thecompromiseis

oftenadequate.Ifthelabelisglossy,however,noneofthelightingsolutionswehaveseensofarwillbeadequate.Ifthere

isenoughdirectreflectionfortheblacksurfaces,therewillbetoomuchdirectreflectiononthelabel.Furthermore,ifthe

advertisementistobeusedinanewspaperorprintedonotherinferiorpaper,thedefectismagnified.

Theonlyremedyforthisproblemisasmallgobothatfillsthefamilyofanglesthatcausesdirectreflectiononthelabelbut

thatisnotlargeenoughtoextendintothefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflectionontherestofthesubject.(Gobo

isphotospeakforanythingthatgoesbetweenthesubjectandthelightsourcespecificallytoblockpartofthelight.)Figure

4.24showsthepositionandsizeofagobothatcouldaccomplishthis.

Althoughthegoboislargeenoughtoblockalldirectreflectiononthelabel,noticeinthediagramthatitdoesnotblock

muchofthetotalsurfaceofthelightsource.Westillobtainalotoflightfromthoseanglesthatcausediffusereflectionon

thelabel.Therefore,thetotalexposureisnotsignificantlyaffected.

Gettingthegobotobetherightsizeandattherightdistanceisnotalwayseasy.Noticethatthecloserthegoboistothe

lightsource,thelargeritneedstobetofillthesamefamilyofangles;also,thelargerthegobois,themoreitblocksthe

totalilluminationandthemorelikelyitistoaffectexposure.Thisseemstosuggestthatwemightwantthegoboasclose

tothesubjectaspossiblesothatasmalleronewilldothejob.

4.24Thesmallgoboblocksthefamilyofanglesthatcausesadirectreflectiononthelabelbutnottheonethatcausesdirectreflectionontherestofthesubject.

Butagoboclosertothesubjectismorelikelytocastavisibleshadowonthetabletop.Thisisbecausemovingthegobo

fartherfromthelightmakesthelighteffectivelysmallercomparedwiththegobo.Becausesmallerlightsourcesproduce

hardershadows,wearemorelikelytobeabletoseetheshadow.

Sothegoboneedstobefarenoughfromthesubjecttoavoidcastingavisibleshadow,yetfarenoughfromthelighttobe

smallenoughtoblockaslittletotalilluminationaspossible.Italsoneedstobeexactlylargeenoughtoblockthedirect

reflectiononthelabelbutnotontherestofthesubject.Thisiswhywesavedthegoboforthelastsolutiontothe

competing-surfacesexercise.Itisthemosteffectivesolution,butitrequiresthemostworkandthemosttime.Onthefirst

occasionyouattemptit,youmayfindpositioningthegobowithprecisiontobeabittedious.Fortunately,itsoongets

easierwithalittlepractice.

Wecanusuallysupportthegoboonathinwoodendowelclampedtoanearbylightstand.Thisarrangementprovides

plentyoffreedomtomovethegoboinanydirectionuntilwegetitright.However,ifanythinginthesceneismirror-like,

thenthewoodensupportbecomesa

4.25TheresultofthetechniqueillustratedinFigure4.24:detailintheblacks,pluslegibletypeonthelabel.

visiblereflectioninthepicture.Inthosecases,wetapethegobodirectlytothediffusionmaterialabovethesubject.Then

wecanmovethelightitselfuntilthegoboisproperlypositioned.

Figure4.25istheresultofthisarrangement.Thedirectreflectionisgonefromthelabelbutnotfromthediscorits

packaging.

COMPLEXSURFACES

Inthisbookwewillusethetermcomplexsurfacetomeanasinglesurfacethatrequiresbothdiffuseanddirectreflection

todefineitproperly.Glossywoodisagoodexample.Onlydirectreflectioncantelltheviewerthatthewoodisglossy,but

diffusereflectionisessentialtorevealthecolorandthegrainofthewoodbeneaththegloss.

Figure4.26isapieceofhighlypolishedwoodlittoproducebothdirectanddiffusereflection.Amedium-sizedlight

sourcehasbeen

4.26Directreflectionintheleftofthesceneshowsthegloss,whereasdiffusereflectionattherightrevealsthewoodgrain.

positionedtoreflectinthelowerportionofthewoodensurfacetoshowtheglossyfinish.Noticethattheslightphysical

textureinthesurfaceisalsorevealedbythedirectreflection.

Thelightwaslargeenoughthatitfilledtheentirefamilyofanglesrequiredtoproducedirectreflectionoverthewhole

surface.However,weblockedpartofthelightwithagobosothattherightpartofthesurfaceproducesonlydiffuse

reflection,whichallowsustoseethecolorandgrainstructureinthewood.Noticethattherightareaistheonlyareain

whichthetruecolorofthewoodwouldbeclearlyapparent.Figure4.27diagramsthelightingmethod.

Noticeespeciallythetransitionzonebetweentheareasofdiffuseanddirectreflection.Thisareahassomeofeachtypeof

reflection,whichoftenrevealsthesurfacebetterthaneitherdiffuseordirect

4.27Lightingtoproduceboththedirectandthediffusereflections,usedtoilluminatethewoodboxinFigure4.26.

reflectionalone.Ifyouwanttocapitalizeonthiseffect,youcanenlargethetransitionzonetofillmoreofthesurface.Just

movethecamerafartherfromthesubjectandusealongerlenstokeepthesubjectasimilarsize,ormovethegobocloser

tothelightsothatitcastsasoftershadowonthediffusionmaterial.

Finally,seehowmucheasierthisexercisebecomesifwedonotrestrictourselvestoatwo-dimensionalsurface.Lookat

whathappensinFigure4.28ifweputathree-dimensionalobjectonthewoodsurface.Thereflectionoftheglassesinthe

woodtellstheviewerthatthewoodisglossy.Addingasecondarysubjectrevealsthewoodbetterthanwearelikelytobe

abletorenderthewoodalone.

4.28Theglassesaddathree-dimensionalelement,whichprovidesadditionalvisualclues(thereflectionoftheglasses)toprovethesurfaceisglossy.

Addingathree-dimensionalsubjecttothiskindofsceneoftenmakesthelightingeasier.Wecannotpursuethisapproach

veryfar,however,becausewepromisedthatthischapterwouldbeabouttwo-dimensionalandnearlytwo-dimensional

subjects.Inthenextchapterwewillseewhathappenswhenthosesurfacesfacethreedifferentdirectionsatonce.

RevealingShapeandContour

Inthepreviouschapter,wedealtwiththeproblemsandopportunitiesforlightingobjectsthatareflat,ornearlyso—things

thatarevisuallydefinedonlyintermsoflengthandwidth.Inthischapterweaddthethirddimension—depth.

Abox,forexample,isagroupofonlythreevisiblesurfaces.Becauseweknowhowtolightanyofthesurfaceswell,we

canalsolightallofthemwell.Doesthismeanwecanlightanyofthesesurfacesusingonlytheprinciplesdescribedinthe

previouschapter?Usuallynot.Lightingeachvisiblesurfacewellisnotusuallyenough.Wealsohavetothinkabouthow

thosesurfacesrelatetooneanother.Thenwehavetolightandcomposetoadddepth,oratleasttheillusionofdepth,to

thepicture.

Three-dimensionalsubjectsrequiretheirownlightingtechniques.Thelightingtechniquesthatwearegoingto

demonstratearedesignedtoproducethevisualcluesthatourbrainsneedtointerpretdepth.

Interpretingvisualcluesisthekeyconceptonwhichthiswholechapterhangs,sowewillbeginbydescribingwhatsome

ofthesevisualcluesare.Itisdifficulttomakeaphotographwithabsolutelynovisualcluestorepresentdepth.However,it

iseasytodrawsuchapicture.Figure5.1isanexample.Noonecansayforsurewhatthisdrawingisintendedto

represent.Wesaythatitisacube,butyoucouldjustasreasonablyinsistthatitisahexagonwitha“Y”drawninthe

center.

Figure5.1failstosupplyoureyeswiththeessentialvisualcluesthatourbrainsneedtoprocesstheinformationcoming

fromouropticnervesandtodecide,“Thisisathree-dimensionalscene.”

Theonlywaywecanbesurethataviewercanunderstandthatanobjectisacubeistoaddthesevisualclues.Figure5.2

hasexactlythevisualcluesthebrainislookingfor.CompareitwithFigure5.1.

5.1Thisdiagramfailstoprovideanyvisualcluesthatwouldmakeusperceiveitasathree-dimensionalobject.

5.2Herewehaveaddedthosevisualcluesthatthebrainneedstoseedepth.

DEPTHCLUES

Whydoesthesecondpicturelookmorethree-dimensionalthanthefirst?Alookatthedrawingsgivesustwoimmediate

answers.Thefirstisperspectivedistortion:someedgesofthecubeseemtobelongerthanothers,andsomeseemtobe

shorter,eventhoughweknowtheyareallthesamelength.Thecornersallappeartojoinatdifferentangles,eventhough

weknowtheyareall90degrees.

Besidesperspectivedistortion,thereisasecondcluethatourbrainusestoperceivedepth:tonalvariation.Eachfaceofthe

cubeisthesamecolorastheothers,butsomelooklighterandothersappeardarker.

Noticethatthesevisualcluesaresopowerfulthatthebrainperceivesdepththatdoesnotandneverdidexist!Thisisnot

reallyacube;itisonlyabitofinkonpaper.Photographersrecordrealsubjectswithrealdepth,butthatdepthislostinthe

picture.Aphotographonpaperoronamonitorisastwodimensionalasthesedrawings.Photographerswhowantto

maintainasenseofdepthneedtousethesametechniquesthatillustratorsdo.Ourjobisofteneasierthantheirsbecause

naturedoesthejobforusbyprovidingtherightlightingandperspective,butnotalways.

Bothperspectivedistortionandtonalvariationinfluencelightingdecisions.Lightingproduceshighlightsandshadows,so

itseffectontonalvariationisobvious.Therelationshipbetweenlightingandperspectivedistortionislessobvious,butitis

stillimportant.Viewpointdeterminesbothperspectivedistortionandthefamilyofanglesthatcausesdirectreflection.

Changingviewpointtocontrolthatfamilyofanglesalsoaltersperspectivedistortion;changingviewpointtocontrol

perspectivedistortionalsoaltersthefamilyofangles.

PERSPECTIVEDISTORTION

Subjectsappearsmallerwhentheyarefartheraway.Furthermore,ifthesubjectisthreedimensional,thepartofthesubject

thatisfartherawayappearstobesmallerthanthecloserpartofthesamesubject.Similarly,thecloserpartofthesame

subjectappearstobelarger.Wecallthiseffectperspectivedistortion.

Somepsychologistsbelievethatinfantsperceivemoredistantsubjectstobeactuallysmaller.Nooneissureaboutthis

becausebythetimeweareoldenoughtotalkaboutthematter,ourbrainshavelearnedtointerpretperspectivedistortion

asdepth.Wedoknowthatlearningisinvolved,however;peopleraisedinprimitivesocieties,withoutbuildingsthathave

right-anglecorners,arelesslikelytobefooledbytheillusioninFigure5.3.

5.3Thetwoverticallinesarethesamelength,buttomostpeopleonelookslongerthantheother.

DistortionasaCluetoDepth

Oureyesdeceiveuswhenwelookdownrailwaytracks,butourbrainsdonot.Therailsappeartoconvergeinthedistance,

butweknowthattherailsareparallel.Weknowthattheyarethesamedistanceapartamiledownthetrackastheyare

wherewearestanding,sothebrainsays,“Thetracksonlyappeartoconvergebecausetheyaredistant.”Buthowdoesthe

brainknowthatthetracksaredistant?Thebrainanswers,“Theymustbedistantbecausetheyappeartoconverge.”(The

flowofthislogicmustshockcomputerprogrammers,buttheyareaccustomedtothelimitationsofinferiorhardware.)

Weassumethebrainactuallyusesamorecomplexprocess,buttheeffectisthesame:perspectivedistortionisoneofthe

majorvisualcluesthatourbrainsusetoperceivedepth.Controllingthisperspectivedistortionallowsustomanipulatethe

illusionofdepthinthepicture.

Conventionalphotographyistwodimensional.(Fewphotographersshootholograms.)Viewersnoticethelengthandwidth

ofaprintedpicturebutnotthethicknessofitspaper.Weperceivedepthinthephotographdespitethefactthatitdoesnot

reallyexist.Figure5.4provesit.

Theforegroundchesspiecesclearlyappeartobeinfrontofthoseinthebackground.Butthe“foreground”and

“background”existedonlyinthescene,notinthispicture.Thisimageisprintedonaflatpapersurface.Perspective

distortioniscriticaltothissenseofdepththatphotographyconveys.

Oneofthemainreasonsweknowthatthisscenehasdepthisthatthelinesthatdelineatethesquareshapeofthe

chessboard—and,toa

5.4Althoughthisphotographisaflat,two-dimensionalrepresentationofthescene,weperceivedepthinit.

lesserextent,thesquaresonit—lookdistorted.Inreality,thoselinesareparalleltoeachother.That,however,is,asyou

cansee,notthecaseinthepicture.Liketherailroadtrackswediscussedearlier,theselinesconvergeatapointonan

imaginaryhorizon.Thisdistortiongivesthebrainastrongvisualcluethatitisseeinglength,width,anddepth.

ManipulatingDistortion

Withingreatlimits,wecanincreaseanddecreasetheamountofperspectivedistortioninaphotograph.Thismeansthatwe

cancontrolthesenseofdepthourpicturesgivetoviewers.

Controllingthedegreeofperspectivedistortioninapictureissimplicityitself.Thecloserwemovethecameratowardthe

subject,thegreaterthedistortionwillbe.Conversely,thefartherthecameraisfromthesubject,thelessitwillbe

distorted.Itisthateasy.

InFigure5.5,weseetheeffectofthefirsthalfoftherule.Itisthesamechessboard,butthecamerahasbeenmovedmuch

closertoit.(Ofcourse,changingthecameradistancealsochangesthesizeoftheimage,butwecroppedthepicturesto

keepthesamesubjectsizeinallofthem.)

Seethatthecloserviewpointincreasesthedistortion.Thelinesthatdefinethechessboardappeartoconvergemuchmore

radicallythantheydidinthefirstphotograph.

ExactlythereversetakesplaceinFigure5.6.Thistimewemovedthecameraback.Noticehowthereislessdistortionin

thispicture.The

5.5Movingthecameracloserincreasedperspectivedistortionandmadetheparallellinesthatruntowardthehorizonappeartoconverge.Thisisoneofthevisualcluesthatthebrainusestoperceivedepth.

5.6Withthecamerafartheraway,parallellinesappeartoconvergeless.

linesinitconvergefarlessobviouslythantheydoineitherofthetwopreviousillustrations.

TONALVARIATION

Thesecondmajordepthclueistonalvariation.Tonalvariationmeansthattherearelightareasanddarkareasinthe

subject.Ifthesubjectisacube,idealtonalvariationmeansthattheviewerseesahighlighted

Whenmostphotographersfirstuseawide-anglelens,theydecidethatthelensintroducesagreatdealofdistortion.Thisisnotquiteaccurate.

Camerapositiondeterminesperspectivedistortion,notthelens.

Toprovethis,wemadeeverypictureofthechessboardwiththesamewide-anglelens.Thismeansthatwehadtoenlargetheimagemadeatan

intermediatedistancesomewhat,andwehadtogreatlyenlargetheimagemadeatagreaterdistance.Thoseenlargementsproducedimages

whosesizesmatchtheonemadewiththecameracloser.Hadweusedlongerfocallengthlenses,wewouldnothavehadtoenlargethosetwo

images,buttheshapeofthechessboardwouldhavebeenthesameastheshapesinthethreepicturesweshow.

Choosingalensoftheappropriatefocallengthdoesallowustocontrolimagesizetomakeitfitthesensorsize.Assumingwewanttheusable

imagetoexactlyfillthesensor,ashortfocal-lengthlensallowsusaviewpointthatproducesperspectivedistortion.Alongerlensallowsustogetfar

enoughfromthesubjecttominimizeperspectivedistortionwithouthavingtogreatlyenlargetheimagelater.Ineachcase,theviewpointdetermines

thedistortion,notthelens.Extremelywide-anglelensesandinferiorlensesmayproducetheirownothertypesofdistortion,butnotperspective

distortion.

side,ashadowedside,andasidethatispartlyshadowed.(Weuse“side”forconvenience.Oneofthesesidescouldbethe

topofthecube,oreventhebottom,ifthecubeissuspendedaboveus.)Goodlightingdoesnotalwaysrequirethisideal,

buttheidealisstillthestandardweusetoevaluatewhateverlightingexists.

Thesehighlightsandshadowsaredeterminedbythesizeandpositionofthelightused.Wetreatsizeandpositionastwo

differentconcepts,buttheyarenotmutuallyexclusive.Onecangreatlyinfluencetheother.Alargelight,forexample,

illuminatesthesubjectfrommanydifferent“positions”atthesametime.Intherestofthischapter,wewillseehowthese

twovariablesrelate.

THESIZEOFTHELIGHT

Selectingthesizeofthelightisoneofthemostimportantstepsinstudiolighting.Timeofdayandweatherdeterminethe

sizeofthelightoutdoors.

Thepreviouschapterdiscussedhowadjustingthesizeofthelightmakestheedgesoftheshadowsharderorsofter.Iftwo

shadowsrecordasthesamegray,ahardshadowwillbemorevisiblethanasoftone.Forthisreason,ahardshadowoften

increasestheillusionofdepthmorethanasoftone.Whenweunderstandthisconcept,wehaveanotherwaytomanipulate

thetonalvalues,andthuscontrolthesenseofdepth,inourpictures.

Thisseemstosaythathardlightsarebetterlights,butdepthalonedoesnotmakeagoodpicture.Ashadowthatistoohard

canbesovisiblethatitcompeteswiththeprimarysubject.Becausewecannotofferfirmrulesaboutwhatsizelightis

alwaysbest,wewillexplorethegeneralprinciplesinmoredetail.

LargeLightsversusSmallLights

InChapter2wediscussedthefollowingbasicprinciples:asmalllightsourceproduceshard-edgedshadows,andalarge

oneproducessoft-edgedshadows.Mostofourlightsaresmall.Portabilityandcostrequireit.Therefore,photographers

moreoftenneedtoenlargeasmalllightthanthereverse.

Diffusingscreens,umbrellas,andbouncecardsallincreasetheeffectivesizeofanylight.Theeffectofanyoftheseis

aboutthesameasthatofanother.Becauseallofthesedevicescanproduceidenticalpictures,wepicktheonethatismost

convenient.Thus,ifthesubjectissmall,wearemorelikelytouseaframedsheetofdiffusionmaterialbecausewecan

placeitclosetothesubjectforbrighterillumination.It'shardertoconstructaverylargediffuser,sowearemorelikelyto

bouncethelightfromawhiteceilingtolightalargesubject.

Outdoorswecanachievethesameeffectbywaitingforanovercastday.Cloudsmakeexcellentdiffusionmaterial,

effectivelyincreasingthesizeofthesunlightsource.Dependingontheavailabletimeandtheaccessibilityofthesite,

somephotographerswaitforadaywiththerightamountofcloudcover.

Lackingthetimetowaitforthebestday,thesameframeddiffusionmaterialweuseinthestudioisalsogoodforsmall

outdoorsubjects.Alternatively,wecankeepthesubjectintheshade.Thenthelargeopensky,insteadofthesmalldirect

sun,servesastheprimarylightsource.(Although,withoutcompensation,asubjectlitonlybytheopenskycanbequite

blue.)

DistancefromtheSubject

Youmayhavebeensurprisedthatintheprecedingsectionwereferredtothecloudsandtheskyaslargerlightsources

thanthesun.Acorollarytotheeffectofthesizeofthelightrelatestothedistancebetweenalightandthesubjectit

illuminates.Thecloseralightistothesubject,thesoftertheshadowsare;thefartheralightisfromthesubject,theharder

theshadowsbecome.Thesunbehavesasasmalllightsourcetopeopleonearthbecauseitissofaraway.

5.7Whenclosetoasubject,thelightraysfromalargelightsourcestrikethesubjectfrommanyangles.Thecloserthelightis,thesofteritsshadowsare.

Rememberthatlargelightsproducesoftshadowsbecausetheyilluminatethesubjectfrommoredifferentdirections.

Figure5.7showsthis,butlookatwhathappensinFigure5.8whenwemovethesamelightsourcefartheraway.Thelight

stillemitsraysinmanydirections,butonlyanarrowrangeoftheseraysstrikesthesubject.

Movingalightfartherfromthesubjectincreasesitscontrastbyreducingtherangeofanglesfromwhichtherayscan

strikethesubject.Thisisjustanotherwayofsayingthatlargelightsproducesoftshadowsandsmalllightsproducehard

ones.Thecloserwemovealighttoasubject,thelargerthatlightsourcebecomesinrelationtoit.

Photographersusingportablestrobesinsmallroomssometimesinsistthattheoppositeistrue.Theyknowthatmovingthe

lightfartherfromthesubjectsoftenstheshadows,ratherthanmakingthemharder.Thisisbecausemovingthelightfarther

awayreflectsmoreoftheraysfromthesurroundingwalls.Theroomitselfbecomesamoreimportantcomponentofthe

lighting.Theroomislargerthanthestrobe,sotheprincipleisnotcontradicted.

5.8Movingthelightfartherawaycausestheraysstrikingthesubjecttobemoreparallel.Thisproducesharderedgedshadows.

THEDIRECTIONOFTHELIGHT

Thedirectionofthelightrelativetothesubjectdetermineswhatpartofthesubjectishighlightedandwheretheshadows

fall.Lightfromanydirectionmaybegoodinanyparticularcase,butonlyafewofthemaregoodforemphasizing

dimension.

Lightcomingfromthedirectionofthecameraiscalledfrontlightingbecauseprimarilythefrontofthesubjectis

illuminated.Frontlightingshowstheleastpossibledepthbecausethevisiblepartofthesubjectisentirelyhighlighted.The

shadowfallsbehindthesubjectwherethecameracannotseeit.Thecameraseesnotonalvariationand,therefore,no

depth.Forthisreason,frontlightingisoftencalledflatlighting.However,theapparentlackofdepthisnotalwaysa

deficiencyand,infact,cansometimesbeavirtue:front-litportraitscanbeflatteringbyminimizingskintexture.

Backlightingalsofailstorevealthedepthofanobject.Comingfrombehindthesubject,backlightingputsthevisiblepart

ofthesubjectinshadow.Thiscanadddrama,butwithoutotherlights,itwillnotadddimension.

Becausetheperceptionofdepthrequiresbothhighlightandshadow,alightingdirectionbetweenfrontandbacklighting

maximizesthatperception.Suchlightingiscalledsidelighting.Mostgoodlightingis,atleasttosomeextent,side

lighting.

Stilllifephotographersoftenusetoplightingfortabletopsubjects.Toplightingrepresentsdepthtothesameextentasside

lightingbecauseitgivesthesubjectthesameproportionofhighlightandshadow.Webaseourchoicebetweenthem

entirelyontaste.Thisisaquestionofwherewewantthehighlightandshadow,notofhowmuchofeach.

Lightdirectlyfromthesideorthetopoftenconcealstoomuchofthesubjectdetailinshadow.Sophotographersmaypull

thelighttowardthecameratoapositionbetweenthoseofsidelightingandfrontlighting.Thiscompromiseiscalledthree-

quarterlighting.

Youcanjustifiablydecidetouseanyoftheselightingdirectionsforanysubject.Thethinkingprocessyouuseismore

importantthanwhateverrulesweoffer.Yourdecisionwillalmostalwaysbegood,aslongasyouconsiderwhateach

directionaccomplishesandhowwellitfulfillsyourobjectiveforaparticularsubject.

Nowwewilllookatarealsubjectanddecideononegoodwaytolightit.Thesubjectwillbeadriedgourd,andour

objectivewillbetolightittoemphasizedepth.

LightontheSide

Onewayofproducingtheshadowsthatweneedasdepthcluesistopositionthemainlightononesideofthesubject.We

triedthisinFigure5.9,usingasmall,high-contrastlightsothatyoucouldseetheshadoweasily.

Thisisapotentiallygoodapproach,butitisusuallynotthebestonefortabletopsubjects.Thecombinationofhighlight

andshadowdoesshowdimension,butthehardshadow,locatedwhereitis,distractsfromtheprimarysubject.Wecould

improvethisphotographwithalargerlight.Thatwouldsoftentheshadow,makingitlessnoticeable.However,the

positionoftheshadowwouldstillcauseittocompete.(Thegourdisthesubject,nottheshadow.Onanyotherdaywe

mightdecidetheshadowisthesubject,oratleastanimportantsecondarysubject.Thenwewouldlightandcomposethe

picturetocapitalizeonthatshadow.)

5.9Theshadowhelpsthebrainperceivedepth,butinthiscasetheshadowisobtrusive.

Theonlywaytokeepthisparticularshadowfromdrawingtheeyeawayfromthesubjectwouldbetosoftenitsomuch

thatitwouldnotexistatall.Butnoticethattheshadowalsoprovesthatthesubjectissittingonatable.Withoutthe

shadow,thebrainwouldhavenowayofknowingwhetherthesubjectisonthetableorfloatingaboveit.

Therelationshipofthesubjecttothebackgroundtellsthevieweranessentialmessageaboutthedepthinthescene.

Conveyingthatmessagerequireskeepingtheshadow.Becausewemustnotgetridoftheshadow,thenwehavetoputit

somewhereelse.

LightabovetheSubject

Theleastdistractingplacefortheshadowinmostcompositionsisdirectlyunderandinfrontofthesubject.Thismeans

placingthelightaboveandslightlybehindthesubject.Figure5.10wasshotwithsuchanarrangement.Nowtheshadow

givesthesubjecta“ground”onwhichtosit.

Althoughtheplacementoftheshadowisimproved,thepicturestillhastwoproblems.Thefirstisthatthesubjectstilldoes

nothaveasmuchdepthasitneeds.Thetopofthesubjectishighlighted,buteithersideisaboutthesamegrayastheother.

Thelackoftonaldistinctionbetweentheleftandrightsidesdetractsfromtheillusionofdepth.Thesecondproblem,to

manyphotographers,isthattheshadowunderthe

5.10Withasmalllightabovethesubject,theshadowissmallenoughtobelessobtrusiveanditgivesthegourda“ground”onwhichtosit.However,theshadowisstilltoohard.

gourdistoohard.Beingsohardmakesitobtrusive,toomuchofanelementinthepicture.

Wewillfirstdealwiththehardshadow.Weusedasmalllightinthisexampletomakeiteasiertoseewheretheshadow

falls.Nowthatyouhaveseentheshadowclearly,wewillsoftenit.Wewillsubstitutealargesoftboxfortheearliersmall

light.Figure5.11isadiagramofthelighting.Figure5.12istheresult.

Noticeinthelightingdiagramthatthesoftboxisangledslightlytowardthecamera.Thistiltisnotessential,butitis

common.Thetiltkeepstheseamlessbackgroundevenlyilluminated.Noticethatthelightisclosertothetoppartofthe

backgroundandthatkeepingthelightlevelcouldlightthatareatoobrightly.Theotherreasonfortiltingthelightistocast

morelightonanyreflectorcardswemightdecidetouseforfilllight.

FillLight

Sometimesasinglelargeoverheadlightissometimesallweneed,butnotalways.Thislightingfailsifthesubjectistall

andthinorhasveryverticalsides.Thetonalvariationproducedbythesingleoverheadlight

5.11Lightingwithasoftboxmakestheshadowmuchsofterandunobtrusive.

5.12TheresultofthelightingshowninFigure5.11.

maybetooextremeand,comparedwiththetopofthesubject,thefrontandsidearetoodark.Thiscanevenhappenfora

shallow,flatsubject(suchasanaudioamplifier)ifthedetailinitsfrontishighlyimportantandwhat'sontopisnot.

Figure5.12showsabitofthisproblem;it'snotterriblethewayitis,butalittlemorelightonthefrontofthegourdwould

benice.

Themostobvioussolutiontothisproblemistoaddanotherlighttofillinsomeoftheshadow.Thisisnotalwaysthebest

solution,norisitalwaysnecessary.Placingthefilllighttoonesidemaycausecompetingshadows,suchasthoseshownin

Figure5.9.Butplacingthefilllightoverthecameramaylightthesubjecttooevenly.Thatcoststheverydepthweare

tryingtoachieve.

Wecanavoidaddingproblemsbyusingafilllightthatisassoftaspossibleandasdimaspossible,provideditisstill

brightenoughtodoitsjob.Ifthefillissoft,theadditionalshadowwillbetoopoorlydefinedtocompete.Ifthefillisdim,

acompetingshadowwillnotbedarkenoughtobevisible.

Keepingthefillsoftmeansusingalargeenoughsource.Averyroughruleistouseafilllightnearthesubjectthatisabout

halfthesizeofthemainlight.Brighterfilllightsusuallyneedtobelarger,butweakeronescanbesmallerwithout

creatingnoticeableextraneousshadows.

Sometimesasimplereflectorcardprovidesenoughfill.Wecanaddreflectorcardsoneachsideofthesubjectordirectly

underthecamera.Theamountoffilllightaffectsboththebrightnessofthesubjectandtheamountofthegroundshadow

lost.Ourchoiceoffillcardwillvarywithboththesubjectandthebackground.

Figure5.13wasmadewithasilverreflectorcardtotherightofthegourd.Thelightgraybackgroundreflectedenough

lighttoeliminateanyneedforafillcardtotheleftofthesubject.

Awhitebackgroundmighthavereflectedsomuchlightthatwewouldhaveneedednoreflectorcardsatall.Ablack

backgroundwouldhavereflectedsolittlelightthatwewouldhaveneededstrongerfill.

Wecanuseanycombinationofreflectorcardsandadditionallights,dependingonhowmuchfillthespecificsubject

needs.Theleastamountoffillwearelikelytouseisthelightreflectedfromalightbackgroundsurfaceonwhichthe

subjectsits.Inthosecaseswemayalsodecidetoputablackcardononesideofthesubjectsothatbothsidesdonotget

equalfill.(Wewillshowanexampleofthiswiththewhite-on-whitesubjectinChapter9.)Themostfillwearelikelyto

needisalightbehindalargesheetofdiffusionmaterialononesideofthesubject,plusasmallersilvercardorawhiteone

ontheotherside.

5.13Afillcardlightensthefrontofthegourdbyreflectingsomeofthelightfromtheoverheadsoftbox.

Thephysicalarrangementoftheapparatususedinthephotographinfluenceshowmuchfreedomwehaveinpositioning

thereflectorcard.Sometimeswecanputthecardwhereverweplease,butonotheroccasionsthereisonlyonepossible

positionthatiscloseenoughtothesubjectbutstilloutoftheimagearea.Thismayrequireusingawhitecardwhenwe

mightotherwisepreferasilverone.

Asilvercardusuallyreflectsmorelightontothesubjectthanawhiteone,butnotalways.Rememberthatasilvercard

producesdirectreflections.Forthisreason,thesilvercardhasitsownlimitedfamilyofanglesfromwhichreflectioncan

occur.Inacrowdedarrangement,theonlypossiblepositionofasilvercardmaybeatananglefromwhichitcanreflect

nolighttothesubject.Incontrast,mostreflectionfromawhitecardisdiffuse.Becausetheangleofawhitecardisless

critical,fromsomepositionsitwillreflectmorelighttothesubjectthanasilverone.

Noticethatthesizeofthemainlightalsoinfluencesourchoiceofreflectorcards.Abright,smoothsilvercardproducesa

mirrorimageofthemainlight.Therefore,ifthemainlightislarge,thenalargesilvercardwillserveasasoftfilllight.A

smallsilvercardwillbehaveasahardfillforthesamereasonanyothersmallsourceishard.Ifthemainlightissmall,

however,asilvercardreflectingthatlightwillalwaysbeahardfill,regardlessofitssize.Awhitereflectorcardistheonly

reflectorthatcanprovidesoftfilllightfromasmallmainlight.

Finally,eventhoughthebackgroundsurfaceoftenprovidesadequatereflectedfill,bewareofcoloredbackgrounds,

especiallyifthesubjectitselfiswhiteorpastel.Fillreflectedfromacoloredbackgroundcancolorthesubject.Sometimes

wehavetoaddmorefillfromawhitelightsourcetoovercomethecolorcastcausedbythebackgroundsurface.Wemay

alsoneedtocoverpartofthebackgroundsurfacewithblackcardstogetridofoff-colorreflectedfill.

AddingDepthtotheBackground

InFigure5.11weusedacurvedpaperbackgroundcalledasweep.Hunginthismanner,thebackgroundcoversthetable

onwhichthesubjectsitsandalsoconcealswhatevermightbebehindthetable.Thecameraseesnohorizon,noristhe

gentlecurveofthepapervisibleaslongaswedonotlettheshadowofthesubjectfallonthatpartofthebackground.The

brainthinkstheentiresurfaceishorizontalandextendsapossiblyinfinitedistancebehindthesubject.

Sofar,wehaveusedsimple,single-tonebackgroundsforthesakeofsimplicityinourexamples.Notonlycanthisproduce

boringpictures,butsuchlightingalsofailstocapitalizeontheillusionofinfinitedepthinthebackground.Wecangreatly

enhancethisillusionbyilluminatingthebackgroundunevenly.

Wecallthisunevenilluminationfalloff.Asweareusingtheterm,itmeansatransitioninthescenefromlighttodark.

Falloffcanoccurinanyareaofthepicture.Photographersmorecommonlyusefalloffatthetopofthepicture;itlooks

goodthereandhappenstobetheeasiestplacetoputitwithoutinterferingwiththelightingoftheprimarysubject.

LookatFigure5.14.Noticehowthebackgroundtonefallsofffromlightgreenintheforegroundtoblackinthe

background.

Thedifferenceinthetonalvalueoftheforegroundandbackgroundtonesprovidesanothervisualcluetosuggestdepth.

Figure5.15showshowweproducedthefalloff.Allwehadtodowasaimthelightmoretowardthecamera.

Thissimplechangeinoursetallowedlessofittofallontheseamlesspaperatthebackoftheset.

Noticethatweaddedagobooverthelens.Itwasimportantbecausethemoreweaimedthelighttowardthecamera,the

greaterwasthepossibilitythatwewouldproduceseriouscameraflare.

5.14Theunevenilluminationofthebackground,calledfalloff,addsdepthtoapictureandhelpsseparatethesubjectfromthebackground.

5.15Aimingthelighttowardthecameraproducedthebackgroundfalloff.

Thegoboisoftenessentialtopreventflare.

Flare,alsocallednonimaginglight,isthescatteringoflightsothatitgoeswherewedon’twantit.Itexistsineverypicture,usuallytoan

unnoticeableandharmlessdegree.However,thelightinginFigure5.15islikelytoproduceenoughflaretodegradethepicture.Sometimesflare

lookslikeauniformgrayfogovertheentireimage;othertimesitappearsastheunevenstreaksweshowlaterinFigure7.17.

Therearetwodifferentkindsofflare:lensflareandcameraflare.Theeffectofthesetwocanlookthesame.Thedifferencebetweenthemiswhere

thelightgetsscattered.Lensflare,thankstomodernoptics,israrelyaproblemifthelensiskeptclean.Cameraflare,ontheotherhand,isrelatively

unimprovedbyopticaladvances,anditremainsaseriousproblem.

Figure5.16showswhatcausescameraflare.Lightfromjustoutsidethefieldofviewentersthelensandreflectsfrominsidethecameratothe

sensor,degradingtheimage.Allcamerashaveblackinteriorsandallprofessionalcamerashaveridgesinsidetoabsorbasmuchofthis

extraneouslightaspossible,butnocameradesigneliminatesitentirely.

Thewholepurposeofalenshoodistoblocklightcomingfromoutsidethescenebeforeitentersthelens.Lenshoods,unfortunately,sometimesdo

notextendfarenoughforwardtobeofanyhelpinpreventingcameraflare.Thisisparticularlytrueofviewcamerasbecausealenshooddeep

enoughtobeeffectivecanblockpartofthescenewhenthelensistiltedorshifted.Thesolutionistouseopaquecardsasgobos,asinFigures

5.15and5.16.

5.16Cameraflareiscausedbylightfromoutsidethefieldofviewpassingthroughthelensandreflectingfromtheinsideofthecamera.Blockingthelightbeforeitreachesthelensistheonlywaytopreventit.

(Continued)

Ifthelightsourceishard,wecanpositionthegobosothatitsshadowjustbarelycoversthelens.However,placingthegoboismoredifficultifthe

lightsourceissoft.Theshadowofthegobomaybesosoftthatwecannottellwhenitadequatelyblocksthelightfallingonthelens.

Becausewenormallycomposeandfocuswiththelensopenedtoitsmaximumaperture,thereislittledepthoffieldintheimageweseeinthe

camera.Thislackofdepthoffieldmaymaketheimageofthegobosounsharpthatitisimpossibletoseeitevenwhenitisintrudingintothepicture

area.Itcanbedifficulttoplacethecardcloseenoughtothefieldofviewtobeusefulwithoutblockingpartofthescene.

Remember,however,thattheglasslensreflectslikeamirror.Withthecameraonatripod,youcanlookintothefrontofthelensandseethe

reflectionofanylightsourcelikelytocauseflare.Movethegoboinfrontofthelensjustfarenoughthatyoucannolongerseethelightsource

reflectedinthelens.Thenpullthegobobackslightlyforsafety.Agobointhatpositioneliminatesalmostallflarewithoutextendingintotheimage.

HOWMUCHTONALVARIATIONISIDEAL?

Wehavesaidthataboxwiththreevisiblesidesneedstohaveahighlightside,ashadowside,andasidewhosetoneis

betweenthosetwo.Nowherehavewesaidhowbrightthehighlightmustbeorhowdarktheshadowshouldbe.Infact,we

neverspecifylightingratiosinthisbookbecausethedecisionhastobebasedonthespecificsubjectaswellaspersonal

taste.

Ifthesubjectisasimplecubewithnoimportantdetailonanyofitssides,wecanmaketheshadowblackandthehighlight

white.However,ifthesubjectisthepackageforaproductwewanttosell,theremaybeimportantdetailonallsides.This

requireskeepingthehighlightonlyslightlybrighter,andtheshadowonlyslightlydarker,thanthethirdside.

Let'slookattwomoreexamples,anofficebuildingandacylinder,onecaseinwhichphotographersareverylikelyto

wantlesstonalvariation,andanotherinwhichwetendtoprefermorevariation.

PhotographingBuildings:DecreasingTonalVariation

ThesametechniquesapplytophotographingthebuildinginFigure5.17astomakingapictureofabrick.Bothcasesneed

thosevisualcluesthataddtheillusionofdepth.

However,specialconsiderationsapplytothebuilding.Thefirstisthatwearelikelytopreferasmallerlightsourceforthe

architecturethanforthebrick.Thisdoesnotsuggestthatarchitecturedoesnotphotographbeautifullyonanovercastday.

Theoppositeistrue.Architecturalphotographyalmostalwaysincludesthesky,however,and

cleanblueskiesareusuallymorepleasingthandingygrayones.Furthermore,ablueskyprobablyhasahard,undiffused

suninit.

Choosingadaywithharderlighthasfurtherimplicationsaboutwherewe“position”thatlight.Thehardershadowismore

visibleand,hence,morelikelytocompetewithotherdetail.Theundiffusedsunlightalsocausesbrighterhighlightsand

darkershadows.Unfortunately,suchhighlightandshadowaremorelikelytoobscuredetails.

Becauseoftheneedtominimizeshadowstoincreasethelegibilityofthearchitecturaldetail,manyphotographerspreferto

takepicturesthatarelitmuchlikethatshowninFigure5.17.Theyliketoworkwith

thesunbehindthem,slightlytothesidethatthebuildingfaces,andlowinthesky.Notonlydoessuchlightingproducea

lessdistractingshadow,butbecauseitoccursjustaftersunriseorjustbeforesunset,thesunlightoftenwarmsthecolor

pleasingly.

Weknowthatlesstonalvariationproduceslesssenseofdepth.Butrememberalsothatmoreperspectivedistortion

increasesthedepthillusion.Soasweoptformoreevenillumination,wearealsolikelytolocatethecameraclosertothe

subject.(Architecturalphotographersuseshorter-focal-lengthlensestomakethispossible.)Theconsequentincreasein

perspectivedistortionregainssomeofthelostdepth.

PhotographingCylinders:IncreasingTonalVariation

Nowwearegoingtolookatcylindersandthespecialproblemstheycanpresent.Figure5.18isbasicallyacylindrical

object,butthetonalvariationdoesnotrevealtheshapeverywell.Becausethelightingissoevenacrosstheentiresurface

ofthewoodenbowlingpin,itisdifficulttotellwhethertheobjectisthreedimensional.Thephotographdoesnotcontain

enoughvisualcluesforourbrainstomakeaninformeddecision.

Theproblemiscausedbythefactthatthe“sides”ofthecylinderarenotseparatedbyanyclearlydefinededge.The

shadowblendssograduallyintothehighlightthatsomeofthedimensionaldistinctionislost.Thesolutiontothisproblem

istobuildmoretonalvariationintothescene.Cylindersusuallyneedabrighterhighlightsideoradarkershadowside

thanboxesdo.Figure5.19showswhathappenswhenwemodifythelightingtoachievethis.

Therearetwogoodwaystoobtainthisincreasedtonaldistinction.Oneistokeepthebasiclightingsimilartothatinthe

gourdexamplesbuttouseabrighterreflectorononeside.Thenweusenoreflectoror,ifnecessary,ablackcardonthe

otherside.

WecouldalsoproduceFigure5.19byputtingourmainlightbesideinsteadofabovethesubject.Bylightingonesideof

thecylindermorethantheother,enoughvariationfromhighlighttoshadowsuppliestheillusionofdepth.

Unfortunately,placingthelighttoonesideofthesubjectcreatesapotentialproblem.Theshadowofthesubjectfallson

thetablesurfacebesideit.Aswesawearlier,theshadowisleastlikelytobecomeastrongcompositionalelementifitfalls

atthebottomofthepicture,underthesubject.

Ifwedoplaceourmainlighttothesideofacylindricalsubject,weusuallyuseanevenlargerlightsource.Thisfurther

softenstheshadowandmakesitlesslikelytocompeteforattention.

5.18Thissubjectisbasicallycylindrical,buttheflatlightingdoesnotgiveenoughvisualcluestoshowit.

5.19Lightingthepinfromthesidegivespronouncedtonalvariation—justthecluethatthebrainneedstoperceivedepth.

RememberSurfaceDetail

Finally,rememberthatsurfacedetail,subtlevariationsinbothcolorandtexture,aremostvisibleinthemid-ranges.Look

againatFigure5.19,thebowlingpin,withthisinmind.The“B”logoislargeandgraphicenoughtoholdupunderalmost

anylighting,butifwewanttogetpickyaboutit,wehavetoadmitthatthecenterofthatlogoisrenderedbetterthanits

leftandrightedges.Thelogoissomewhatlessvisiblewhereitsblackedgemeetstheshadowandwheretheglossofits

highlightturnstheblacktoacolorsimilartothatofthewood.Furthermore,ifwewerethemanufacturersofthepin,

insteadofphotographerswantingagoodpicture,wewouldprobablyobjecttothenear-lossofthe“g”inthe“score-king”

partofthelabel.

Somedigitalcamerascompoundthislossbyabruptlyclippingthedetailatabsoluteblackandabsolutewhite.

Photographerswhoshotfilm,especiallynegativefilm,usuallyhadsomeadditionaldetailinboththehighlightandthe

shadowthatcouldbeenhancedinthedarkroom.

Soknowingthattonalvariationisagoodthing,westilldon'tusuallymaximizeit.Wejudgeeachsubjectindividually,

consideringwhatelseisimportantaboutthatsubject,whoisgoingtousethepicture,andhowtheyintendtouseit.

THEGLOSSYBOX

InChapter4wesawthatgoodlightingrequiresdistinguishingbetweendiffuseanddirectreflectionandmakingan

informeddecisionaboutwhichwearegoingtouse.Everythingwesaidaboutlightingasimple,flatsurfaceapplies

equallytothegroupofsurfacesthatmakesathree-dimensionalobject.

Inthischapterwehavediscussedperspectivedistortion,lightdirection,andlightsize.Thesealldeterminewhetherthe

cameracanseealightsourcewithinthefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflection.Nowwearegoingtotalkabout

someofthespecialtechniquesthatarehelpfulwhenphotographingaglossybox.

LookatFigure5.20,adiagramshowingaglossyboxwithtwofamiliesofangles,onethatproducesdirectreflectionfrom

thetopoftheboxandoneforthefront.(Mostcameraviewpointsrequirephotographerstodealwiththreefamiliesof

angles,butitiseasiertoseetheminadiagramshowingonlythetopandfront.)

Ourfirstlightingdecisioniswhethertoproducedirectreflectionortoavoidit:whethertoplacethelightwithinoroutside

thefamilyofangles.

Figure5.21showsaboxwithaveryglossyfinish.Becauseitissoshiny,muchofthedetailofthewoodinitstopis

obscuredbydirectreflection.

5.20Herearetwoofthefamiliesofangleswithwhichwemustcontendwhenshootingabox.Alightsourceineitherofthemwillproducedirectreflection.

FamilyofAnglesforTopofBox

FamilyofAnglesforFrontofBox

5.21Detailsonthetopofthisboxarelargelyobscuredbydirectreflection.Wecouldremedythisbykeepinglightsourcesoutofthefamilyofanglesproducingthatreflection.

Weshouldbeabletoremedythelossofdetailbykeepinglightsourcesoutofthefamilyofanglesthatproducessuch

reflection.Thefollowingisaseriesofstepsthatcanaccomplishthisgoal.

UseaDarkBackground

First,useadarkbackgroundifpossible.AsyoucanseefromFigure5.20,oneofthewaysinwhichglare-producinglight

getstothesubjectisbyreflectingfromthebackground.Lightfromthetabletopcancausedirectreflectiononthesidesof

thebox.Ifweareusingasweep,lightfromitsupperpartcanreflectontheboxtop.Thedarkerthatbackgroundis,the

lesslightreflectsfromit.Thisstepalonemaybeadequateforsomesubjects.

Sometimesyoumaynotwantadarkbackground.Onotheroccasions,youwillfindthatlightthatproducesdirect

reflectioncomesfromsomeplaceotherthanthebackground.Ineithercase,thenextstepisthesame:findthelightcreating

thedirectreflectionandgetridofit.

Intheexamplesthatfollow,wedealwiththefamilyofanglesdefinedbythetopoftheboxwithonesetoftechniques.We

thenuseanother,slightlydifferentprocedureforthefamiliesofanglesassociatedwiththesides.

EliminateDirectReflectionfromtheBoxTop

Therearethreeeffectivewaysofeliminatingdirectreflectionfromtheboxtop.Wecanuseone,orwecanusea

combinationofthem,accordingtotheotherrequirementsofthepicture.

MovetheLightSourcetowardtheCamera

Ifthecameraishigh,thenanoverheadlightcanreflectinthetopofthebox.Thisisparticularlytrueofabanklight.Such

alightissolargethatatleastapartofitisverylikelytobewithinthefamilyofangles.Thiscausesdirectreflectiontobe

brighterandworsethanifalightbackgroundreflectsinthetopofthebox.

Oneremedyistomovethebanklighttowardthecamera.Doingso,asshowninFigure5.22,clearlyrevealsthedetailon

theboxtop.

RaiseorLowertheCamera

Movingthecameraalsochangesthefamilyofangles.Ifanoverheadlightsourcereflectsintheboxtop,loweringthe

cameramovesthefamilyofanglessothatthelightisnolongerinit.Ifthetopofasweepisreflectinginthetopofthe

box,raisingthecameracausesthestudio

5.22Herearesomeofthedifferentwaystoeliminatedirectreflectionsfromtheboxtop.Youcanuseanyoneoracombinationofthem.

areaaboveandbehindthebackgroundtoreflectinstead(Figure5.23).

Fortunately,itisusuallyasimplemattertokeepthatpartofthestudiodark.

UseFalloff

Ifitisnotpossibletouseadarkbackground,wemayatleastbeabletodarkenthatpartofthebackgroundthatcauses

directreflectiononthetopofthebox.Falloffaccomplishesthis.Keepasmuchlightasyoucanfromthebackground.The

lesslighthittingtheboxsurface,thelessthat

willreflectfromit.111

EliminateDirectReflectionfromtheBoxSides

Itisrelativelysimpletogetridofmostofthedirectreflectionfromthetopofaglossybox.Thingsgetmoredifficultwhen

westarttryingtoeliminateitfromthesides.InFigure5.24wehaveturnedtheboxtoponedgetoshowanexaggerated

exampleoftheproblemthatcanoccuronthesidesofthebox.

5.23Hereweseetheresultsofmovingthebanklightforward.Thedetailontheboxtopisnowclearlyvisible.

5.24Forthispicture,weturnedthebox’stoponedgetogiveanexaggeratedexampleoftheproblemsthatcanoccuronthebox’ssides.

PutaBlackCardontheTabletop

Thiswilldarkenpartofthesurfaceandeliminatedirectreflectionfrompartofthesubject.Figure5.25showstheresult.

Thisisaparticularlyusefultechniquewhenwewanttoeliminatesomedirectreflectionsbutnotothers.Forexample,

directreflectioncanobscuretheplasticdialonastereoreceiverwhileatthesametimemakingthealuminumfaceplate

lookbrightandclean.Insuchcases,cuttingtheblackcardtofitjustthefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflectionon

theplasticcansolveoneproblemwithoutcreatinganother.

IfyoulookagainatFigure5.20,youwillseethatiftheboxsideisperfectlyvertical,theblackcardcannotfillallofthe

familyofanglesunlessitiscloseenoughtotouchthebottomofthesubject.Nevertheless,gettingthecardascloseas

possiblewithoutintrudingintotheimageareaisoftenagoodstartbeforegoingontothenexttechnique.

TiptheBox

Sometimesyoucanremoveagoodbitoftheoffendingglarebytippingupthefrontofthebox.Thesuitabilityofthis

tacticdependsontheshapeofthesubject.

5.25Usingadarkcardtotherightoftheboxgetsridofunwanteddirectreflectionsonitssideandrestoresdetail.

Forexample,subjectslikecomputersandkitchenappliancesoftensitontheirownsmallfeetasmallheightabovethe

tabletop.Hidingasmallsupportintheshadowundersuchasubjectissimple.Oncethecameraistiltedtomakethe

subjectappearlevel,thetrickeryisundetectable.

Iftheboxissupposedtobeflushonthetabletop,itiseasierforthecameratoseethattheboxisnotlevel.Wemaybeable

totilttheboxless,ornotatall.Evenaslighttiltcanbehelpful,however,especiallyalongwiththefollowingtechnique.

UseaLongerLens

Therearetimeswhenalongerlenscancometotherescue.Figure5.26showshowalongerlensallowsustoplacethe

camerafartherfromthesubject.Aswesee,thefamilyofanglesissmallerthanitwasinFigure5.20.Thismeanslessof

thetabletopreflectsinthesubject.

FinishwithOtherResources

Ifsomedirectreflectionisstillobscuringdetail,thefollowingtechniquescaneliminateitcompletely.

TryaPolarizer

Ifthedirectreflectionispolarized,alenspolarizingfilterwillgetridofit.Wesuggestedthisasoneofthefirstremedies

totryforthecompetingsurfacespresentedinthepreviouschapter.

If,however,thesubjectisaglossybox,wemoreoftensavethepolarizerasanext-to-lastresort.Theglossyboxusually

haspolarizedreflectiononmorethanoneside.Unfortunately,thereflectionfromonesideislikelytobepolarizedina

directionperpendiculartothepolarizationoftheotherside.Thismeansthatasthepolarizingfiltereliminatesone

polarizedreflection,iteffectivelyincreasesanother.

Therefore,wefirsttrytheprecedingsteps.Then,whateverdirectreflectionisleftisthatwhichisthemostdifficultthing

toeliminate.Thenweusethepolarizertoreducethatreflection.Iftheotherremedieshavebeensuccessful,theslightly

increaseddirectreflectionontheothersideswillnotbeanytrouble.

UseDullingSpray

Yes,therearetimeswhenthedragonwins!TherearetimeswhenMotherNature,physics,andviewpointproduce

reflectionsthatcannot

5.26Usingalonglenssometimeshelpsgetridofunwantedreflections.ComparingthemoredistantviewpointinthisdiagramwiththatinFigure5.20showsthatthefartherwemovethecamera,thesmallerthefamilyofanglesgets.

beeliminatedwithanyofthetechniqueswehavedescribed.Thenweusedullingspray.Itmaymakeanotherwise

unacceptablepicturework.

Beaware,however,thatdullingspraycanreducethesharpnessoftheverydetailyouaretryingtopreserve.Ifthatdetail

happenstobefinetypeorthelike,thelossofsharpnessmaybemoredamagingthanalossofcontrastcausedbydirect

reflection.

Inaddition,thereisalwaysthechancethatthechemistryofthedullingspraywillnotgetalongwellwiththatofthe

subjectuponwhichyouaresprayingit.Sobecareful.Alwaystestalittlebitofsprayonasmall,andhopefully

insignificant,partofyoursubject.Nottotakethisprecautionistocourtdisaster!

UseDirectReflection

Wechosetheglossyboxexampletobeoneinwhichdirectreflectionisobviouslyoffensive.Butifdirectreflectiondoes

notobscuredetail,weareusuallymorelikelytotrytomaximizeitratherthantoavoidit.Afterall,ifdirectreflectionis

essentialtothesurface,capitalizingonthatreflectionproducesanimageofthesubjectthatlooksasmuchlikethereal

thingaspossible.Wewilldiscussthespecifictechniqueinthenextchapter.

Manystudentandapprenticephotographersthinkmetalisoneofthemostdifficultphotographicsubjectsandconsider

assignmentsthatrequirethemtophotographmetaltobenothinglessthancruelandunusualpunishment.However,when

theymastertheassignment,theydiscoverthatnothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth.Metalisnotdifficult,and

photographyteachershaveslightlylessthansadisticmotiveswhentheyrequiresuchwork.

Thereareaboutahalfdozenclassicsubjectsthatallphotographersaresupposedtoencounterastheylearnlighting.These

subjectsteachbasictechniquesthatenableustolightanything.Metalisoneoftheclassicsubjectsforgoodreason.

Brightlypolishedmetalproducesalmostnothingbutunpolarizeddirectreflection.Thisconstancymakesmetalarealjoy

tophotograph.Itispredictable.Itplaysbytherules.Wecantellbeforewebegintolightthescenewhatsizethelight

needstobe.

Moreover,whenitdoesturnouttobeimpossibletopositionthelightsourcewhereitneedstobetolightthepicturewell,

wecanalsoseetheproblemearlyintheprocess.Weseldominvestalotoftime,onlytofindthatwhatweareattempting

cannotbedoneandthatwehavetostartthelightingarrangementoverfromthebeginning.

Inaddition,becausethedirectreflectioninmetalislargelyuncontaminatedbyothertypesofreflections,itiseasytosee

howthisreflectionbehaves.Therefore,learningtophotographpolishedmetalhelpsgiveonethecapabilitytoseeandto

managedirectreflectionwheneverandwhereveritoccurs,evenwhenotherkindsofreflectionscompeteinthesame

scene.

Wewillintroducenewconceptsandtechniquesinthischapter.Themostimportantsubjectmatteristhesimplest:flat,

brightlypolishedmetal.Aflatpieceofmetal,withoutanyotherobjectsinthescene,iseasytolight,evenwithoutmuch

thoughtorunderstandingofthe

relevantprinciples.Butsuchsimplesubjectmattercandemonstratethemostsophisticatedtechniques—techniquesthat

caneventuallymakeeventhemostdifficultassignmentspossible.

Muchofwhatfollowsisbasedonthefamilyofanglesthatcausesdirectreflection.WeintroducedthisfamilyinChapter

3.Wehaveusedtheconceptineachsucceedingchapter,butinnoneofthemwasitasvitalasitbecomeswhendealing

withmetal.

FLATMETAL

Brightlypolishedmetalactslikeamirror:itreflectswhateverisaroundit.Thismirror-likequalitymeansthatwhenwe

photographmetal,wedonotmakeapictureofjustthemetalitself.Wealsomakeapictureofitssurrounding,or

environment,asitisreflectedinthemetal.Thatmeansthatwemustprepareasuitableenvironmentbeforewephotograph

themetal.

Weknowthatdirectreflectioncanbeproducedonlybyalightsourcethatiswithinalimitedfamilyofangles,relativeto

thesubjectandtothecamera.Becausethemetalreflectsitsenvironment,itmakessensethatthesmallerthatfamilyof

anglesis,thelessoftheenvironmentwehavetoworryabout.Asmallpieceofflatmetalhasonlyasmallfamilyofangles

fromwhichdirectreflectioncanbeproduced.Thismakessuchapieceofmetalthesimplestexamplewecanusetotalk

aboutthegeneralprinciplesoflightinganymetal.

Figure6.1isadiagramofapieceofflatmetalandacamera.Notethatthecamerapositionisessentialinanylighting

diagraminvolvingmetal.Thisisbecausethefamilyofanglesdependsonthepositionofthecamerarelativetothesubject.

Therefore,therelationshipbetweenthecameraandthesubjectisatleastasimportantasthesubjectitself.Weknowthat

directreflectioncanbeproducedonlybyalightlocatedwithinthelimitedfamilyofanglesweshowhere.

BrightorDark?

Oneofthefirstdecisionsthatwehavetomakewhenwephotographapieceofmetalishowbrightwewantittobe.Do

wewantittobebright,dark,orsomethinginbetween?Theanswertothisquestiondeterminesthelighting.

Ifwewantthemetaltoappearbrightinthephotograph,wemakesureourlightsourcefillsthatfamilyofanglesthat

producesdirectreflectiononthemetal.If,however,wewantthemetaltobedarkinthepicture,weputthelightanywhere

else.Eitherway,thefirststepinlightingmetalistofindthatfamilyofangles.Afterthat,thetaskisstraightforward.

SubjectSizeandShapeDeterminesFamilyofAngles

CameraPositionDeterminesFamilyofAngles

6.1Thefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflectiondependsonthepositionofthecamerarelativetothesubject.

FindingtheFamilyofAngles

Practicemakesiteasytoanticipatewherethefamilyofangleswillbe.Experiencedphotographersusuallygetthelightso

closetotheidealpositiononthefirsttrythatonlyminoradjustmentneedstobemadeafterthefirstlookinthecamera.

However,ifyouhaveneverbeforetriedlightingmetal,itmaybedifficulttovisualizewherethefamilyofanglesexistsin

space.

Wearegoingtoshowyouatechniquethatalwaysfindsexactlywherethefamilyofanglesis.Youmaydecidetouseit

oftenoryoumaydecidetouseitonlyformoredifficultsetups,dependingonyourneed.Eitherway,anabbreviated

versionofthisroutineisadequateformostphotographs.Ifthisisthefirsttimeyouhavetriedtolightmetalexpertly,itis

probablyworthtryingtheentirefollowingsequenceofstepsatleastonceasanexercise.

PositionaWhiteTargetWhereYouThinktheFamilyofAnglesWillBe

Thiswhitetargetcanbeanyconvenientlargesurface.Theeasiestwillbewhateverlargepieceofdiffusionmaterialyou

mighteventuallyuse

6.2Thepossiblepositionsforthetestsurfaceinthisexercisearealsowherewemightsuspenddiffusionmaterialifwewishedtolightthemetalbrightly.

tolightthemetal.Figure6.2showstwopossiblepositionswherewemightsuspendalargediffusionsheetoverthemetal.

Youdonotknowexactlywherethefamilyofanglesisatthispoint.Usealargerwhitesurfacethanyouthinkyouneedto

fillthoseangles.Thelesssureyouareofwheretheanglesare,thebiggerthesurfaceneedstobe.

PlaceaTestLightattheCameraLens

Wecallthisa“test”lighttodistinguishitfromwhateverlightweeventuallyusetomakethepicture.Thetestlightneeds

tohaveanarrowenoughbeamtolightthemetalwithoutilluminatingthesurroundingarea.Asmallspotlightisideal,buta

flashlightisadequateifyoucankeeptheroomdark.

Ifyouarephotographingasmallpieceofmetalfromacloseworkingdistance,thetestlightmustbeexactlyatthelens

position.Thismayrequiretemporarilyremovingthecamerafromthetripod.Alternatively,ifthecameraisaviewcamera,

youmaybeabletotemporarilyremoveboththelensandthecamerabackandaimthetestlightthroughthe

6.3Atestlightinplaceofthecamerareflectsfromthemetaltoshowwherethefamilyofanglesislocated.Newsflash:Sincethelastprintingofthisbook,acleverreaderhassuggestedusingalaserpointerasthetestlight.Shouldworkwell!

camera.Becarefulofthistactic!Aphotographiclighttooclosetoablackcameracanquicklyheatupthecameraenoughtocauseveryexpensivedamage.

Whenthecamerahasalonglensandthedistancetothesubjectisgreat,itisusuallynotnecessarytoplacethetestlightatexactlythelensposition.Positioningthelightasclosetothelensaspossibleapproximatestheidealwellenoughformorepracticalpurposes.

AimtheTestLight

Aimthetestlightatthepointonthemetalsurfacethatisnearesttothecamera.Thelightwillreflectoffthemetalandontothetestsurface.AsweseeinFigure6.3,thepointatwhichthebeamstrikesthetestsurfacemarksthenearlimitofthefamilyofangles.Useremovabletapetomarkthespot.

Ifthebeamoflightisbroadenoughtocovertheentiremetalsurface,youcanleaveitinpositionwithoutmovingitfortherestofthis

exercise.If,however,thetestlightilluminatesonlypartofthesurface,aimitnowatthefarthestpointonthemetal.Thelightreflectedfromthatpointonthemetalwillstrikethetestsurfaceatthefarlimitofthefamilyofangles.Onceagain,markthetestsurfacewithtape.

Similarly,markasmanypointsasyouneedtoseewherethefamilyofangleslies.Theshapeofthemetalsubjectdeterminesthenecessarynumberofpoints.Attheleast,youwillprobablydecidetomarkthenearandfarlimitsofthefamilyofangles.Ifthemetalisrectangular,youmaydecidetomarkthepointsatwhichthecornersreflectlightontothetestsurface,insteadoftheedges.

StudythePositionandShapeoftheAreaMarkedontheTestSurface

Youwillalmostneverneedalightsourceoragobothatexactlyfitsthefamilyofangles.Nevertheless,thisisgoodpractice,sousethisopportunitytoexamineexactlywherethoseanglesare.Alittleextratimeinvestednowwillpaybackdividendslater.Preciselylocatingthefamilyofanglesnowwillallowyoutoguessitspositionmorequicklyinafutureprojectwithoutgoingthroughthiswholemeasurementprocedureagain.

Noteespeciallythatthepointreflectinginthemetaledgeatthebottomoftheimagecorrespondstothelimitmarkedatthetopofthetestsurfaceandviceversa.Rememberingthiswillmakeiteasytofindthesourceofglareorhotspotsonanytypeofsubjectfromnowon.

Therelationshipsyouproveinthisexerciseapplytoothercameraandsubjectorientations.Thediagramhererepresentsasideviewofacameraphotographingasmallpieceofmetalonatable.Ofcourse,itcouldjustaseasilybeabird’s-eyeviewofacameraphotographingabuildingwithamirroredglassfront.Thentheareamarkedonthetestsurfacemightcorrespondtotheportionoftheskyreflectedinsuchabuilding.

LightingtheMetal

Usingtheforegoingtest,experiencedjudgment,oracombinationofthetwo,wefindthefamilyofanglesfromwhichalightcanproducedirectreflectioninthemetal.Next,wehavetodecidewhetherwewantthemetaltobebrightordarkinthepicture.Thisisacriticalstepbecauseitleadstotwoexactlyoppositelightingsetups.

Insomephotographs,themetalneedstobeabsolutelywhitewhiletherestofthesceneisasdarkaspossible.Onotheroccasions,wedecidetokeepthemetalblackinanotherwisehigh-keyscene.Moreoftenweliketoseesomethingbetweentheseextremes,butlearningtoproducetheextremesmakesthecompromiseeasiertoobtain.

KeepingtheMetalBright

Becausephotographersusuallychoosetomakethemetalintheirpictureslookbright,wewilldealwiththatcasefirst.Ifweassumethatwewanttheentiresurfaceofthemetaltophotographbrightly,we

thenneedalightsourcethatatleastfillsthefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflection.Notethatbecausepolishedmetalproducesalmostnodiffusereflection,lightcomingfromanyotheranglewillhavepracticallynoeffectonthemetal,regardlessofhowbrightitisorhowlongtheexposure.

Itisalsoimportanttorealizethatalightthatjustfillsthefamilyofanglesistheminimumlightsizewecanuse.Later,wewillshowyouwhyweroutinelyusealightlargerthantheminimum.Fornow,wewillassumethattheminimumsizeisadequate.

Figure6.4showsonepossiblelightingarrangement.Wehaveusedalightonaboomaboveadiffusionsheetandhaveadjustedthedistancefromthelightheadtothediffusionmaterialsothatthebeamapproximatelyfillsthefamilyofanglesthatwemarkedearlier.

Wecoulduseanopaquewhitereflectorcardinsteadofthediffusionsheet.ThenwewouldusethealternativelightingshowninFigure6.5.

6.4ThemainlightpositionedsothatitfillsthefamilyofangleswemarkedinFigure6.3.

6.5AnalternativetothelightingshowninFigure6.4usesanopaquewhitereflectorcardandaspotlightfocusedtofillthefamilyofangles.

Aspotlightnearthecamera,withthebeamofthelightfocusedtoapproximatelyfillthefamilyofangles,wouldlightthesubjectidenticallytothelightthroughthediffusionsheet.

Mostsoftboxarrangementsdonotallowadjustmentofdistanceoftheheadtothediffusionmaterialonthefront.Thelightisfixedinsidetheboxtoilluminatetheentirefrontoftheboxasevenlyaspossible.However,wecanachieveasimilareffectbyattachingblackcardstothefrontofthesoftboxtolimititseffectivesize,asshowninFigure6.6.

Weusedthefirstofthesethreealternativestophotographabrightlypolishedmetalspatulaonawhitepaperbackground.Figure6.7istheresult.

Asweexpected,themetalisapleasinglightgray.Ifyouhaveneverlitascenethisway,youmightnothaveexpectedthephotographtorenderthe“white”backgroundsodark!Thisisanecessaryconsequenceofthelighting.Theexposureis“normal”forthisscene.

6.6AthirdalternativetothelightingshowninFigure6.4:asoftbox,withitseffectivesizeadjustedbyblackcards.

WhatIsa“Normal”ExposureforMetal?

BecausethemetalwastheimportantsubjectmatterinFigure6.7,weexposedtogetitrightandignoredthebackground.Howmightweexposethemetalto“getitright”?Onegoodwayisaspotmeterreadingonthemetal,rememberingtoexposetwotothreestopsmorethanthemeterindicates.(Themetertellsushowtoexposethemetaltobean18%gray.However,wewantitbrighterthanthat.

Justhowmuchbrighterisacreativedecision,notapurelytechnicalone.Twotothreestopsisareasonablerange.)

Keepinmindthatintheprecedingexample,welitthemetaltobeasbrightaspossiblewithoutbotheringwithanyotherconsiderations.Becausethemetalproducesalmostnothingbutdirectreflection,itsbrightnessintheimageapproximatesthatofthelightsource.Agraycardreflection

readingofthescenewillprobablynotpredictanacceptableexposureifthemetalistheimportantsubject.Thegeneralrulethattellsustoplacethemiddlegraysaccurately,lettingtheextremesfall

6.7Thebrightmetalspatulabladeisplacedagainstawhitebackground.Doyouknowwhythewhitebackgroundlookssodark?

wheretheymay,failswhentheimportantsubjecthappenstobeverymuchbrighterthanan18%graycard.Thus,the“proper”exposureforthisscenerendersthewhitebackgroundasadarkgray.

Suppose,however,thatthemetalisnottheonlyimportantsubject.Thiscouldhappeneveninthissimplescene.Therearenootherimportantobjectshere,butthewhitebackgroundcouldbecriticalinanadvertisementrequiringlegibleblacktypeintheimagearea.

Inthatcase,agraycardreadingwouldgiveanexcellentexposureofthewhitebackgroundbutattheexpenseofhopelesslyoverexposedmetal.Thereis,unfortunately,no“normal”exposurethatworksforboth.Ifthemetalandthewhitepaperarebothimportant,wehavetorelightthescene.Wewillsoonseeseveralwaystodoso.

KeepingtheMetalDark

Intheprevioussection,wetalkedabouthowtophotographmetaltoappearbright.Nowwewillrelightthescenetokeepthemetalasdarkaswecan.Inprinciple,nothingcouldbeeasier.Allwehavetodoistolightthemetalfromanydirectionweplease,otherthanfromwithin

6.8Thislightpositionisoneofthemanythatwouldworkifwewanttokeepthemetaldark.Theimportantpointistokeepthelightoutsidethefamilyofangles.

thatlimitedfamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflection.Onesimplewaytodothisistoputthelightnearthecamera.Wewillstartbyshowingwhathappenswhenwedo.

ThelightpositionshowninFigure6.8isoneofmanythatwouldwork.Notethatthesamefamilyofangleswedeterminedearliernowmarksthepositionswherewemustnotplacethelightifwewanttokeepthemetaldark.

Althoughthefamilyofanglesisstillinthediagram,noticethatthewhitetestsurfaceonwhichitwasmarkedisgone.Hadweleftitinplace,itwouldhavereflectedsomeofthegeneralillumination,behavingasanadditionallightsource.

Figure6.9provesthetheory.Itshowsgraphicallywhathappenswhenweplacethelightsourceoutsidethefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflectionsonthemetalspatula.ThelightingsetupinFigure6.8cancauseonlydiffusereflection.Becausethemetalcannotproducemuchdiffusereflection,itisblack.Thepapercanproducediffusereflectionfromalightfromanydirection,soitisrenderedwhite.

6.9Thelightisoutsidethefamilyofanglesreflectedbythespatula.Withnodirectreflectionsonthemetalsurface,itisblackinthispicture.

Anincidentreading,agraycardreading,orareadingofthewhitepaper(withtheappropriatecompensation)wouldallbegoodexposureindicators.Thisistrueofalmostanyscenewithreasonablyevenilluminationandlittleornodirectreflection.Withneitherdirectreflectionnorimportantdarksubjectsinshadow,wedonothavetothinkabouttheextremes.Gettingthemiddlegraysexposedproperlyisallweneedtoworryabout.

WeareunlikelytousethelightinginFigure6.8astheprincipallightingofasceneexcepttodemonstratetheprinciple.Thepositionandthehardnessoftheshadowaretoodispleasing.Withthatinmind,wewillmovetoaslightlymoredifficultvariationonthesametheme.Wewillkeepthemetalsurfaceblackbutremedytheobjectionableshadow.

Assumethetesttargetweusedtofindthefamilyofangleswasmuchlargerthantheminimumneededtofillthoseangles.Ifwelightthesubjectwitheverypointonthesurfaceexceptthemarkedfamilyofangles,wewillhavealarge,softsourcethatstillkeepsthemetalblack.Figure6.10showshowwecanaccomplishthatresult.

Noticethatwehavebackedupourlighttoilluminatetheentirediffusionsheetasevenlyaspossible.Thenwehaveattachedagobocut

6.10Thelargelightlightsthescenesoftly,butthegobofillsthefamilyofanglesandkeepsthemetaldark.

toasizeandshapethatbarelyfillsthefamilyofangles.Figure6.11istheresult.

Thistechniquewouldalsoworkverywellusingasoftboxinsteadofaframeddiffusionsheetandalightonaboom,butitwouldbelesseffectiveusinganopaquewhitereflectorcard.Thelightilluminatingthereflectorcardwouldalsoilluminatethegobobrightly.Thegobowouldbehavemorelikeareflectorthanalight-blockingdevice,eventhoughitmightbeblack.Becausethatblackgobowouldabsorbsomephotonsandreflectothers,itwouldnotbeagoodwaytodemonstrateeitherbright-metalordark-metallighting.However,itmightbethemostpleasingcompromiseofall.

TheElegantCompromise

Wealmostneverusethebright-metalorthedark-metallightingtechniquesbythemselves.Moreoftenwepreferacombinationofthetwo,acompromisebetweentheextremes.

6.11Weusedagobotoblockthefamilyofanglesreflectedbythemetalwhenwetookthisshot.Thisdarkenedthespatula.

Figure6.12isacompromise.Itwasmadewithlightfillingthefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirect

reflectionfromthemetalplusilluminationfromotheranglestoproducediffusereflectionfromthebackground.

Figures6.13,6.14,and6.15showsomepossiblelightingarrangementsthatcouldhaveproducedthe

photograph.Everyarrangementuseslightfromwithinthefamilyofanglesandfromotherdirections.WeusedthelightinginFigure6.15,butanyoftheselightingarrangementscouldproduceequivalentresults.Thebestwayiswhateversuitstheequipmentyouhaveonhand.

Themostimportantpointbehindthisdemonstrationisnottoconvinceyouthatthecompromise

lightingmakesthebestpicture,buttogetyoutounderstandthethinkingthatleadsuptothecompromise.

Wecandecideexactlywherewewanttoplacethemetalonthegrayscale.Theprecisetoneofthemetalisfullycontrollable,independentlyoftherestofthescene,anditcanbeanystepbetweenblackandwhitethatthephotographer’screativejudgmentdetermines.

IfwehadusedthelightinginFigure6.13,forexample,wecouldhavemadethemetalbrighterbyincreasingthepowerofthelightabovethediffusionmaterial,orwecouldhavemadethepaperbackground

6.12AnelegantcompromisebetweenFigures6.7and6.9.Lightfillsthefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflectionfromthemetal,andlightfromotheranglesproducesdiffusereflectionfromthebackground.

6.13OnewaytolightthespatulashowninFigure6.12.Themainlightispositionedwithinthefamilyofanglestoproducethelarge,bright,direct

reflectiononthespatula.Thefilllightbrightensthebackground.

6.14AnotherwaytolightthespatulashowninFigure6.12.Thegobopartlyblocksthelightfromthepartofthereflectorwithinthefamilyofangles,markedA,butnotfromtherestofthereflectorcard,markedB.

6.15Thepartofthesoftbox,B,outsidethefamilyofangles,

A,lightsonlythebackground,notthemetal.

brighterbyplacingamorepowerfulfilllightnearthecamera.Usingtwolightsinthismannergivesinfinitecontroloftherelativebrightnessofthemetalandthebackground.

Evenasinglelightprovidesexcellentcontrolifitislargeenough.LookagainatthesinglesoftboxinFigure6.15.Noticethattheentirelightsourceproducesdiffusereflectionfromthepaper,butonlythat

portionthatcoversthefamilyofanglesproducesdirectreflectiononthemetal.Havingmoreofthesurfaceofthesoftboxwithinthefamilyofanglesmakesthemetalbrighter.However,ifthesoftboxislargeenoughtohaveverylittleofitssurfacewithinthefamily,thenthebackgroundwillbebrighter.

Thedistancebetweenthelightsourceandthesubjectdetermineshowmuchofthatsourcewillbewithinthefamilyofangles.

ControllingtheEffectiveSizeoftheLight

Inpreviouschapters,wehaveseenthatcontroloverthesizeofthelightsourceisoneofthemostpowerfulmanipulativetoolsaphotographerhas.Wehavealsoseenthatthephysicalsizedoesnotnecessarilydeterminetheeffectivesize.Movingalightclosertothesubjectmakesitbehavelikealargerone,softeningtheshadowsand,forsomesubjects,enlargingthehighlights.Movingthelightfartherawaydoestheopposite.Thisprincipleisevenmoresignificantifthesubjectisbrightmetal.

InFigure6.16weseethesamecameraandsubjectrelationshipsusedearlier.Nowtherearetwopossiblepositionsforthesamesoftbox.Onepositionismuchclosertothesubjectthanthatusedinthepreviousexample,whereastheotherismuchfartheraway.

Weexpectthecloserlighttoilluminatethebackgroundmorebrightly,butthebrightnessofthemetaldoesnotchangebecausethebrightnessofdirectreflectionisnotaffectedbythedistancetothesource.Figure6.17confirmsthatexpectation.Movingthelightcloserhasgreatlylightenedthebackgroundwithoutaffectingthebrightnessofthemetal.CompareitwithFigure6.12,madewiththesamesoftboxfartheraway.Similarly,movingthelightfartherfromthesubjectwoulddarkenthebackground,stillwithoutaffectingthebrightnessoftheimageofthemetal.

Changingthedistanceofthelightsourcechangesthebrightnessofthebackgroundbutnotofthemetal.Thisseemstogiveusnearlyinfinitecontroloftherelativebrightnessofthetwo.Sometimesitdoes,butnotalways.Thisisbecausethefocallengthofthelenscanalsoindirectlyinfluencetheeffectivesizeofthelight.Thisisoftensurprising,eventohighlyexperiencedphotographers,butthediagramsinFigure6.18showhowitcanhappen.

n)6.17ComparethisphotographwithFigure6.12.Movingthesoftboxcloserhasbrightenedthebackgroundbutnotthespatula.

6.16Twopossiblepositionsforasoftbox.Eitherpositionlightsthemetalidentically.However,thecloserwemovethelighttothesubject,thebrighterthebackgroundbecomes.

6.18Thedistancefromthesubjecttothecameraaffectstheeffectivesizeofthelight.CameraBisclose,andtheresultingfamilyofanglesislarge.CameraAisfartherfromthesubjectthanB,andtheresultingfamilyofanglesismuchnarrower.Ifthemetalisexposedidenticallyinthetwo

scenes,thebackgroundwillbebrighterinarrangementAanddarkerinB,despitethefactthattheactualincidentlightisidenticalinbothscenes!

InFigure6.18A,thecamerafartherfromthesubjecthasalongfocal-lengthlens,andtheclosercamera(B)hasashortlens.Therefore,theimagewillbethesamesizeineitherphotograph.

TocameraA,fartherfromthesubject,thesoftboxismuchlargerthanthefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflection.Wecouldmovethelightmuchcloserormuchfartherawaywithoutaffectingthelightingofthemetal.Thelongerlens,byallowingamoredistantviewpoint,offersamoreflexiblechoiceofplacestoputthelight.Thus,itmaximizesthecontrolovertherelativebrightnessofthesubjectandthebackground.

ButlookatthedifferenceintheeffectivesizeofthelightseenbycameraB.Thesoftboxjustfillsthefamilyofanglesdefinedbythecloseviewpoint.Wecannotmovethelightmuchfartherawaywithouttheedgesofthemetalbecomingblack.

InChapter5wesawthatcameraviewpointalsodeterminesperspectivedistortion.Sometimesthereisnotmuchchoiceaboutwheretoputthecamera.Inotherscenes,thereisawiderangeofsatisfactorycamerapositions.Inthosecases,ifthesubjectisbrightmetal,werecommendusingalongerlensandgettingthecamerafartherawaytoallowmorefreedominlighting.

KeepingtheMetalSquare

Innoneoftheprecedingexampleswasthecameraperpendiculartothemetalsurface.Sometimesweneedaphotographinwhichthecameraviewpointappearstobeperpendiculartothemetalandcentereddirectlyinfrontofit.Becausethemetalisamirror,thecameraislikelytoreflectinthesubject.Nowwewillseeseveralwaysofdealingwiththisproblem.Youwillprobablyuseeachofthem

atonetimeoranother,dependingonthespecificsubjectandtheavailableequipment.

UseaViewCamera

Thisisthebestsolution.(Ifeveryoneusedviewcameras,wemightnotevenmentionanyothertechniques.)Aslongasthecamerabackisparalleltothereflectivemetal,themetalwillappeartobecenteredinfrontofthecameratomostviewers.

InFigure6.19,wepositionedthecameraoffcentersothatitdoesnotreflectinthemetal.Theimageplaneisstillparalleltothesubjectsotheviewpointdoesnotintroduceperspectivedistortion.Wethenshiftedthelenstocenterthesubjectintheimagearea,justasitwouldbeifthecameraweredirectlyinfrontofthesubject.Noticethatthisplacesthefamilyofanglestoonesideofthecamera.

6.19Thecamerawillnotreflectinthemetalbecauseitisoutsidethefamilyofangles.Themetalwillnotbedistortedbecauseitisparallelwiththeimageplane.

Alllightingtacticsdiscussedearlierareapplicable:weusealightlargeenoughtofillthefamilyofangles,keepthelightoutofthefamilyofangles,oruseacombinationofthetwo,dependingonhowbrightwewantthemetaltoappear.

Ifthecamerapositionrequiresshiftingthelensagreatdistanceoffcenter,wemayencountertwospecialproblems.First,thelensmaybegintovignettetheimage.Thiscreatesblackcornersattheedgeofthepicture.Second,viewingthesubjecttoofaroffcentercanproducegeometricdistortionorrevealtheslightdistortionthatcanbepresenteveningoodlenses.Keepingthecameraasfarfromthesubjectaspossible,andusingacorrespondinglylongerlens,minimizesbothoftheseproblems.

AimtheCamerathroughaHoleintheLightSource

Assumingwewanttokeepthemetalbright,wesometimespositionwhiteseamlesspapertolightthemetal.Wethencutaholeinthatlightsourcethatisjustlargeenoughforthelenstoseethroughit(Figure6.20).Thissolutionminimizestheproblemofcamerareflection,

6.20Thecamerawillnotreflectinthemetal,buttheholeinthepaperwill.

butitdoesnotgetridofit.Althoughthecameraisnotvisibleinthesubject,theholeinthelightsourceis.

Thistechniqueworksfineifthereisenoughirregularityinthemetalsubjecttocamouflagethe

offendingreflection.If,forexample,thesubjectisamachinewithacomplexcontrolpanel,reflectionmaybeinvisibleamongtheknobsandmeters.

Whetherthelightsourceisareflectorcardoradiffusionsheet,wehavetobeespeciallycarefulinlightingtheareanearthecamera.Alightaimedatareflectorcardcancauseflareiftheraysfalldirectlyintothelens.Lightsprojectingthroughadiffusionsheetcancauseashadowofthecameraonthediffusionsheetthatreflectsvisiblyinthesubject.

PhotographtheMetalatanAngle

Keepthecameraasfarfromthesubjectaspossibletominimizeperspectivedistortion.Thencorrectthedistortioninpostproduction.Digitallyremovingthedistortionisnotanidealsolution.Thissortofimagemanipulationalwaysresultsinsomequalityloss.

Keepthesesolutionsinmindasanavailableoptionifcircumstancesforceituponyou.Abadremedymaybebetterthannoremedy.Ifyouusethisalternative,besuretocomposeyourpicturewithagenerousamountofextraspacearoundthesubject.Youwillhavetocropthetrapezoidalprojectedimagetofittherectangularprint.

RetouchtheReflection

Shootthemetalstraighton,letthecamerareflect,thenremovethereflectiondigitally.Thisisnotalightingsolution,sowewillnotdiscussitindetail.Nevertheless,forsomesubjects,especiallylargeones,retouchingissomucheasierthananyofthelightingsolutionsthatweshouldnotforgettheoption.Spendinghalfadaylightinginsteadofspendinghalfanhouratacomputermakesnosense.Furthermore,thissolution,unliketheimmediatelyprecedingone,losesnoimagequality.

METALBOXES

Ametalboxpresentstheviewerwithuptothreevisiblesides.Eachsideneedsatreatmentsimilartothatofanyotherflatpieceofmetal.Eachsurfacehasitsownfamilyofanglestoconsider.Thedifferenceisthateachfamilyofanglesfacesadifferentdirectionandwehavetodealwiththemallatonce.

Inlightingametalbox,weneedtodealwithsomeofthesameconsiderationsinvolvedwithlightingaglossyboxmadeofanyothermaterial.(Ifyouarebrowsingthroughthisbookwithoutreadingthechaptersinsequence,youmaywanttolookatthesectiononglossyboxesinChapter4.However,althoughthistheoryisidenticaltothatappliedintheearlierpicture,thedifferencemakesuslikelytoapplyittheoppositewayfromthatintheearlierexample.)

Figure6.21isidenticaltoFigure5.19,repeatedheresothatyoudon'thavetokeepturningbacktoit.Now,however,theboxismadeofmetal,notwood.Therearetwofamiliesofangles,oneforthetopandoneforthefrontofthebox.Wemayplacelightwithinthesefamiliesofangles,ornot,dependingonwhetherwewantthesurfacestobebrightordark.Iftheboxwereturnedtoshowthecamerathreesides,thesameprincipleswouldapply—buttheywouldbehardertoseeinadrawing.Thefamilyof

anglesdefinedbythefrontoftheboxwouldthenfallbelowandtothesideofthebox.Theothervisible

sideoftheboxwouldproduceasimilarfamilyofanglesontheothersideofthescene.

Aglossynonmetallicboxthatisnotblackproducesbothdiffuseanddirectreflection.Weoftenavoiddirectreflectiononaglossyboxtoavoidobscuringthediffusereflection.Apolishedmetalboxproducesonlydirectreflection.Withoutdirectreflection,weseethemetalboxasblack.

6.21Twofamiliesofanglesofaboxpositionedsothatthecameracanseebothitstopandfront.

Becausewemoreoftenliketorendermetalbright,weusuallywanttocreatedirectreflectionratherthantoavoidit.Thismeansthatweneedtofilleachfamilyofangleswithalightsource.

Thefamilyofanglesdefinedbythetopoftheboxiseasytolight.Wetreatitjustaswedidtheflatmetalinourearlierexamples.

Thesidesofametalboxaremoredifficult.IfwepositionthecameraandsubjectasinFigure6.21,then

atleastoneofthelightsourcesmustbeinthepicture.Thefamilyofanglesdefinedbythefrontoftheboxfallsonthetablewheretheboxsits.Thatmeansthetablesurfaceisthelightsourceforthefrontofthebox,whetherwelikeitornot.

Wecannotuseareflectorcard,oranyotherlightsource,forthesidesoftheboxwithoutitshowinginthescene.Theclosertotheboxwecancropthepicture,thecloserwecanputthereflector.Evenso,someofthebottomoftheboxwillstillreflectthetable.

Ifwedonotwanttocropthebottomoftheboxoutoftheimage,andiftheboxistrulymirror-like,thelinewherethereflectormeetsthetablewillbevisibleandobjectionable.Figure6.22showstheproblem.Wehaveleftthepictureuncroppedsothatyoucanseethereflectorcard.

6.22Thebottomoftheboxdisappearsintothedarktable.Theonlywaytopreventthiswouldbetoplacethereflectorsothatittouchesthefrontofthebox.

Brightlypolishedmetalboxesalmostalwayspresentthisproblem.Fortunately,itisusuallytheonlymajorproblem;theremainderofthissectionisacollectionoftechniquesfordealingwithit.Picktheoneyouneedaccordingtothecircumstance.

ALightBackground

Byfartheeasiestwaytophotographathree-dimensionalmetalsubjectistousealight-graybackground.Thebackgrounditselfisthelightsourceformuchofthevisiblemetal.Assoonasweplacethesubjectonsuchasurface,muchoftheworkisdoneandweneedonlyafewadjustmentstoperfectthelighting.

ToproduceFigure6.23,webeganwithabackgroundsurfacelargerthanweneededtofilltheimagearea.Rememberthatthebackgroundneedstofillthefamilyofanglesreflectedbythemetal,notjusttheareathecamerasees.Thenwelitthetopofthemetalboxwithasoftbox,justasifitwereanyotherpieceofflatmetal.

Thatwasalmostallwehadtodo.Thesetupwascompletedbysilverreflectorsoneachsideofthescenetofilltheshadowintheribbon.

6.23Thelightgraysurfaceonwhichwephotographedthisboxactedasalightsourceforthefrontofit.

Ifgoodlightingforthemetalboxweretheonlyobjective,wewouldalwaysusealight-tonedbackground.Artandemotionoftenimposeotherrequirements,however,sowewilllookatsomeothertechniques.

ATransparentBackground

Theonlywayinwhichwecanorientametalboxaswedidinthepreviousexampleswithouthavingalightsourceinthesceneistoputtheboxonatransparentsurface.Whenwedothat,thecameraseesthereflectionofalightsource(inthiscase,awhitecard)inthemetalwithouthavingthatlightsourceindirectviewofthecamera.Figure6.24showshow.

Thisarrangementallowsustopositionadarkcardlargeenoughtofillthebackgroundbutsmallenoughthatitstaysoutofthefamilyofanglesthatlightsthefrontandthesideofthemetalbox.ThephotographinFigure6.25wasmadethisway.Noticethatthebackgroundisdark,butnotblack,andthatthetablesurfacehasareflectioninit.Fromthisviewpoint,anylightsourceproducingdirectreflectionontopofthemetalwillalsocreatedirectreflectionontheglasssurfacesupportingit.

Thepictureisgood.Butsupposewedislikedthereflectionintheglassandwantedthebackgroundtobeabsolutelyblack.Wecould

6.24Onewayoflightingthefrontofametalboxwithouthavingalightsourceinthescene.Placingtheboxonasheetofclearglassallowsreflectinglightthroughtheglasstothebox.

eliminatethereflectionoftheboxbyusingfrostedglass,butthatwouldmakethebackgroundlighterinsteadofdarker.

Fortunately,mostofthedirectreflectionfromglassviewedatthisangleispolarized,sowewereabletoeliminatethatreflectioninFigure6.26byputtingapolarizingfilteronthelens.Theglassisnowblack.Remember,too,thatdirectreflectionfrommetalisneverpolarizedunlessthelightsourceitselfispolarized.Sothepolarizingfilterdidnotblockthedirectreflectionfromthemetal.

AGlossyBackground

Ifthemetalisonaglossysurface,itispossibletohavethelightsourceintheimageareawithoutthe

cameraseeingit!Wecallthistechniqueinvisiblelight.Hereishowitworks:lookbackatFigure6.21,butthistimeassumethesubjectissittingonaglossyblackacrylicsheet.Thefamilyofanglesdefinedby

thefrontsurfacetellsusthattheonlypossibleplacefromwhichthemetalcouldgetlightwouldbefromtheblackplastic

6.25TheresultofthelightingshowninFigure6.24.Whetherthedarkreflectionundertheboxisobjectionabledependsonthespecificsubjectandyouropinionofit.

6.26ThesamesceneasinFigure6.24,butwithalenspolarizerremovingreflectionfromtheglass.Thepolarizerdoesnotaffectthemetal.

6.27“Invisible”lightreflectedfromtheglossyblackplasticlightsthemetal.Nolightreflectsdirectlyfromtheplastictothecamera,sothecameracannotseethelightsourceforthemetal.

surface,but“black”isashortwayofsayingthattheplasticreflectsnolight.Together,thesefactssuggestthatthefrontofthemetalcannotbelit.

However,wehavealsosaidthattheblackplasticisglossy.Andweknowthatglossythingsdoproducedirectreflection,eveniftheyaretooblacktoproducediffusereflection.ThismeansthatwecanlightthemetalbybouncinglightofftheplasticsurfaceasinFigure6.27.

Ifyouexaminetheangles,youseethatalightunderthecameracanbouncelightfromtheglossyplastictothemetal.Thatlightstrikesthemetalatsuchananglethatitthenreflectsbacktothecameratorecordonfilm.Themetalislit,andthebrightmetalinFigure6.28provesit.Asfarasthemetalcantell,itisbeinglitbytheplasticsurfaceinthescene.However,thecameracannotseethatlightisreflectingfromtheblackplastic;thefamilyofanglesdefinedbytheplasticmakesitimpossible.

Liketheearlierglasssurface,theacrylicsurfacewillreflecttheoverheadlightsource.Onceagain,weusedapolarizingfilteronthelenstoeliminatetheglare.

6.28Theresultof“invisible”light.Thelightsourcefortheboxisinthescene—theblackplasticdirectlyinfrontofit.

Finally,noticethatthefrontoftheboxnowshowsatexturenotseenintheearlierexamples.Thisisbecauseinvisiblelightisonlyeffectiveinasmallareaonthetabletop.

Whenmetalisnotabsolutelyflat,thefamilyofanglesrequiredtolightitbecomeslarger.Nextwe'llexamineanextremeexampleofthatcircumstance.

ROUNDMETAL

Lightingaroundpieceofmetalbegins,likeanyothermetalshape,withananalysisofthefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflection.Unlikeanyothermetalshape,thefamilyofanglesdefinedbyapieceofroundmetalincludespracticallythewholeworld!

Figure6.29showstherelevantfamilyofanglesforacameraphotographingaroundmetalobjectatatypicalviewingdistance.Remember,lightingmetalrequiresthepreparationofasuitableenvironment.Roundmetalrequiresalotmoreworktolightbecauseitreflectssomuchmoreofthatenvironment.

Noticethatthecamerawillalwaysbeintheenvironmentthemetalsees.Therearenoview-cameratrickstoremovethecamerafromthe

6.29Thefamilyofanglesforaroundmetalsubjectconsistsofitswholeenvironment,includingthecamera.

familyofanglesreflectedbyroundmetal.Furthermore,thereflectionofthecamerawillalwaysfallexactlyinthecenterofthemetalsubject,whereitismostnoticeabletotheviewer.

Forthisexercisewewillusethemostdifficultexamplepossible:aperfectlysmoothsphere.Figure6.30showstheproblem.

Thefirststepinfixingthisproblemwouldbetogetridofunnecessaryobjects.However,thecameraistheoneoffendingobjectthatnocleanupeffortcanremove.Therearethreewaystoeliminatethecamerareflection:wecancamouflagethereflection,keepthecamerainthedark,orputthesubjectinatent.

Camouflage

Forourpurposes,camouflageisanydesirableclutterthathelpsmakeunwantedreflectionslessobvious.Sometimesthesubjectprovidesitsowncamouflage.Ifthesurfaceisirregular,thecamerareflectionmayfallbetweenthecracks.

Additionalsubjectsinthescenecanalsoprovidecamouflage.Thereflectionofsurroundingsubjectsinthemetalcanbreakupother

6.30Thecommonproblempresentedbyashinysphere.

reflectionsthatwedonotwanttheviewertosee.IfthesurroundingobjectsinFigure6.30wereitemsappropriatetothescene,insteadofstudiotools,theycouldmakegoodcamouflage.Smallsubjectscanbeputdirectlyontopofareflectionofalargerone.

KeepingtheLightofftheCamera

Ifthecameraiskeptinthedark,thenitcannotseeitselfreflectedinthesubject.Wheneverpossible,confinethelightingtothesubject.Longlenseshelp.Acamerafartherfromthesubjectislesslikelytohaveextraneouslightfallingonit.

Ifitisimpossibletokeepthelightoffthecamera,coveringitwithblackmaterialcanworkaswell.AfewpiecesofblacktapecouldhavecoveredthebrightpartsofthecamerainFigure6.30.Blackclothorablackcardwithaholeinitcanconcealthecameraentirely.

However,thisworksonlyinastudiolargeenoughthatthesurroundingwallsdonotreflect.Inasmallerroom,buildingatentmaybetheonlysolution.

UsingaTent

Atentisawhiteenclosurethatservesasboththeenvironmentandthelightsourceforthesubject.Thesubjectgoesinsidethetentandthecameraisalmostalwaysoutside,lookinginthroughasmallopening.Tentsareoftenusedforsubjectssuchasmetal,whichproduceagreatdealofdirectreflection,buttheyaresometimesusedsimplytoproduceverysoftlightforsubjectssuchasscientificspecimensandforfashionandbeauty.

Atentcanbemadeofopaquewhitematerialsuchasacollectionofreflectorcards.Thenwecanput

thelightsinthetentandbouncethemofftheinsidewalls.Thisproducesaverysoftlight,butthelightsthemselvesreflectvisiblyinanymirror-likesubject.Moreoftenweusetranslucentmaterialsuchasfrostedplasticandprojectthelightsthroughthetentwall.

Anidealtentwouldbeatranslucentwhitedomewithnovisibleseams.Mostphotographersapproximatethisidealascloselyaspossiblewithtranslucentpaperorplastic.Figure6.31showsonewaytodothis.

Wedonotshowanylightsotherthanthesoftboxthatisastructuralpartofthistent.Additionallightsarealmostalwaysuseful,buttheirexactpositionsandsizesarehighlyoptional.Somephotographersliketolightthewholetentuniformly,whereasotherstendtolightonlyafewsmallareas.

Figure6.32wasshotinsuchatent.Thisphotographisagoodexampleoftheprinciple,butitisabadpicture.Thelightingontheballisacceptable,exceptforthedarkspotinthemiddle,whichistheholethroughwhichthecameraisseeing.

OneoftheauthorsoncemadeapicturesimilartothisoneforthecoverofadepartmentstoreChristmascatalog.Buttheperipheralareasalsoincludedbitsofribbonandgreenerytocamouflagetheseamsinthetent.

Loopingapieceoftheribbon“accidentally”acrossthefrontoftheballhidthecamera.Iftheintentoftheimagehadprecludedadditionalsubjectmattertouseforcamouflage,theonlyremedytotheproblemwouldhavebeenretouching.

Itistemptingtobuildaverylargetenttokeepthecameraasfarfromthesubjectaspossible.Intuitivelyweknowthatifthecameraisfartherfromametalsubject,thenthereflectionofthecamerawillbesmaller.However,theimageofthesubjectalsobecomessmaller,sowehavetoshootwithalongerlens.Butthis“remedy”alsoenlargesthereflectionofthecamerabacktoitsoriginalsize!Thecameraitselfisthe

6.31Buildingatentaroundthesubjectandshootingthroughaholeinitisonewayofcuttingdownonunwantedreflectionsonshinyroundsubjects.

6.32Aphotographofashinysphereshotwiththehelpofatentsuchastheonediagrammedinthepreviousfigure.

Byitself,thetentdoesnotsolvetheproblems.However,itwillmakeanyretouchingeasier.

onlyreflectionwhosesizecannotbereducedbymovingitfartheraway.Italwaysremainsconstant,relativetothesubject.Resistthetemptation;theextraworkisalwayswasted.

OTHERRESOURCES

Thebasicapproachtolightingmetalisdeterminedbythefamilyofanglesand,therefore,bytheshapeofthemetal.Beyondthebasiclighting,thereareafewmoretechniquesyoumaywanttotryatanytimewithanypieceofmetal.

Anyoftheseadditionaloptionscanbepurelycreativedecisions,buttheycanservetechnicalpurposes,too.Forexample,youmayfindthattheedgeofapieceofmetalisdisappearingintothebackground.

Keepinmind,thecloserthemetalcomestoproducingpuredirectreflection,thecloserthatreflectioncomestophotographingatthesamebrightnessasthelightsource.Aswehaveseen,thesurfaceonwhichthemetalissittingisoftenthelightsource.Iftheyareofidenticalbrightness,thecameracannotseewhereonesurfaceendsandtheotherbegins.Thisisacasewherepolarizingfilters,“blackmagic,”ordullingspraycanaddthefinishingtouchestothelighting.

PolarizingFilters

Metaldoesnotproducepolarizeddirectreflections.Therefore,wecannotusuallyusealenspolarizeralonetoblockthedirectreflectionscomingfrommetal.Remember,however,thatthelightsourcemayhavesomepolarizedrays.Ifso,theyremainpolarizedastheyreflectfromthemetal.Thisisfrequentlythecaseifthemetalisreflectingbluesky.Inthestudio,thelightreflectedfromthesurfaceonwhichthemetalrestsisoftenpartlypolarized.Ineithercase,apolarizeronthelensgivesadditionalcontroloverthebrightnessofthemetal.Evenifthereisnopolarizedlightinthescene,wecanputittherebyusingapolarizingfilteroverthelight.

BlackMagic

Blackmagicisanythingaddedtothebasiclightingsetupsolelytoplaceablack“reflection”inthemetalsurface.Blackreflectedinanedgecanhelptodifferentiateitfromthebackground.Reflectedacrossthecenterofaslightlyirregularsurface,blackmagiccanalsoadddimension.

Blackmagicusuallyinvolvestheuseofagobo.Thisworksespeciallywellwithadiffusionsheet.Placingthegobobetweenthediffusionsheetandthesubjectmakesahardblackreflection.Puttingitontheothersideofthediffusionsheetfromthesubjectcreatesasoftlygraduatedreflection.Thefartherbehindthediffusionsheetyouplacethegobo,thesofteritbecomes.

Occasionallyyoumaydecidetouseanopaquereflector(reflectinganotherlightsomewhereelseintheset)asalightsourceforthemetal.Inthiscase,agobocannotproducesoftlygraduatedblackmagic,butasoft-edgedstripeofblackspraypaintacrossthereflectorwillcreatethesameeffect.

BewareofBlueHighlights

Polarizingboththelightsandthelensmaycreatespecialproblemsifthephotographiscolorandthesubjectismetal.Polarizingfiltersallowmore

lightfromtheblueendofthespectrumtopassthroughthanfromthered.Thismakessuchafilterbehavelikeaverylightbluefilter.Theeffectisso

slightthatwedonotnoticethecolorimbalanceinacolorphotographunlessextremelyaccuratecolorrenditionisnecessary.

Evenwhentherearepolarizingfiltersonboththelensandthelights,theincreasedblueshiftisrarelyaproblemifthesubjectproducesmostly

diffusereflection.However,ifthesubjectproducesmuchdirectreflection,someofthehighlightsmaybeoffensivelyblue.Furthermore,becausethe

blueoccursonlyinthehighlights,theycan’tbefixedbygeneralcolorcorrection.

Itiseasytooverlookthesebluehighlightsifyoudonotanticipatethem,sobewarned.Iftheyhappenandyoudecidethesacrificeisworthwhile,

budgetthetimeforretouching.

DullingSpray

Dullingspraycreatesamattesurfacethatincreasesthediffusereflectionanddecreasesthedirectreflectionfromapieceofmetal.Thisallowsalittlemorefreedomtolightthemetalwithoutstrictlyobeyingthelimitationsimposedbythefamilyofangles.Unfortunately,metalwithdullingsprayonitnolongerlooksbrightlypolishedandmaynotevenlooklikemetalanylonger!

Heavy-handeduseofdullingsprayisahabittoavoid.Toaneducatedeye,itreveals,ratherthanconceals,aphotographer'sinabilitytolightmetalwell.Withthatsaid,weshouldalsoadmitthatalloftheauthorsofthisbookkeepdullingsprayhandyintheirstudios.

Trytolightthemetalaswellaspossible.Then,ifnecessary,addalittledullingsprayjusttoanoverlybrighthighlightoradisappearingedge.Keepasmuchofthegleamofthemetalasyoucan,andavoidthicklycoatingtheentiresurface.

WHEREELSEDOTHESETECHNIQUESAPPLY?

Thetechniquesweuseformetalaregoodtorememberanytimedirectreflectionisimportant.Wewillseemoreofthemintherestofthisbook.Someoftheseapplicationsmaynotbeobviousyet.Forexample,

wewillseeinthediscussionofextremesinChapter9whymuchofthetechniqueforlightingmetalisusefulforalmostanyblack-on-blacksubject,regardlessofthematerialofwhichitismade.

Othersubjectsthatproducedirectreflectionarereadilyapparent.Oneofthemisglass.Glass,however,offersadditionalopportunitiesandchallengesofitsown.Wewillseewhyinthenextchapter.

TheCaseoftheDisappearingGlass

Thedistantgeniuswhofirstfusedsandintoglasshastrickedtheeyesanddelightedthebrainsofeverygenerationofhumanstofollow.Ithasperhapsalsograyedthehairandwastedthetimeofmorephotographersthananyothersubstance.However,attemptingtoreproducetheappearanceofglassneednotleadtothephotographicdisasterswesooftensee.Thischapterdiscussestheprinciples,theproblems,andsomestraightforwardsolutionstothebasicchallengesthatglassoffers.

THEPRINCIPLES

Theappearanceofglassisdeterminedbymanyofthesameprincipleswediscussedintheprecedingchapteronmetal.Likemetal,almostallreflectionproducedbyglassisdirectreflection.Unlikemetal,however,thisdirectreflectionisoftenpolarized.Wemightexpectthetechniquesusedforlightingglasstobesimilartothoseusedformetal.Wemightfindapolarizingfilterusefulmoreoften,butotherwiseapplythesamemethods.

However,thisisnotso.Whenwelightmetal,weareprimarilyinterestedinthesurfacesfacingthecamera.Iftheylookright,thenminoradjustmentscanusuallytakecareofthedetails.Lightingglass,however,requiresattentiontotheedges.Iftheedgesareclearlydefined,wecanoftenignorethefrontsurfacealtogether.

THEPROBLEMS

Theproblemscausedbyglasswarearearesultoftheverynatureofthematerial.Itistransparent.Frommostangles,lightstrikingthevisibleedgeofapieceofglasswaredoesnotreflectinthedirectionoftheviewer.Suchanedgeisinvisible.Aninvisibleglasshasnoshapeorform.Tomakemattersworse,thefewtinyreflectionswedoseeareoftentoosmallandtoobrighttotelltheanythingaboutsurfacedetailortexture.

Figure7.1showsbothproblems.Thedirectreflectionsofthelightsilluminatingthescenedonothingbutdistractfromthecomposition.Theyarenotadequatetodefinethesurfaceoftheglass.

7.1Theproblemswiththispicturearecausedbythenatureoftheglassfromwhichthesubjectsaremade.Theglassisbothtransparentandhighlyreflective.

Thelackofaclearlydefinedformisanevenmoreseriousproblem.Withnoclearoutlinesandnomarkeddifferencesinedgetonality,theglassmergeswiththebackground.

THESOLUTIONS

Havingseenwhatdoesnotwork,looknowatFigure7.2.Comparethevisibilityoftheglassshowninitwiththatshownintheearlierphotograph.Bothphotographsshowthesameglasswareandthesame

7.2Goodedgedefinitionisessentialtolightingglass.

background,andbotharemadefromthesameviewpointwiththesamelens.Asyoucansee,however,thedifferenceisdramatic.

Inthesecondphotograph,strongblacklinesdelineatetheshapeoftheglass.Nodistractingreflectionsmarthesurface.Bycomparingthesetwophotographs,wecanlistourobjectivesinglasswarephotography.Ifwewanttoproduceapicturethatclearlyandpleasinglyreproducestheglassware,wemustdothefollowing:

1.Producestronglinesalongtheedgesofthesubject.Theselinesdelineateitsshapeandsetitapartfromthebackground.

2.Eliminatedistractingreflectionsofthelightsandotherequipmentweareusing.

Let'slookatsomeofthespecificwayswecanaccomplishtheseobjectives.Wewillbeginbylookingatsome“ideal”shootingsituations.Thesewillhelpusdemonstratethebasictechniques.Later,wewillhavetogobeyondthosebasicstoovercomeproblemsthatarisewhenevernonglassobjectsareinthesamescene.Wewillbeginbytalkingaboutourfirstobjective,edgedefinition.

TWOATTRACTIVEOPPOSITES

Wecanavoidalmostalltheproblemsassociatedwithedgedefinitionbyusingoneoftwobasiclighting

arrangements.Wewillcallthesethebright-fieldandthedark-fieldmethods.Wecouldalsocallthemdark-

on-lightandlight-on-darkapproaches.

Theresultsofthesetwoareasoppositeasthetermsimply,butwewillseethattheprinciplesguidingthemareidentical.Bothmethodsproducethestrongtonaldifferencesbetweenthesubjectandthebackgroundthatdelineateedgestodefinetheshapeofglassware.

Bright-FieldLighting

Figure7.2isanexampleofthebright-fieldapproachtolightingglass.Thebackgrounddictateshowwemusttreatanyglasssubject.Onabrightbackground,wehavetokeeptheglassdarkifitistoremainvisible.

IfyouhavereadChapter2andthechaptersfollowingit,youhavealreadyguessedthatthebright-fieldmethodrequireseliminatingalldirectreflectionfromtheedgeoftheglasssurface.Youalsoshouldbeabletoseewhyweneedtobeginthisdiscussionbyexaminingthefamilyofanglesthatdeterminesdirectreflectionfromthisparticularsubject.

LookatFigure7.3.Itisabird’s-eyeviewofthefamilyofanglesthatcanproducedirectreflectiononasingleroundglass.Wecoulddrawasimilardiagramforeachpieceofglasswareinourexamplephotograph.

7.3ThelimitsofthefamilyofanglesinthisdiagramaremarkedbyL.Lightfromthesetwopointsdeterminestheappearanceoftheedgeoftheglass.

Thefamilyofanglesinthisdiagramissimilartothatdefinedbyroundmetalinthepreviouschapter.Thistime,however,wearenotinterestedinmostofthatfamily.Fornow,wecareonlyabouttheextremelimitsofthefamilyofangles,labeledLinthediagram.

Lightfromthesetwoanglesdeterminestheappearanceoftheedgeoftheglass.

Theselimitstelluswherethelightmustbeiftheedgesoftheglassaretobebrightinthepicturesor,conversely,whereitmustnotbeiftheedgesaretoremaindark.Becauseinthebright-fieldapproachwedonotwanttheedgeoftheglasstobebrightinthephotograph,there

mustbenolightalongthelinesmarkedLinthediagram.161

DarkBackgroundorNoBackground

Visible

Background

Subject

forOpaqueBackground

forTranslucentBackground

DarkBackgroundorNoBackground

7.4Thisisonewaytoproducethebright-fieldilluminationusedinFigure7.2.Wewouldrarelyusebothlightsshown.Eitherlightingpositionworks,dependingonthebackground.

Figure7.4illustratesonegoodwaytoproduceabright-fieldglassphotograph.Itisnottheonlyway,butitisagoodexercisethatwesuggestyoutryifyouhavenotdoneitbefore.Lookatthewaythelightbehavesineachstep.Thiswillmakeiteasytopredictwhatwillworkandwhatwillnotinanyvariationonthisarrangementyoudecidetotryinthefuture.

Thesestepsworkbestinthelistedsequence.Noticethatwedonotbothertoputthesubjectintothesceneuntilneartheendoftheprocess.

ChoosetheBackground

Beginbysettingupalight-tonedbackground.Wecanuseanyconve—162nientmaterial.Translucentmaterialssuchastracingpaper,cloth,and

plasticshowercurtainsareafewgoodmaterialstotry.Wemightalsouseopaquesurfaces,suchaslight-tonedwalls,cardboard,orfoamcore.

PositiontheLight

Now,placealightsothatitilluminatesthebackgroundevenly.Figure7.4showstwopossiblewaystoaccomplishthis;bothcanproduceidenticalresults.Usuallythephotographerusesoneortheother,rarelyboth.

Figure7.2wasshotusingalightbehindtranslucentpaper.Thisisaparticularlyconvenientsetupbecauseitkeepstheworkspacearoundboththecameraandthesubjectfreeanduncluttered.

Wecanalsouseanopaquesurfacesuchasawallforthebackground.Ifwedo,weneedtofindaplacetopositionthelightsothatitwilllightthebackgroundwithoutreflectingintheglassorappearingintheimagearea.Puttingthelightonashortstandbehindandbelowtheglassisonegoodway.

PositiontheCamera

Now,placethecamerasothatthebackgroundexactlyfillsitsfieldofview.Thisstepiscriticalbecausethedistancefromthecameratothebackgroundcontrolstheeffectivesizeofthebackground.

Theeffectivesizeofthebackgroundisthesinglemostimportantconsiderationwhenusingthistechnique.Forthisexercisetobemosteffective,thebackgroundmustexactlyfillthefieldofviewofthecamera,nomoreandnoless.

Abackgroundthatistoosmallisanobviousproblem:itsimplywillnotfillthepicture.Alargerbackgroundcausesasubtlerproblem.Abackgroundtoolargewillextendintothefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflectionontheedgeoftheglass.Lightfromthosepointseliminatesthedarkoutline

thatweneedtodefinetheedgeoftheglass.

Ifthebackgroundsurfaceissolargethatwecannotkeepitfromextendingbeyondthelimitsoftheviewfinder(e.g.,thewallofaroom),wecanalsoreduceitseffectivesizebylightingonlyasmallportionofitstotalsurfaceorbycoveringpartofitwithdarkcards.

PositiontheSubjectandFocustheCamera

Next,movethesubjectbackandforthbetweenthecameraandthebackgrounduntilitisthedesiredsizeintheviewfinder.

Aswemovethesubject,wenoticethatthecloseritistothecamera,themoreclearlytheedgesaredefined.Thisincreaseinedgedefinitionisnotbroughtaboutbythesimpleprinciplethatlargerdetailiseasiertosee.Rather,itiscausedbythefactthatasthesubjectmovesfartherfromthelightedbackground,lesslightreflectsoffitsedges.Thecloserthesubjectistothebackground,themorethebrightbackgroundfallswithinthefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflectiontoobscurethoseedges.

Now,focusthecameraonthesubject.Refocusingwillslightlyincreasetheeffectivesizeofthebackground,butthatincreasewillusuallynotbeenoughtocauseanypracticalproblems.

ShootthePicture

Finally,useareflectionmeter(theonebuiltintomostcamerasisfine)toreadthelightonanareaonthebackgrounddirectlybehindthesubject.

Bright-fieldilluminationdoesnotrequireapurewhitebackground.Aslongasthebackgroundisanytonesignificantlybrighterthantheedgesoftheglass,thenthatglasswillbeadequatelyvisible.Iftheglassistheonlysubjecttoworryabout,wecancontrolthebrightnessofthebackgroundbythewayweinterpretthemeterreading:

•Ifwewantthebackgroundtoappearasamedium(18%)gray,weusetheexposurethatthemeterindicates.

•Ifwewantthebackgroundtophotographasalightgraythatapproacheswhite,weincreasetheexposureuptotwostopsmorethanthemeterindicates.

•Ifwewantthebackgroundtobedark,thenweexposeasmuchastwostopslessthanindicated.Thiswillproduceaverydarkgraybackground.

Inthisscenethereisnosuchthingas“correct”exposure.Theonlycorrectexposureistheonethatwelike.Wecanplacethetoneofthebackgroundanywherewelikeonthegrayscaleexceptblack.(Iftheedgeoftheglassisblackandthebackgroundisblack,thereisnothinglefttorecord!)Inpractice,thelighterthebackground,themoregraphicallytheglassisdefined.

•Ifwedoexposetokeepthebackgroundverylight,wedonothavetoworryaboutextraneousreflectioninthefrontsurfaceoftheglass.Whateverreflectionsexistarealmostalwaystoodimtobe

visibleagainstthebackground.However,ifwedecidetoexposetoproduceamediumordarkgraybackground,surroundingobjectsmayreflectvisiblyintheglass.Wewilloffersomewaystoeliminatethesereflectionslaterinthischapter.

Inprinciple,thereisnothingparticularlycomplicatedaboutthebright-fieldapproachtophotographingglassware.Ofcourse,wehaveusedan“ideal”exampletodemonstratetheprincipleasclearlyaspossible.Inpractice,complicationsmayoccurwheneverwedecidetodeviatefromthisideal.

Forexample,manycompositionswillforceustokeeptheglassmuchsmaller,comparedwiththebackground,thaninourexercise.Thatwillreduceedgedefinition.Whetherthesacrificewillbesignificantdependsonwhatelseisinthephotograph.

Ofcourse,understandingtheprincipleandbecomingfamiliarwithwhytheidealworksgivesustheunderstandingthatprovidesthebestsolutioninlessthanidealsituations.Ifacompositionproducesbadlighting,theidealexplainstheproblemandsuggestsaremedy.Ifaparticularcompositionpreventsanyremedy,thentheidealtellsusthat,too.Weneednotwastetimetryingtoaccomplishwhatphysicssaysisimpossible.

Dark-FieldLighting

Thedark-fieldmethodproducestheoppositeresult,illustratedinFigure7.5.

ReviewthefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflectioninFigure7.3.Wesawthatinthepreviousarrangementtheremustbenolightatthelimitsofthefamilyofangles,L,iftheedgeoftheglassistoremaindark.Itmakessensetosuppose,then,thatthelightmustcomefromLiftheedgeoftheglassistobebright.Furthermore,ifwedonotwantotherbrightdistractionsintheglass,thentheglassmustnotseelightatanyotherpoint.

Figure7.6showsthespecificstoputthetheorytowork.Onceagain,wewillpresentthetechniqueinfivesteps.Someofthemareidenticaltothoseusedintheearlierbright-fieldapproach.

SetupaLargeLightSource

Onfirstexamination,thebird's-eyeviewinFigure7.3seemstoindicatetheneedforlightattwopoints.This,however,isarepresentationaldefectcausedbyhavingtodrawinonlytwodimensions.Inactuality,suchanarrangementwouldlightonlyapointoneachsideoftheglass.

Tokeeptherimbright,asimilarlightsourcemustbeplacedaboveandbehindtheglass.Furthermore,iftheglassisastemmedglasswithabowl,thenyetanotherlightsourcemustbeaddedtoilluminatethebottomofthatbowl.

7.5Indark-fieldillumination,shapeandformaredelineatedbylightlinesagainstadarkbackground.

Soweneedfourlargesourcestolightjusttheedgesofasingletinyglass!Thisarrangementwouldbeunwieldyatbest.Weusuallyavoidsuchacomplexclutterbyreplacingalloftheselightswithasinglesourcelargeenoughtoilluminatethetop,bottom,andsidesoftheglass.Theexactsizeofthislightsourceisnotcritical.Anysizebetween10and25timesthediameterofthesubjectwillworkwell.

Figures7.6and7.7showtwogoodwaystocreateanappropriatelylargelightsource.Oneistranslucentandtheotherisopaque.

SetupaDarkBackgroundSmallerThantheLightSource

Thereareseveralwaystodothis.Theeasiestway,showninFigure7.6,istoattachadarkcarddirectlytothetranslucentlightsource.

7.6Thisisonegoodwaytoproducedark-fieldlighting.

Anopaquesurfacesuchasawallcanalsomakeanexcellentlightsource.Wesimplyneedtoilluminateitwithreflectedlight.Suchanarrangementmayprecludeputtingthedarkbackgrounddirectlyonthewallbecauseitmaygettoomuchlighttophotographasdarkaswewant.

Instead,welikethesetupusedinFigure7.7,whichallowslightingtheopaquereflectivesurfaceasbrightlyaswelikewithoutallowingsignificantlighttofallonthebackgroundthatthecamerasees.Attachingthedarkbackgroundtoalightstandorsuspendingitfromabovewithstringworksfine.

Theresultofbothofthesearrangementsisthesame:adarkbackgroundissurroundedbybrightlight.

Likethelightsource,theexactsizeofthebackgroundisnotcritical.Aswiththebright-fieldapproach,wecanadjusttheeffectivebackgroundsizebythecameradistance.Theonlysizelimitationisthatthedarkbackgroundmustbesmallenoughtoleaveplentyoflightvisiblearoundit.

Background

BlackCard-

7.7Thissetupallowsyoutolighttheopaquereflectivesurfacebrightlywithoutlightingthepartofthebackgroundthatthecamerasees.

Subject

PositiontheCamera

Again,thebackgroundshouldexactlyfillthefieldofviewofthecamera—nomoreandnoless.Thisisimportantforreasonssimilartothoseinthebright-fieldapproach.Ifthedarkbackgroundistoolarge,itwillextendintothefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflection.Thatwouldblocklightneededtobrightlydefinetheedgeoftheglassandtokeepitfromdisappearingintothedarkbackground.

PositiontheSubjectandFocustheCamera

Next,movethesubjectbetweenthecameraandthebackgrounduntilitisthesizewewant.Onceagain,edgedefinitionimprovesasthesubjectmovesclosertothecamera.Finally,focusthecameraonthesubject.Asinthebright-fieldmethod,thechangeinbackgroundsizecausedbyrefocusingwillbetoominimaltocauseproblems.

ShootthePicture

Accurateexposuredeterminationwiththissetuprequirestheuseofaverynarrow-anglespotmetertoreadthehighlightsontheedgesoftheglass.Inmostcompositionsofthissort,“verynarrowangle”means

muchlessthan1degree.Almostnophotographershavesuchameter.Donotdespair.Fortunately,anyconventionalreflectionmeter(includingthoseinmanycameras)cangiveanacceptablycloseapproximationofthedesiredexposurewiththehelpofbracketing.

Toseewhythefollowingmethodworks,wemustrememberthatpuredirectreflectionsfromasubjectareasbrightasthelightsourcethatproducesthem.Thosereflectionsmaybetoosmalltoread,butthelargesourceisnot.

First,placethemetercloseenoughtothelightsourcetoreaditalone.Readtheedgeofthelightsourcebecausethatisthepartilluminatingtheglass.

Next,tophotographtheglassasnearwhite,exposetwostopsmorethanthemeterindicates.(Thisisbecausethemeterthinksitisseeing18%grayinsteadofwhite.)Thisisagoodexposureifthehighlightontheglassisperfectunpolarizeddirectreflection.Suchanexposureistheoreticallyimportantbecauseitdeterminesthestartingpointforthebracket.Inpractice,thereisnopracticalchancethatthedirectreflectionisbothperfectandunpolarized,sowemaywantsimplytonotethisexposureandtomoveontothenextone.Becauseperfectdirectreflectionsrarelyoccur,tryadditionalexposureswithone,two,andthenthreestopsmoreexposure.

Allofthisassumesthebackgroundremainsblackbecauselittleornolightisfallingonit.If,however,

wedesireittobealightervalue,itwillthenbenecessarytouseadditionallightjustforthebackground.Omittingthisadditionallightandattemptingtolightenthebackgroundbyincreasingexposure(accordingtothemeteringprocedurerecommendedinthediscussionofthebright-fieldmethod)willusuallyoverexposethesubject.

Onceagain,wehaveusedanidealexamplethatavoidscomplexitiesforthesakeofsimplicity.Deviatefromthisidealasmuchasthecompositionrequiresbutnomore.

THEBESTOFBOTHWORLDS

Bright-fieldanddark-fieldmethodsareeasytolearn,buttheycanbedifficulttocombine.Mostfailuresinphotographingglassresultfromdeliberatelyornaivelyusingbothsimultaneously.

Forexample,wehaveknownsomephotographerswhotriedtolightglassinatentliketheonedescribedinthepreviouschapter.Theysuccessfullyeliminatedextraneousreflections,buttheyequallysuccessfullyeliminatedtheedgeoftheglass.Thepartofthetentvisibletothecameraprovidedalightbackground.Therestofthetentlittheglass.Theresultwasthelight-on-lightapproach.

7.8Aclassiclightingarrangementinwhichpartofthesceneisbrightfieldandtheotherpartisdarkfield.

Usingthetwomethodstogetherrequiresthatwekeepthemseparate,eveninasinglepicture.Wemakeamentaldivisionofthesceneanddecidethatonepartofthepictureistobebrightfieldwhiletheotheristobedarkfield.WehavedonethisinFigure7.8,inwhichthefrostedwhiteplasticisilluminatedfrombelowbyasmalllight.

Noticethatwehavenottrulycombinedthetwobasicmethods.Partisbrightfieldandpartisdarkfield.Whereverthetwomethodsremaindistinct,theglassiswelldefined.Onlyinthetransitionarea

dothetwomethodsmix.Therecanbeanoticeablelossthere.However,bykeepingthetransitionsmallthisproblemcanbeminimized.

SOMEFINISHINGTOUCHES

Uptothispointwehavediscussedtechniquesthatdefinetheshapeofglassware.Asyouhaveseen,wecandefinethesubjectshapebyusingeitherdarklinesagainstalightbackgroundorbyusinglightlines

againstadarkbackground.Thesetwotechniquesarethefoundationforlightingglass.However,weoftenneedadditionaltechniquestoproduceasatisfactoryphotograph.Intheremainderofthischapter,wewilldiscusssomefinishingtouches.Specifically,wewillexaminehowtoaccomplishthefollowing:

1.Definethesurfaceofglassware.

2.Illuminatethebackground.

3.Minimizethehorizon.

4.Stopflare.

5.Eliminateextraneousreflections.

Becausethesetechniquesareprimarilyusefulindark-fieldsituations,wewilldemonstratethemusingthatapproach.

DefiningtheSurfaceofGlassware

Inmanysituations,itisnotenoughmerelytodefinetheedgesofasubject.Itisnotenoughjusttoshowitsshape,nomatterhowbeautifullywedoit.Frequently,thephotographmustalsoclearlyshowtheglasssurface.Toaccomplishthis,wemustcarefullymanagethehighlightsthatreflectfromthesurfaceofthesubject.

Largehighlightsareessentialtoglasssurfacedefinition.Toseeproofofthis,comparethehighlightsonFigure7.9withthoseseenearlierinFigure7.1.

ThetinybrightspotsinFigure7.1areharshlydistractingattheleastandmeaninglessatbest.TheoppositeistrueinFigure7.9.Insteadofcompeting,thelargerhighlightsprovidetheviewerwithinformation.Ratherthanclutteringtheotherelementsofthephotographfortheattentionoftheviewer,itservestheconstructivepurposeofsaying,“Thisishowthisglasssurfacelooksandfeels.”

Definingaglasssurfacerequiresahighlightoftherightsizeintherightplaceonthesurfaceofthesubject.Fortunately,thatisnottoodifficult.Doingitsuccessfullysimplyrequiresrememberingwhatthetheoryofreflectiontellsusabouthowdirectreflectionbehaves.

Wehaveseenthatalmostallreflectionsfromaglasssurfacearedirectreflectionsandthatdirectreflectionsalwaysobeystrictrulesthatpredicttheanglesatwhichtheyoccur.Now,lookatFigure7.10.

Assumingwewanttocreateahighlightontheareashownontheglasssurface,weneedtofilltheindicatedfamilyofangleswithlight.Theseareallofthedirectionsandtheonlydirectionsfromwhichlightcanproducedirectreflectiononthatpartoftheglass.

Noticethattheroundedglasscausesthissmallsubjecttoreflectmuchofthestudioinitssurface.Forthisreason,lightingforsurfacedefinitioncansometimesrequiresurprisinglylargelightsources.

7.9Largehighlightsaddsurfacedefinitiontotheglasswareinthispicture.

Figure7.10showstwopossiblewaystoprovidesuchalightsource.Lightsourcesateitherofthetwopositionswouldlighttheglassequallywell.However,oneneedstobeseveraltimesthesizeoftheotherifitistocovertherequiredfamilyofangles.

Determiningthedistancebetweenthephotographiclightandthediffusionsheetcanbeanimportantdecision.Noticethatinthefirstphotographinthisseries,thelightwascloseenoughtolightbrightlyonlythecenterofthediffusionmaterial.Figure7.11showsan

Subject

PossibleDiffusionSheetPositions

¥’Pr¥

7.10Creatingahighlightontheindicatedsurfacerequiresfillingitsfamilyofangleswithlight.Inthisdiagram,alighteddiffusionsheetreflectsontheglasssurfacetoproducethehighlight.

alternativemethod.Herewehavepulledthelightheadfartherback.Thisallowsthefullrectangleofthediffusionsheettobelitandtobereflectedintheglasssurface.

Lightingthewholediffusionsheetmoreevenlyproducesalargerhighlight,butweusuallywanttokeepthatlargerhighlightdimmer.Hadwelitthewholediffusionsheetbrightly,itwouldhavereflectedintheglassasanobvioushard-edgedrectangle.Thisreflectionwouldhaveadvertisedthepresenceofastudiolightanddetractedfromtherealityofthescene.

Regardlessofwhereweputthelight,wesometimesminimizethestudiolookwithstripsofblacktapeonthediffusionsheet.Then

7.11ComparethelargehighlightinthispicturewiththatinFigure7.9.Thistimewepositionedthelightfarenoughawayfromthediffusionsheetthattheentiresheetwaslitandreflectedintheglass.

thereflectionofthelightappearstobethatofawindow,asshowninFigure7.12.

Beforewemoveon,noticethatthesearethefirstexamplesinthischapterinwhichthelightdoesnotcomefrombehindtheglass.Thisenablesustobetterdefineglassthatdoesnothaveasimple,smoothsurface.Itisalsousefulwhenthereareadditionalnontransparentsubjectsinthescene.Laterinthischapterwewillseemoreexamplesofthistechnique.

7.12Weusedtapetoreducethe“studiolook”ofthisshotandtogivetheillusionofawindowbeingreflectedontheglasssurface.

IlluminatingtheBackground

Thebasicdark-fieldapproachproducesapictureinwhichthebackgroundappearsdarkregardlessoftheactualtoneofthebackgroundmaterial.Brighteningthatbackgroundmaterialrequiresanadditionallightsource.

Tobrightenadark-fieldbackground,wesimplyputanadditionallightonthedarkbackground.Wepositionthislightsimilarlytoone

usedtoproducebright-fieldilluminationonawhiteopaquebackground.Usually,wecanevenusealightofsimilarintensitybecausethedarkerbackgroundmaterialwillkeeptheresultfrombecomingabright-fieldphotograph.

Figure7.13wasmadethisway.Noticethatthetoneofthebackgroundhasbeenlightenedtoamediumgrayandthattheglassisfreefromanyextraneousreflections.

7.13Alightonthebackgroundsignificantlybrightenedareasofthebackgroundinthisdark-fieldshot.

MinimizingtheHorizon

Glassthingshavetobeputontables;tablescausehorizonlinesinphotographs.Whatcanwedoifwedecidethatthehorizonisanundesirabledistraction?

Eliminatingthehorizoniseasierinphotographsofsubjectsotherthanglass.Nonglassphotographicsubjectsallowustousealargeenoughtabletokeepthetableedgeoutoftheimagearea.Alternatively,wecanuseasweepofseamlesspaper,raisingitstopedgehighenoughtopreventthecamerafromseeingit.Thesemethodswillworkforglasssubjectstoo,butnotaswell.

Rememberthatthebestlightingoftheglassrequiresabackgroundthatbarelyfillstheimagearea.Largetablesandpapersurfacesinterferewiththisrequirement.Ifthebackgroundislight,wecancoverwhateverpartdoesn'tshowinthescenewithanythingdark.Thisproducesreasonablygoodbright-fieldillumination.

Wecanalsousewhiteorsilverreflectorstocoverpartofadarktablefordark-fieldillumination.This

tendstobesomewhatlesseffectivebecausethelightonthereflectorsisthesamesourceilluminatingthetable.Therightamountoflightonthereflectorsmaybetoomuchforthetable.Therefore,ifthetableisnotanessentialelementinthecomposition,wewouldprefertogetridofitaltogether.Wecannotdothat,butthereareseveralwaystoapproximatetheeffect.

Atransparentglassoracrylictablesurfaceresemblesanonexistenttablemorecloselythananythingelse.Inmostprecedingphotographs,weusedatransparenttable.Thebackgroundwasvisiblethroughthetable,sothedistractinghorizonlinewasminimized.Thetransparencyofthetableallowedthebackgroundlighttopassthroughandilluminatethesceneasifthetabledidnotexist.Figure7.14showslightcriticaltodefiningthisglass,whichcouldpassthroughatransparenttablebutwouldbeblockedbyanopaqueone.

Anotherreasonableapproachistoplacethesubjectonamirror.Thereflectionofthebackgroundinthemirrorshowslessabrupttonaldifferencebetweenthebackgroundandtheforegroundthanotheropaquesurfaces.Evenbetter,reflectionfromthemirrorsurfacecanlightglasssurfacesalmostaswellaslightpassingthroughatransparenttable.Thehorizonislikelytobevisiblebutlessobtrusive.Aninterestingvariationonbothoftheseapproachesistomisttheglasstablewithwater,thusdisruptingandcamouflaginganypotentiallydisturbingreflectionsofthesubject.

However,evenatransparenttableoramirrorcanproduceaslighthorizonline,andtherearesituationswhenreducingthevisibilityofthehorizonisnotgoodenough.Somepicturesrequirethatthehorizonbe

Diffusion

Material

Subject

Blocked

7.14Atransparenttableallowslighttopassthroughasifthetabledidn’texist,butanopaquetableblockslightessentialforedgedefinition.

eliminatedaltogether.Intheseinstances,wecanuseapaperwedgeliketheoneshowninFigure7.15.

Inthisexample,thepaperwedgeistapeddirectlytoalargesheetofdiffusionmaterial.Alightbehind

thediffusionmaterialprovidesillumination.Ifwecutthepaperwedgecarefullysothatitfitsthefieldofviewofthecameraexactly,therewillbenosacrificeofthelightingquality.Figure7.16showstheresultofsuchanarrangement.

StoppingFlare

Thebasicdark-fieldapproachtophotographingglasswareisprobablytheworstflare-producingarrangementthatwecouldencounter.

7.15Apaperwedgesuchasthisonewilleliminatethehorizonbutmaintainedgedefinition.

Wehavediscussedtheprinciplesofcameraflareinearlierchapters.

Dark-fieldlightingexaggeratestheproblembygivingcameraflaretheopportunitytooccuronallfoursidesoftheimage.Figure7.17isanextremeexample.

Eveniftheflareisnotbadenoughtoproduceavisiblefoggingoftheedgeoftheimage,thegeneraldegradationoftheimagefromallsidesaccumulates.Atbest,wegetapicturewithlowcontrast.

Fortunately,thisproblemiseasytocorrectifweunderstandandanticipateit.Weusegobosjustaswedidearlierinthisbook,butwehavetoremembertoblockthenonimaginglightstrikingthelensfromallfoursidesofthefieldofview.

Wemakesuchagobooffourcardboardbladesorofasingleboardwitharectangularhole.Thenweclampittoalightstandinfrontofthe

7.16AphotographmadeusingthepaperwedgeillustratedinFigure7.15.Theedgedefinitionisgoodonalmostallpartsoftheglass,andthereisnohorizon.

EliminatingExtraneousReflections

Becauseglassreflectsinamirror-likemanner,anythingintheroommayreflectinthesubject.Therefore,aftersatisfactorilylightingapieceofglassware,wemustfinishthejobbyremovinganyextraneousreflectionscausedwhileputtingtogetherthesetup.Thisisespecially

7.17Becausecameraflarecanoccuronallfoursidesoftheimage,itisessentialtousegobostopreventitwhenusingdark-fieldlighting.

trueofdark-fieldlightingbecausethedarkbackgroundvisiblethroughtheglassmakesthebrighterextraneousreflectionsparticularlyvisible.

Thefirststepingettingridoftheseunwantedreflectionsistofindwhichobjectsinthesurroundingareaarebeingmirroredintheglasssurface.Oncewehavedonethis,therearethreebasicstrategiesfromwhichtochoose.Oftenweuseacombinationofthesestrategies:

1.Eliminateobjectsthatcreateoffendingreflections.Theeasiestwaytodealwithhighlyreflectiveobjectssuchasextralightstandsandunusedreflectorcardsissimplytogetthemoutoftheroom.

7.18Lightingthediffusionsheetcanalsolightthecamera,causingareflectionofthecamerainthesubject.Inthissetupwehaveusedablackcardasagobotopreventtheproblem.

2.Blockthelightfallingontheoffendingobjects.NoticethatinFigure7.18,thelightthatissupposedtolightthediffusionsheetnexttothecameraisalsofallingonthecameraitself.Agobobetweenthelight

onthecameradarkensthereflectionofthecamerasufficientlythatitisnolongervisibleinthesurfaceoftheglass.

3.Darkentheobject.Finally,ifthelightcannotbeblockedfromtheoffendingobject,wemaybeabletosufficientlydarkentheobjectbycoveringitwithblackcardsorcloth.

COMPLICATIONSFROMNONGLASSSUBJECTS

Theinformationthatwehavepresentedsofarinthischapterisallweneedtolightglasssubjects.However,inmanycasesweneedtoincludenonglassobjectsinthesamepicture.Thebestlightingfortheglassmaybetheworstlightingfortherestofthescene.

Asexamples,wewilllookatthetwosubjectsmostlikelytoaccompanyglass:aliquidinaglassandalabelonabottle.Theremediesweproposewillbeusefulforothersubjectsaswell.

LiquidsinGlass

Weareoftencalledontophotographglasswarefilledwithliquid.Bottlesfullofbeer,glassesfullofwine,vialsfullofperfume,andbowlsfulloffishallproduceaninterestingchallenge.

LiquidasaLens

Opticallawsdictatethataround,transparentcontainerfilledwithaliquidis,infact,alens.Thetroublesomeresultofthisisthataliquid-filledsubjectmayrevealsurroundingsthatwewouldprefertheviewernotsee.

Figure7.19isagoodexampleofwhatcanhappen.Itwasmadefromthesame“normal”viewpointusedearlierfortheglasswithoutliquid.

7.19Noticehowthe“liquidlens”inthiswineglassrevealstheedgeofthebackgroundanddarkenstheapparentcoloroftheliquid.

Weseethatabackgroundlargeenoughtofillthefieldofviewofthecameraisnotlargeenoughtofillthefieldofview

thatisseenthroughtheliquid.Thewhiterectangleinthecenteroftheglassisthebackground.Thedarkareaarounditis

therestofthestudio.

Ourfirstinclinationmightbetousealargerbackground(ortoincreasetheeffectivesizeofthebackgroundbymovingit

closer).However,wehaveseenthatusingabackgroundlargerthanthefieldofviewsacrificesthebestdelineationofthe

glass.Suchasolutionissometimespractical—butnotinachapterdevotedspecificallytowell-definedglass!Forthe

presentneed,wewillhavetothinkofanothertechnique.

Thesolutiontothisproblemrequiressimplymovingthecameraclosertothesubject.Then,ifnecessary,substitutea

shorterfocal-lengthlenstoobtainasimilarimagesize.Thisenablestheexistingbackgroundtofilltheareaseenthrough

theliquid.

Remember,however,thatacloserviewpointalwaysincreasesperspectivedistortion.Theincreaseddistortionisapparent

inthedeeperellipseoftherimoftheglass,asshowninFigure7.20.Mostpeoplewouldnotconsiderthisadefectinthis

particularphotograph,butthedistortioncouldbeoffensiveinanotherscenewithotherimportantsubjectsorfromahigher

orlowerviewpoint.

KeepingTrueColor

Supposeaclientneedsapictureofaglassoflightbeerinfrontofadarkbackground.Aliquidinatransparentcontainer

alwaystakesonthecolorofitsbackground.Ifwearenotcareful,wewillturnthelightbeerintoadarkone!Theproblem

isshowninFigure7.21.

Thesolutiontothisproblemistosetupasecondarywhiteorsilverbackgroundjustbehindtheglass.Thissecondary

backgroundmustbethesameshapeasthesubject,eveniftheglassisstemmedorhasanirregularshape.Thesecondary

backgroundmustalsobelargeenoughtofillasmuchoftheareabehindtheliquidaspossible,withoutextendingfar

enoughtobevisiblebeyondtheedgesoftheglass.Allthissoundstedious,butinpracticeitisnot.Figure7.22showsone

easywaytoconstructthesetup.Herearethesteps:

1.Placeawhiteorsilvercardbehindthesubject.Somephotographerspreferafoilwithacolorsimilartotheliquid,

suchasgoldforbeer.Aflexiblewiretapedtothetablesurfacecanmakeaninvisiblesupportforthecard,butdonot

attachthecardfirmlyyet.

2.Removethecamera,andreplaceitwithatestlightaimedatthesubject.Thiswillcastashadowofthesubjectonthe

materialfromwhichwecutthebackground.

7.20Movingthecameraclosertothesubjectallowedthebackgroundtofilltheentireareaseenthroughtheliquid-filledglass.

3.Outlinetheshadowofthesubjectonthebackground.Afelt-tipmarkerishandyforthis.Afteroutliningtheshadow,

removethecardandcutitout.

4.Repositionthecutoutbehindthesubject.Atthispoint,wecanalsoremovethetestlightandreplaceitwiththe

camera.Lookat

7.21Inthisshot,adarkbackgroundhasturnedalightbeerintoadarkone.

7.22Onesetupthatusesasecondarybackgroundwithalight,neutraltone.

LightforSecondaryBackground

Turnedoffwhilemakingtracing

TestLight

Temporarily

Replaces

Camera

ShadowCastbyTestLight

SecondaryBackground

7.23Thebeerhastherightcolorthistime,thankstoalight-coloredsecondarybackground.

thesubjectthroughthecameraandmakesurethatthecardandthecameraareaccuratelypositionedandthattheedgesof

thecardcannotbeseen.

5.Placeanadditionallightsothatitilluminatesonlythecutout.Usebarndoorstokeepthelightoffthelensandthe

subject.Figure7.23showstheresult.

SecondaryOpaqueSubjects

Aliquidislikelytobetheonlytransparentsecondarysubjectinaphotographofglass.Othersecondarysubjectsaremore

oftenopaqueand,therefore,morelikelytoneedlightingtechniquesbeyondthoseadequateforthetransparentglass.

TheusuallightingforsuchascenebeginswiththelightingarrangementusedearlierinFigure7.10.Thesamelightthat

producesa

highlightonthefrontsurfaceoftheglasscanalsogivegoodilluminationforanopaquesecondarysubject.Inmanycases,

thisisenough.Thenextstepistomaketheexposure.

Unfortunately,othersubjectsrequiremorework.Apaperlabelisoneofthemostcommonexamples.Rememberthatwe

seeneitherperfectdirectnorperfectdiffusereflectioninnature.Althoughmostofthereflectionproducedbymostpaperis

diffusereflection,someofitisdirect.Thelightingthatproducesdirectreflectionontheglasssurfaceisalsolikelyto

obscurethepaperlabel.Figure7.24isanextremeexample.

Thisparticularcamerapositionallowstworemediestothisproblem.Oneistomovetheoffendinglighthigher;thenany

directreflectionfromthepapergoesdownwardinsteadoftowardthelens.

7.24Thesamelightingthatproducesdirectreflectiononglasscanalsocauseitonapaperlabel.Theresultisreducedlegibility.

Ifgoodhighlightplacementontheglasspreventsyoufrommovingthelight,useasmallopaquecardtoblockthelight

fromjustthoseanglesthatproducedirectreflectionsonthelabel.Thepositionandsizeofthisgoboarecritical.Ifit

extendsbeyondthefamilyofanglesdefinedbythelabel,itwillreflectintheglass.Weseetheresultingphotographin

Figure7.25.

Changingthepositionofthelightoraddingagobowillalmostalwaysremovethedirectreflectionfromasecondary

subjectwithoutharmingthelightingoftheglass.

Wemayalsoconsiderapolarizingfilterasathirdremedy.However,thissolutionisrarelyeffectivebecausemuchofthe

desirablehighlightontheglassisusuallyalreadypolarized.Ifthepolarizereliminatestheoffendingreflectionfroma

label,itisalsolikelytointerferewiththelighttheglassneeds.

7.25Hereweseetheresultofusingagobotoblocklightfromthoseanglesthatproducedthedirectreflectionsonthelabelinthispicture.

RECOGNIZINGTHEPRINCIPALSUBJECT

Inthischapterwehavetalkedaboutusingbright-fieldanddark-fieldmethodsforlightingglass.Wehavealsodiscussed

someremediestomanagecomplicationscausedbycompetingnonglasssubjects.However,wehavenotsaidverymuch

aboutwhentousewhichofthesetechniques.

Thenatureofthesubjectdeterminesthebestlighting.Decidingwhichsubjectismoreimportantisthefirststepinlighting

ascenethatincludesbothglassandnonglass.Shouldwelighttheglassaswellaspossibleandthenmakeadjustmentsto

accommodatetherestofthecomposition?Shouldwefirstestablishthegenerallighting,andthenaddanysecondary

lights,reflectors,orgobosneededtoenhancetheglassabit?

Wecannotmaketheseeditorialandartisticdecisionsonapurelytechnicalbasis.Wemightlighttwoidenticalscenes

differently,dependingonwhatistheintendedpicturecaption,onwhoispayingourbill,oronpersonalwhim.

Seeinghowlightbehavesmattersmorethanthemereabilitytomakearoutineglasswareshotlookprofessional.We

devoteawholechaptertolightingglassbecausegenerationsofphotographershavefoundglasstobeaclassicsubjectthat

teachesustosee.

AnArsenalofLights

Goodlightingisoneofthemostimportantaspectsofportraitmaking.Wecandoeverythingelsebeautifully,butifour

lightingispoorourpicturewillsuffer—oftenfatally.Itisthatsimple.Andwiththatinmind,wewilllookatsomeofthe

factorsthatitisimportanttokeepinmindwhenlightinganyportrait.

Wewillstartbyexplainingthesimplestofallportraitlighting;theuseofasinglelightsource.Wecallthelightthat

providesmostoftheilluminationforanyportraitthemainorkeylight,andwegenerallyhandlethislightthesameway.

Thisistruewhetherweuseitaloneorwithadditionallights.

Asidefromthemainlight,thischapteralsointroducesmorecomplexlightingarrangementsthananywehavediscussed

earlier.Suchso-calledclassicportraitlightingrequiresseverallights.Mostoftheselightscouldservesimilarneedsfor

anysubject.Ifyoudecidenottouseallofthemforportraiture,youprobablywillusethemforsomethingelselater.

Therefore,wesaymoreaboutthefilllightthanwehavebefore.Fromtherewewillmoveontoexplaintheuseofother

lights,suchaskickersandhairlights.

THESINGLE-LIGHTSETUP

Simple,yes.Simplistic,no.Asinglelightisadequateformostportraits;therestareoptional.However,evenonelight

needstobeusedwell.Otherwise,noamountofadditionallightingwillsalvagethepicture.

TheBasicSetup

Figure8.1isadiagramofthesimplestpossiblesetup.Initasinglebarebulbthathasbeenplacedtoonesidelightsthe

subject.Sheissitting

8.1Hereisadiagramofthesimplestofstudioportraitlighting.Thesubjectislitbyasinglebarebulbthatisplacedtooneside.

severalfeetinfrontoftheplainbrownwallthatservesasabackdrop.Thispositioningisimportant.Weresheclosertothe

wall,herbodywouldcastapotentiallydistractingshadowonit.

Figure8.2isaportraitmadewiththelightingsetupwehavejustdescribed.Insomeways,itisasatisfactorypicture.Itis

sharp,properlyexposed,andacceptablycomposed.However,itsuffersfromoneveryseriousfault:harsh,distracting,and

veryuncomplimentaryshadows.

NowlookatFigure8.3.Itshowsthesameyoungladyinthesamebasicpose.Thistimetheimagewasmadewithasingle

bulbinsideasoftboxinthesameplaceasbefore.

Butlookatthedifferencebetweenthepictures.Thehard-edged,unattractiveshadowsthatproducedsuchanunpleasant

picturebeforehavevanished.Thesoftershadowsofthislightinghelp,ratherthandetractfrom,thepicture.Theyhelp

definethefeaturesandaddanelementofdepthandinteresttothepicture.Theresultismorelikelytopleasemostpeople,

especiallythesubject!

8.2TheresultofthelightingdiagrammedinFigure8.1.Theharsh,uncomplimentaryshadowsintheportraitdistractfromthefeatures.

8.3Thesoftershadowsinthispicturearetheresultofalargerlightsource.Theseshadowsdefinethefeaturesofthesubjectandadddepth.

Intheoryanylightworks,butthetheoryislesspracticalforportraiture.Whensubjectsdon’tmoveandwecanspendawholedayonasingleshot,it

makeslessdifferencewhattypeoflightingequipmentweuse.Butportraitsubjectsdon’twanttowaitseveralminuteswhilethephotographer

movesa4-by-8-footdiffusionsupportedbytwolightstandsplusalight.There’snothingwrongwithbeginnerphotographersusingimprovised

equipment,andwe’vedonesoinafewpicturesinthisbooktoproveitcouldbedone.

Professionalportraitphotographersdon’thavetimeforthis,however,so,inalmostallcases,theirprincipallightsaresoftboxes,umbrellas,ora

combinationofthetwo.Theseallowfairlylargelightstobequicklypositionedandadjusted.Theclothdevicescanalsobequicklycollapsedor

foldedtoasizeconvenienttocarrytoanotherlocation.

Furthermore,forprofessionalportraitphotographers,thelightinsideofthosedevicesisalmostalwaysstudiostrobe(evenawayfromthestudio).

Theseflashin1/250to1/1000ofasecond,tooquicklyformostpeopletoblink.Betweenflashestheyemitalightbrightenoughforthe

photographertoseewhatthelightisdoingbuttoodimtocausesquintingorpupilconstriction.

LightSize

Andjustwhatisitthatmadesuchadifferencebetweenthetwoportraitswehavejustseen?Whyweretheshadowshard

andunpleasantinoneandsoftandflatteringintheother?Theanswerissimpleandfamiliar:lightsize.Thefirstportrait

wasmadewithasinglesmall,barebulb.

Aswehaveseen,suchsmallsourcesoflightproducehard,sharplydefinedshadows.Thesecondpicturewasmadewitha

largelightsource.Theresultsprovetheprinciplethatlargelightsourcesproducesoftshadows.

Inthisparticularexample,weenlargedthelightsizeintheeasiestmannerpossible.Weputatranslucentlampshadeover

thebulb.Thisincreaseditseffectivesize10-fold.

Thelampshadewasaquickandeasysolutiontotheproblemofhardshadows,butitwasfarfromtheonlyoneavailableto

us.Forexample,wealsocouldhaveincreasedtheeffectivesizeofourlightsourcebyhangingasheetoftracingpaperor

plasticdiffusionmaterialbetweenthelightandthesubject.Itisworthnotingthatwecouldhaveaccomplishedthesame

goalbybouncingalightfromanumbrella.Theseapproachesalldothesamething.Theymakethelightsizelargerand

thustheshadowssofter.

SkinTexture

Thesizeofthelightsalsoinfluencestheamountoftexturewecanseeintheskin.Skintextureappearsasmicroscopic

shadowsinthephotograph.Suchshadowsmaybeeitherhardorsoft,justastheshadowsof

8.4Comparetheskintextureintheseenlargements.PictureAwasmadewithasmalllight.Noticehowpronouncedtheskintextureis.PictureBwasmadewithasoftlightandlookssmoother.

thegeneralfeaturesmaybe.WecanseethisclearlyintheenlargementsinFigure8.4.

Thisdifferenceintexturemaynotmatteriftheimageisreproducedatasmallsizeinabookormagazine,especiallyifthe

subjectisyoung.However,peopleoftenhangverylargeportraitsonthewall.(Mostphotographerswhodoconsumer

portraitureusuallytrytosellprintsaslargeaspossibletoincreasetheirincome.)Ageandweatheraddenoughskintexture

tobevisibleinevensmallpicturesofmanypeople.

WheretoPuttheMainLight

Placingthemainlightis,ofcourse,ourfirstdecision.LookattheabstractballinFigure8.5.Itisthesimplestthingwe

coulddrawtoconvincinglyrepresentaball;withoutthehighlightandshadow,itcould

8.5Theplacementofthehighlight,aboveandtotheleftorrightofcenter,simplyfeelsnatural.

justaswellbearing,ahole,oradisk.Noticealsothattheplacementofthehighlightsimplyfeelsmore“right”thanifwe

hadcenteredit,say,orputitnearthebottomofthesphere.

Themostcommonplacementoftheportraitmainlightisaboutwherewehaveitinthesphereillustration.Facesaremore

complex.Theyhavenoses,eyesockets,mouths,wrinkles,creases,andalltheotherirregularitiesthatcomeaspartofthe

humanform.Let’slookatalloftheseaswefine-tunethebasiclightplacement.

Generallyspeaking,weprefertopositionthelightsothatthereisashadowononesideoftheface.This,aswehaveseen,

isaccomplishedbykeepingthelighttooneside.Inaddition,wewanttokeepithighenoughsothattherearesimilar

shadowsundertheeyebrows,nose,andchin.Havingreadthis,however,youmaywellaskjusthowfartokeepthelight

“tooneside”andhowhighis“highenough.”Thesearevalidquestions.Webegintoanswerthemwithalookatavery

usefulhelper—thekeytriangle.

TheKeyTriangle

Theproperplacementofthistriangularhighlightisthebasisofmuchgoodportraitlighting.Usingthekeytriangleasa

guidetogoodlightingissimplicityitself.

Allwehavetodoismovethelightarounduntilweseeatriangularshapedhighlightonoursubject’sfaceliketheone

showninFigure8.6.Thebaseofthekeytriangleshouldrunthroughtheeye,anditspointshouldextenddownthecheek

approximatelytothelipline.

8.6Thekeytriangleextendingfromtheeye,throughthecheek,totheliplineisthestartingpointforgoodclassicportraitlighting.

Theimportanceofthekeytriangleisitsabilitytoletusseelightingdefectsbeforeshooting.Someofthesubtletiesof

goodlightingbecomeeasytoseewhenwelookattheboundariesofwherethekeytrianglefalls.

Wewilllookatthethreemostcommonvariationsandseewhatmightbewrongwiththem.Noneofthesepotential

“defects”isaninevitablyfatalsinineverypicture;everyoneofthemhasbeenusedatonetimeoranothertomakeagood

portrait.Theyare,however,deviationsfrom“standard”portraitlighting,whichweshouldnotcommitinanypicturewe

intendtosellorsubmitforagradeuntilfullymasteringthebasics.

KeyTriangleTooLarge:MainLightTooNeartheCamera

AsFigure8.7shows,placingthelighttoonearthecameraandinfrontofoursubjectlightshertoouniformlytoshow

goodcontourinherface.(Theextremeexampleofsuch“flat”lightingcomesfrommountingastrobedirectlyontopof

thecamera.)

8.7Flatlightingshowslessoffacialcontoursthansidelighting.Itresultsfromplacingthemainlightnearthecameraandinfrontofthesubject.

Evaluatingwhetherthelightingistooflatcanbedifficultforphotographerswhoarejustbeginningtolearnportrait

lighting,especiallyifthepicturewillbeprintedinonlyblackink.Anticipatinghowcolortranslatestoshadesofgraytakes

practice.Butthedecisionbecomessimplewhenweseethatsuchlightingalsomakesthekeytrianglesolargethatitisno

longeratriangle.

Wecanusuallyimprovesuchlightingbymovingthelightfarthertothesideandhighertoreducethesizeofthekey

triangle.Tomaximizecontour,wemovethelightfarenoughtogetthekeytriangleassmallaspossiblebutstopjustshort

ofcreatingeitherofthefollowingtwoproblems.

KeyTriangleTooLow:MainLightTooHigh

Regardlessofwhethertheeyesareawindowtothesoul,theyarecertainlyessentialtoalmostanyportrait.Keepingthe

eyesofthesubjectinshadowcanbeunsettlingtoanyonelookingattheportrait.

Figure8.8illustratesthisproblem.Noticehowthestrongeyeshadoweliminatesthetopofthekeytriangleandproduces

anunnatural

8.8Theunsettling“raccooneyes”thatweseeherecomefromliftingthemainlighttoohighabovethemodel’sface.

andghoulishpicture.Thisshadowistherebecausewepositionedourlighttoohighabovetheheadofthesubject.Fixing

theproblemsimplymeansloweringthelightabit.

KeyTriangleTooNarrow:MainLightTooFartoSide

Figure8.9illustratesstillanotherpotentialproblem.Wepositionedthelightsothatthenosecastsadarkshadowacross

hercheek.Thisshadowblocksthekeytriangle.

Oncemorethecureissimple.Toavoidashadowsuchasthisone,allwehavetodoismovethelightabitmoretothe

front.Whenwedothis,thekeytrianglewillreappear.

LeftSide?RightSide?

Photographersgenerallyprefertoputthemainlightonthesamesideasthesubject’sdominanteye,ortheeyethatappears

tobemoreopenthantheother.Thegreaterthevisibledominanceoftheeye,themoreimportantitisthatwelightthat

side.Ofcourse,somepeoplehavevery

8.9Theresultofpositioningthemainlighttoofartooneside.Themodel’snosecastsashadowacrosshercheek,blockingthekeyhighlight.

symmetricalfeatures;thenitmakesnodifferenceonwhichsideweputthemainlight.

Theotherinfluenceonourdecisioniswheretheperson'shairisparted.Lightingonthesamesideasthepartprevents

extraneousshadows,especiallyifthehairislong.

Somepeopleabsolutelyinsistthatwephotographthemfromonesideortheother.Oftenweshouldlistentosuchopinions

becausetheyarebasedonthatindividual'sdominanteyeorhairstyle,whetherthepersonknowsitornot.Justbesurethat

thesubjecthasnotconfusedthe“good”sidewiththe“bad”sidewhenlookinginamirror!

BroadLightingorShortLighting

Sofarwehavemadeallpictureswiththemodelapproximatelyfacingthecamera.Whetherthelightwasontherightor

theleftwouldhavemadeonlyaminordifference.However,thedifferenceismajorifthesubjectturnshisorherheadto

eitherside.Wheredowemainlightthen?Figures8.10and8.11showtheoptions.Weeitherputthelightonthesameside

asthesubject'svisibleearorontheotherside.

8.10Puttingthemainlightonthesideoppositethevisible(wereitnotcoveredbyherhair)earproducesshortlighting.

8.11Broadlightingmeansputtingthemainlightonthesamesideasthevisibleear.

Amainlightonthesamesideasthevisibleeariscalledbroadlighting.Positioningthemainlightonthesideopposite

fromyoursubject’svisibleearproducesshortlighting.(Whetherthehaircoversthe“visible”earhasnothingtodowith

whichsideofthefacewearetalkingabout.)

IfyoulookatFigures8.10and8.11again,thereasonbehindthesetwosomewhatconfusingnamesbecomesapparent.

First,lookatthepicturethatwemadewithbroadlighting.Noticethatabroad,orwide,highlightrunsfromthebackofthe

model'shair,acrosshercheek,allthewaytothebridgeofhernose.Now,lookattheportraitthatwemadewithshort

lighting.Thistimethehighlightisquiteshort,ornarrow.Thebrightestpartofitonlyextendsfromthesideofthemodel's

cheektohernose.

Therearenofirmrulesdictatingwhentousebroadandwhentouseshortlighting.Ourpersonalpreference,however,

leansdecidedlytoshortlighting.Itputsthelightwhereitwilldothemostgood,onthefrontoftheface.This,wefeel,

producesbyfarthemostinterestingportraits.

Otherphotographershaveacompletelydifferentbias.Theyfeelstronglythattheshortorbroadlightdecisionshouldbe

basedonthesubject'sbodybuild.Theyprefertouseshortlightingiftheirsubjecthasabroadface.Suchlighting,they

argue,helpsmakethesubjectlookthinnerbyputtingmuchofthefaceinshadow.If,however,thesubjectisverythin,

theylikethewaythatbroadlightingincreasestheamountoftheimagethatishighlightedandmakesthesubjectappear

moresubstantial.

Eyeglasses

Eyeglassessometimesdictatethepositionofthemainlight,regardlessoftheotherpreferencesofthephotographer.Figure

8.12wasshotwithshortlighting.Lookattheresultingdirectreflectionfromtheglasses.

Itisimpossibletoeliminatetheglarewiththelightpositionedasitwasforthisportrait.Wecould,ofcourse,raiseit,but

dependingonthesizeandshapeoftheglasses,bythetimewegetithighenoughitmightfilltheeyewithshadow.

Figure8.13showstheonlysolutionthatalwaysworks.Itisthesamesubjectshotwithbroadlighting.Changingfrom

shorttobroadlightingpositionsthemainlightoutsidethefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflection.

Problemswitheyeglassesincreasewiththediameteroftheeyeglasslenses.Fromanyparticularcameraposition,the

familyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflectionisgreateriftheglasseshavebiglenses.Ifthesubjecthassmalleyeglass

lenses,wecansometimeskeepashortlightingarrangementbyusingasmallermainlight.Itiseasiertopositionthe

smallerlightsothatnopartofthelightiswithinthatfamilyofangles.

8.12Shortlightingproducesanobjectionableglareontheeyeglasses.

8.13Broadlightingeliminatestheglareproblem.

Stilllifephotographersexploringportraiturearesometimestemptedtousepolarizingfiltersonthemainlightandonthe

cameralenstoeliminatereflectionfromglasses.However,thiscancauseotherproblems.Humanskinalsoproducesa

smallamountofdirectreflection.Consequently,eliminatingalldirectreflectioninthehighlightsofaportraitmaygivethe

skinalifelessappearance.

ADDITIONALLIGHTS

Uptothispoint,wehaveshownsomeofthedifferentwaystopositionandmanipulatehighlightsandshadowsusinga

singlelightsource.Thesetechniquesarepowerfulbecausetheyproducefineworkevenifwehaveonlyonelightatour

disposal.

Dependingontaste,wemaybesatisfiedwiththeresultsofasinglelightandproceednofurtherwiththelighting,evenif

wehaveawholestudiofullofstrobesavailable.Thisshouldbereassuringtoanyonenotearningaprofessionalincome

fromphotographyandonlyabletoaffordtolightaportraitwithsunlight.

Still,veryfewphotographersshootingprofessionalportraitsuseasinglelight,sothisbookwilldiscusswhatthoseother

lightsareandhowtousethem.

FillLights

Shadowsareessentialtothesuccessofmostportraits.Muchofthetime,however,weprefertolightenashadoworeven

eliminateitaltogether.Wecandothiswithasinglelightsourceonlyifweplaceitnearthecameralens.Ifwewantto

keepthemainlightfartherfromthecamera,however,weneedsomekindoffilllight.

Photographerscommonlyuseafilllightthatgivesthesubjectabouthalfasmuchilluminationasthemainlight,butthis

guidelineisbynomeansabsolute.Somephotographersliketousealotoffillinportraits,whereasotherequallytalented

onesprefertousenone.Theimportantthingisnottotrytomemorizeanysetofrules;instead,adjustyourlightinguntilit

issatisfactorytoyou.

Somephotographersuseadditionallightsforfill,whereasotherspreferflatreflectingsurfaces.Bothmethodshavetheir

advantages.Themostbasicmultiplelightarrangementconsistsofamainlightplusafilllight.Anadditionallightallows

goodflexibilityinfilllightplacement.Wecanputthefilllightfarenoughfromthesubjecttobeoutofthewayandstill

expectittobebrightenough.

Figure8.14wasmadewithasinglefilllight.Weturnedoffthemainlightsothatyoucouldseeexactlywhateffectafill

lighthasbyitself.

NowlookatFigure8.15,inwhichweturnedthemainlightbackon.Thisisatypicalexampleofthecombinationoffill

lightandamainlight.

8.14Allweusedtomakethisexposurewasthefilllight.Noticethatitismuchdimmerthanthemainlight.

8.15Weusedamainandafilllighttogethertomakethisexposure.

Noticethattheshadowunderthechinisdarkerthantheothershadowsintheface.Thisareareceiveslittleillumination

fromeitherthemainlightorthefill.Theshadowisnotoffensive,butitwouldbeifitwereabitdarkerorharder.Wewill

talkabouthowtokeepthatfromhappening.

Sizeisimportantwhenyouareusingfilllights.Generallyspeaking,theruleis,“thebigger,thebetter.”Asyoumight

remember,thelargeralightsourceis,thesoftertheshadowsitproduces.Thesoft-edgedshadowsproducedbyalargefill

lightarelessvisibleandlesslikelytocompetewithshadowsproducedbythemainlight.

Theuseofalargefilllightallowsgreaterfreedomindecidingwheretoplacethelight.Becausetheshadowofalargefill

lightisnotclearlydefined,thepositionofthelightis,withinawiderange,ofnoimportance.Thatmeanswecanputit

nearlyanywherethatwewillnotknockitoverandthelightingdifferenceswillbetoominortomatter.

Figure8.16showsatwo-lightportraitarrangementincludingamainlightandtwopossiblefilllights,alargeoneanda

smallone.Weareunlikelytousebothfilllights,butwecouldsuccessfullyuseeither,dependingonourpreferenceand

availableequipment.

Onefilllight,likethemainlight,usesanumbrella.Thisincreasesitseffectivesizeandsoftenstheshadowsitproduces.

Becauseitislarge,wecouldmovethefilllightaroundagoodbitwithoutamajoreffectonitsshadowpattern.Suchan

arrangementmakesiteasytovarythefilllightintensitybymovingitclosertoorfartherfromthesubject.

8.16Twofilllightalternatives.Bouncingonelightintoanumbrellaproducessofterlighting.Thesmalllight,nearthecamera,produceshardshadows,buttheyfallmostlybehindthesubject,wherethecameracannotseethem.

Alternatively,thefilllightcanbesmallifwepositionitnearandslightlyabovethecamera.Noticethatthefilllightisas

closetothecameralensaswecanputit.Suchafilllightstillcastshardshadows,butmostoftheseshadowsfallbehind

thesubject,wherethecameracannotseethem.

ReflectorCardsasFillLights

Oneofthesimplestandleastexpensivewaysofbrighteningdarkshadowsistousereflectorcardstobouncelightcoming

fromthemainlightontothefaceofthesubject.

Figure8.17usesamainlightpositionsimilartothatinpreviousphotographs,butnowawhitereflectorcardhasbeen

addedtoprovidefilllight.

8.17Inthisphotograph,lightfromthemainlightbouncedoffareflectorandontothemodel’sface.Thereitfillsinsomeoftheshadows.

Wewouldliketoshowyoutheeffectofthereflectorfillcardalone,butthisisimpossible.Becausethereflectoris

illuminatedbythemainlight,ithasnoeffectbyitself.However,itisusefultocompareitseffectwiththatofthe

additionallampinFigure8.15.Thereflectorfillisdimmer,butthetwopicturesaremorealikethandifferent.

NoticethatthedarkshadowwesawunderthechininFigure8.15hasbeengreatlyreducedbythereflectorcard.The

shadowisstillpresent,butitissofter.Thisisbecausethereflectorcardismuchlargerthanthefilllightusedearlier.We

could,ofcourse,haveusedafilllightaslargeasthereflectorcardtoproducethesameresult.

Theonlycommonproblemwithareflectorfillisthatitmaynotbebrightenoughtosuitsomephotographers'preferences.

Thisisespeciallylikelywhenwemovethecamerabacktoincludemorethantheheadandshoulders.Thereflectoralso

hastobemovedbacktogetitoutofcamerarange.

Theamountoffilllightareflectorprovidesisdeterminedbynumerousfactors,includingthefollowing:

•Thereflector’sdistancefromthesubject.Thecloserthereflectoristothesubject,thebrighterthefilllightbecomes.

•Thereflector’sangle.Areflectorcardilluminatesthesubjectmostwhenitfacesananglebetweenthesubjectandthe

mainlight.Turningitmoretothesubjectreducestheintensityofthelightfallingonit.Turningitmoretothemainlight

reflectsmorelightinadirectionawayfromthesubject.

•Thereflector’ssurface.Differentreflectorsurfacesreflectdifferentamountsoflight.Inourexample,weusedawhite

reflectorcard.Ifwehadwantedmorelightonthesubject,wecouldhaveusedasilverreflector.Remember,however,that

thechoiceofreflectorsurfacealsodependsonthesizeofthemainlight.Alargesilverreflectorfillcanbeasoftsource

onlyifthemainlightisalsosoft.

•Thereflector’scolor.Whenshootingincolor,youmayalsowanttoexperimentwithcoloredreflectorcards.Attimes

theyareusefulforeitheraddingorsubtractingshadowcolor.Inadaylightportrait,forexample,thesunisusuallythe

mainlightand,withoutreflectors,theopenskyisthefill.Theblueskyaddsbluetotheshadow.Usingagoldreflector

warmstheshadow,thuseliminatingtheblueandproducingamoreneutralcolor.Usingexactlytheoppositeapproachcan

makeastudioportraitresembledaylight.Apale-bluereflectorcoolstheshadowcolorenoughtolookmorelikethatinan

outdoorphotograph.Theeffectissubtleandfewviewerswillnoticeitconsciously;still,theyaremorelikelytobelieveit

isanoutdoorportrait.

Kicker

Background

Reflector

Hairlight

8.18Amainlight,reflectorfill,plusothercommonlyusedportraitlights.Althoughsomephotographersusefewerlightsandothersusemore,thisarrangementiscommon.

Becausewepersonallypreferthereflectortotheearlierstrobefill,wewillkeepitinplaceforallofthesubsequent

photographs.Figure8.18showswhereweplacedthereflectorinamorecomplexportraitlightingarrangement.

Nowletustalkabouttheotherlightsinit.

BackgroundLights

Sofarwehavetalkedaboutlightingthesubject.Backgroundlightsilluminate,asthenameimplies,thebackgroundrather

thanthepersonbeingphotographed.Figure8.19showstheeffectofthebackgroundlightbyitself.

Figure8.20wasmadewithathree-lightsetup.Besidesthemainandfilllightsweusedbefore,weaddedabackground

light.CompareitwithFigure8.17,whichwasmadewithjustamainlightandafill.

Asyoucanreadilysee,thetwopicturesaresimilar,butlookathownicelythebackofthemodel’sheadandhershoulders

areseparated

8.19Inmakingthispicture,weusedabackgroundlighttoseparatethesubject’sheadandshouldersfromthebackground.Noticehowthisaddsdepth.

8.20Addingthebackgroundlighttothefillandmainlightssurroundsthesubjectwithapleasingglow.

fromthebackgroundinFigure8.20.Thatisexactlywhatbackgroundlightsdo.

Theyprovideadegreeoftonalseparationbetweenthesubjectandthebackground.Thisseparationhelpsgiveafeelingof

addeddepthtoaportraitandsurroundsthesubjectwithwhatisoftenavisuallypleasing“glow.”Youcanbeheavy

handedwiththis,givingthesubjectapronouncedhalo,oryoucanbesubtle,pullingthelightfartherfromthebackground

orusingmultiplelightstolightthebackgroundevenly.

Backgroundlightscanalsoaddcolortoportraits.Wedothisbyattachingcoloredgels,orfilters,tothelight.Gelsarenot

expensiveandtheycomeinawiderangeofcolors.Byusingthemandawhitebackground,photographerscanreducethe

numberofdifferentcoloredbackgroundsthattheyneedtokeeparoundthestudio.Severalbackgroundlightswithfiltersof

differentcolorscancreatecolorcombinationsimpossiblewithcoloredseamlesspaperandwhitelights.

Figure8.18showsonecommonbackgroundlightposition.Thelightisplacedonthefloorandaimeduptolightenthe

background.Thisarrangementworkswellforahead-and-shouldersportrait.Hidingthebackgroundlightbehindthe

subjectismoredifficultinafull-lengthportrait.

Furthermore,lightingthebackgrounduniformly,insteadofabrightcenterspot,isalmostimpossiblewiththebackground

lightinsuchaposition.Tophotographthewholebodyortoilluminatethebackgroundevenly,weprefertousetwoor

morebackgroundlightsoneachsideofthesubject.

Backgroundlightsmaybeverybrightorverydim.Experimentuntilyoucomeupwiththelightingyoulike.Forportraits

youintendtolaterpasteintoanotherscene,trylightingabackgroundslightlylighterthanpurewhite(justtobesure).You

canthenoftenplacetheportraitintoanothersceneusingthesoftware“darken”mode.Inmanyscenes,thiseliminatesthe

needfortediouslysilhouettingthehair.

HairLights

Thenextlightthatwearegoingtodiscussisthehairlight.Thislightisoftenusedforhighlightsthatseparatedarkhair

fromadarkbackground.However,evenifthehairisblond,brighteningitwithadditionallightcanmakethephotograph

lesssomber.Figure8.21wasmadewithahairlightalonetoshowtheeffect.

NowlookatFigure8.22.Wemadeitwithamainlight,afilllight,andahairlight.Thiscombinationhasthehairlightset

atatypical

8.21Wemadethisexposureusingnothingbutahairlight.Noticethehighlightsthatitputsonthesubject’shair.

8.22Ahairlightusedalongwiththemainandfilllights.Thisoneisoftypicalbrightness.Somephotographerslikebrighterhighlights,whereasotherspreferthemdimmer.

brightness.Somephotographersmightprefertokeepitdimmer,providingseparationinthedarkareasbutattractingless

attentiontoit.Otherspreferabrighterhairlightforamoretheatricallook.

ThediagraminFigure8.18showsonecommonpositionforthehairlight,onthesideoppositethemainlightandbehind

thesubject.Alternatively,youcanuseaboomtosuspendthehairlightaboveandtotherearofyoursubject.Theboom

allowsbetterfreedomtopositionthehairlightwithoutgettingthelightstandinthepicture.

Thehairlight,likeanyotherlightcomingfrombehindthesubject,revealsloosestrandsofhair.Whetherthisisaproblem

dependsonpersonaltasteandcurrentstyle.(Somepeopleprefertolookmeticulouslytidy,whereasothersarehappytobe

absolutelyshabby.Eitherway,theirchildrenareprobablytheopposite!)Ifwedonotwanttheloosehair,wehavetouse

hairspray,anticipateretouching,orforegothehairlightentirely.

Itisimportanttopositionthehairlightsothatlightcomingfromitdoesnotproduceflare.Remembertolookatthelensas

youpositionthehairlighttoseeifthelightisfallingdirectlyintothelens.Ifitis,youmaybeabletomovethelightabit.

Ifyoudonotwanttochangethelightposition,blocktheoffendinglightfromthelenswithabarndoororagobo.The

goboabovethelensinFigure8.18servesthispurpose.

Kickers

Alongwiththedifferentlightsthatwehavetalkedaboutsofar,somephotographersalsoliketouseakickerasapartof

theirsetup.Figure8.23waslitbyakickeralone.

Asyoucansee,akickeraddsextrailluminationto,or“kicksup,”thebrightnessonpartofthefacebyprovidinganextra

highlight.Kickersareusuallyabouthalfthebrightnessofthemainlight.

Figure8.24showswhathappenswhenyouuseakickerwithamainlightandafilllight.Noticehowthekickeraddedan

appealinghighlightononesideofourmodel’sface.

Thepositionofthekickeristheleaststandardizedofanyportraitlight.Figure8.18showsonepossiblewaytopositionit.

Weplacedittotherearofthesubjectandonthesamesideasthemainlight.

Aswasthecasewithhairlights,whenyouareusingakickeryouhavetobecarefulthatlightfromitdoesnotspillintothe

lens.Ifitdoes,itwillcauseflare.ThegoboweusedoverthelenstopreventflarefromthehairlightinFigure8.18willdo

thesameforthekicker.

8.23Akickerbyitself.Kickersarelightsthataresometimesusedtobrighten(or“kickup”)asmallextrahighlight.

8.24Thekickeraddedanappealinghighlightdownthesideofthemodel’sface.

RimLights

Somephotographersuserimlightstoilluminatetheedgesofthesubject.Rimlightingisoftenacombinationofhairlights

andkickerssosimilartothearrangementsdescribedintheprecedingsectionsthatitmakesnodifferencewhichtermswe

usetodescribethelights.

However,onevariationonrimlightingisdifferentfromanythingwehaveseen.Thistechniqueplacesthelightdirectly

behindthesubjectinapositionsimilartothatofabackgroundlightbutaimsthelightatthesubjectratherthanthe

background.

Figure8.25showssucharimlightusedalone.Figure8.26isacombinationoftherimlightplusotherlights,andFigure

8.27diagramsthesetup.

MOODANDKEY

Moodisoneofthosesubjectiveideashardtodiscussandstillhardertoquantify.Itisoneofthosetermsthatoftenhas

differentmeaningstodifferentpeople.Atthesimplestlevel,wewillallagreethatpicturesthathaveadarkandsomber

lightingevokeadifferentresponsefromthosethatarelightandbrilliant.

Tokeepfromconfusingeachotherwithdifferentpersonalperceptions,photographerstalkaboutthekeyorbrightnesskey

insteadofmood.Noonefactordetermineskey.Lightingmaybethemostessentialfactor,butsubjectmatterandexposure

alsogreatlyinfluencekey.

Low-KeyLighting

Large,prominentareasofdarkarecharacteristicoflow-keylighting.Picturesmadewiththiskindoflightingtendtobe

somber—serious,formal,anddignifiedinmood.

Low-keylightingrequiresmoresideandbacklighting.Frontlightingdoesnotproduceenoughshadowareatokeepthe

keylow.Mostoftheexamplesthatyouhaveseensofarinthischapterweremadewithfairlylow-keylighting.Wedid

thisbecauseitiseasiertoseetheeffectofeachlightinamultiple-lightsetupusinglow-keylighting.

High-KeyLighting

High-keylightingisquitethereverseoflow-keylighting.Picturesmadewithhigh-keylightingarelightandbright.They

havemanywhiteandlightgraytonesinthem.Thistendstogivethemtheircharacteristicupbeatlook.Forthisreason,

photographersfrequentlyusehigh-keylightingtoproduceayouthful,happylook.

8.25Rimlightingbyitselfplacesabright“halo,”orrimoflight,aroundthemodel’shead.

8.26Arimlightalongwithamainandafilllight.Noticehowtherimoflightaroundthemodel’sheadseparatesitfromthebackground.

8.27Noticehowweplacedtherimlightinaboutthesamepositionaswemighthaveplacedabackgroundlight,onlyinthiscasewepointedthelightatthebackofthehead.

Figure8.28isofthesamemodelthatwehaveusedsofarinthischapter.Lookathowdifferenttheportraitiswhendone

withahigh-keyapproach.Itsmoodiscompletelydifferentfromthosepresentedsofar.Noticethatinthistreatment,we

havechangedmorethanjustthelighting.Wehavealsochangedthecostumeandthebackground,makingthemfar

brighterthaninthepreviouspictures.

Manyofthelower-keyportraitsyouhaveseeninthischapterusedlightingthatproducedhighlightsofonekindorthe

otheralongtheedgesofthesubject.Weneededthesehighlightstodelineatethesubject’sfeaturesandtoseparatethem

tonallyfromthebackground.Withoutthem,thefeaturesofthesubjectwouldhavemeltedintothebackground.

High-keyportraitlightingalwaysusesagreatdealoffrontlight.Edgehighlightingislessbeneficialinhigh-keylighting

becausetheedgeofthesubjectthreatenstodisappearagainstthelightbackground.Thus,wetendtoomitmanyofthe

lightsthatareimportantinlow-keywork.Itisusuallyeasiertolighthigh-keypicturesthanitistolightlow-keyones.

8.28Thepreponderanceoflighttonesgiveshigh-keypicturesafreshandbrightlook.Suchimagesarecommoninthefashionandeditorialfields.

Figure8.29showshowwearrangedthelightsforthehigh-keyexampleyouhavejustseen.Noticethatallweneededwas

onelargemainlight,areflector,andapairofbackgroundlights.Weputthemainlightabovethecamerabutascloseto

thelensaspossible.Inthisposition,itbathedthemodelinsoftandalmostshadowlessillumination.Weplacedthe

reflectorunderthecameraandclosetothemodel.Sopositioned,itbouncedsomeofthemainlightilluminationbackonto

her.Thetwobackgroundlightsturnedthebackgroundintoonelargeandevenlylithighlight.

Thissetupproducedaveryflatlightingwithfewshadowstohelpdelineatethefeatures.Thislackofshadowisboththe

advantageandthedisadvantageofsuchlighting.

Becausesuchlightingreducescontrast,ithelpstomakeblemishesandotherskinimperfectionslessnoticeable.Most

photographersconsiderthistobeflatteringandappropriatetoyoungwomenandchildren.Ifyouhaveanydoubtsabout

this,justlookatthecoversoffashionandbeautymagazines.Manyoftheimagesaremadewithlightingsimilarto

8.29Adiagramofthelightingusedfortheprevioushigh-keypicture.Boththemainlightandreflectorbathedthemodelinsoft,almostshadowless,light.Otherlightsturnedthebackgroundintoalarge,evenlylithighlight.

this.However,youshoulduse“beauty”lightingwithcare.Thelackofshadowscanalsoproducepicturesthatappearflat

andformlessandseemtobewhollywithoutcharacter.

StayinginKey

Manyphotographersconsideritagoodideatokeepaportraitdefinitelylowkeyordefinitelyhighkeywheneverpossible.

Theydonotmixlow-andhigh-keysubjectmatterandlightingtechniquesunlessthereisadefinitereasonfordoingso.

Everyoneknowsthatthisrulecannotalwaysbefollowed.Exceptionsincludeafair-skinnedblondeindarkclothingora

dark-skinned,darkhairedpersoninlightclothing.Professionalportraitphotographersoftendiscusswardrobewiththe

subjectinadvance,butmostnonphotographerswouldbeamazedathowmanypeopleagreewiththephotographer’s

adviceandthenshowupdressedexactlytheopposite.

Unlessyoucroptoincludeonlytheface,eitheroneforcesyoutomixhigh-andlow-keyelementsintheportrait.Onother

occasions,youmaydecidetomovethemainlightmoretothesidetoincreasetheshadowareainahigh-keyportraitto

emphasizefacialcontour,oryoumaydecidetominimizeshadowinanotherwiselow-keyportraittomaketheskinappear

smoother.

Nevertheless,stayinginkeyhassomemerit.Ifmostofthecompositionisinthesametonalrange,thepicturehasless

cluttertocompetewiththeface.Thisisespeciallyusefulforphotographersbeginningtolearnportraiturewhohavenotyet

learnedtofullycombinelighting,posing,andcroppingtounifythecomposition.

DARKSKIN

Weknowthatphotographyismostlikelytolosedetailinthehighlightsandintheshadows.Fewpeoplewithlightskinare

lightenoughtocosthighlightdetail,andwerarelyencountersuchproblems.However,afewpeoplewithdarkskinare

darkenoughtopresentpotentialshadowdetailproblems.

Somephotographersincreasetheexposureinthesecases.Sometimes,andwemustemphasizeonlysometimes,this

strategyworkswell.If,forexample,thesubjectisdarkskinnedandwearingadarkshirtandcoat,itissafetoopenthe

lensconsiderablytocompensateforthelightlostbyskinabsorption.

However,ifthesubjectisabridewithverydarkskininawhiteweddingdress,theprecedingstrategycouldleadto

disaster.Thefacewouldstillbeproperlyexposedandhavegoodshadowdetail,butthedresswouldbehopelessly

overexposed.She'sbeenanticipatingportraitsinadresswiththisdelicatelacedetailfor20years,andyou'reintrouble!

Fortunately,thereisabetterwaytoapproachthisproblemthanjustopeningtheapertureandhopingforthebest.Thekey

tosuccessfullydealingwithdarkcomplexionsistoincreasethedirectreflectionsfromthem.

Humanskinproducesonlyasmallamountofdirectreflection,butasyoumightremember,directreflectionismostvisible

onadarksurface.Therefore,capitalizingondirectreflectionisonewaytolightendarksubjectswithoutincreasinggeneral

exposure.

Anotherpointtokeepinmindisthatthelargerthelightsource,thegreaterthegroupofanglesfromwhichitslightwill

strikethesubject.Thisenablesalargelighttofillmoreofthefamilyofanglesthatcausesdirectreflection.Thus,ina

portraitofapersonwithdarkskin,alargerlightproducesalargerhighlightontheskinwithoutadjustingtheexposureat

thecamera.

Beaware,however,thatjustaslightincreaseinthesizeofthelightwouldofferalmostnoimprovement.Becauseahuman

headisroughlyspherical,thefamilyofanglesthatproducesalargedirectreflectionis

alsoquitelarge.Thelargerthelightweuse,thebettertheresult.Wemaystillhavetoopentheapertureabit,butnotvery

much,andboththebride’sfaceandherdresswillphotographwell.(Ifyouarenotreadingthesechaptersinorder,we

suggestyoulookbackatFigure6.29,roundmetal,orFigure7.10,glass,toseethefamilyofanglesofdirectreflectionon

aroundobject.)

AVAILABLE-LIGHTPORTRAITURE

Fromtimetotime,youoryourclientwilldecidethataportraitneedstobemadeawayfromthestudio.Location

portraiturecanbecompletelyfrustratingifyouareusedtothecommandthatthestudiogivesyou.Itcanalsobe

fascinatingandenjoyable.Furthermore,theenvironmentcanbeanessentialpartofthepersonand,therefore,ofthe

portrait.

InChapter10wewilldiscusstheuseofminimallightinggearonlocation.Thosetechniquesareimportant,andtheyapply

equallytoportraitureaswellastootherphotographicspecialties.Sometimeslogisticsorotherconsiderationsmakeit

impracticaltouselarge,heavy-dutylightinggear.Andsometimesweareevenmorechallenged—wecannotuseanylights

atall.We,inotherwords,eithergetthepicturesweareafterwithnothingmorethantheambientlightpresentwherewe

shoot,orwedon’tgetthem.

Withthatinmind,wewillfinishthischapterwithabrieflookatsomeusefulambientlightandambientlightplusflash

portraittechniques.Wehaveomittedadetailedtreatmentofavailable-lightportraiturebecausethemethodsresemble

studioportraituremorethantheydiffer.

Wewillofferjustenoughexamplestoillustrateacardinalrule:locationorstudio,theguidingprinciplesarethesame.Itis

thatsimple.Nomatterwhereyouare,outsideorinside,cornfieldorstudio—lightislight.Itfollowsthesameimmutable

lawsofphysics.Inthenextfewpages,wewilllightourmodelsaccordingtothesameprinciplesaswewouldinthe

studio.OnlythistimewewillbelookingforMotherNaturetoprovidemost,ifnotall,ofthelight.

AWindowasaMainLight

LookatFigure8.30.Itisatypicalexampleofawindow-litportrait.Thisbasicpicturehasbeenrepeatedmanytimesby

manyphotographers,andforgoodreason.Asyoucansee,softlightstreaminginthroughthewindowgivesgoodcontour

anddepthbutnoneoftheharshnesssometimesseeninportraitsthatweremadewithdirectdaylight.

Aspleasingasthispictureis,thelightinginvolvesnothingnew.Thekeytoitssuccessisalreadyfamiliar.Largelight

sourcesproducesoftlighting.Inthestudio,weusealargediffuseroranumbrellaforalight

8.30Softlightfromtheopenskystreaminginthroughawindowmadethisportrait.Thesoftandpleasinglightiswellsuitedforthesubject.

source.Onlocation,theskyisourlargelightsource.Thetoolsaredifferent,buttheresultisthesame.

Youmustremember,however,thatthewindowdoesnothaveanymagicqualitiesthatinevitablymakeitasoftlight

source.Figure8.31provesthispoint.Ourmodelisinthesameplace,andsoisthewindow,butlookatthedifference.

Inthesecondpicture,hardshadowscompetewiththesubject'sfeatures.Itcouldstillbeagoodpicture,dependingonthe

intent,butitisnotaflatteringportrait.Whatcausedthedifference?Simplyput,theanswerislightsize.Thetwopictures

weremadeatdifferenttimesofday,andthesunhadmovedduringthetimebetweenthem.

Inourfirstpicture,thelightthroughthewindowwasfromtheopensky.Theskyisalargelightsource.Thesecond

photographwasmadelaterintheday,whenthesunhadmovedacrossthesky.Itwaslitby

8.31Laterintheday,thesunwaslowerinthesky,anditsdirectraysproducedtheharshshadowsthatweseehere.

directsun,andasyouknowbynow,thesunalwaysbehaveslikeasmalllightsource.Directsunlightalwaysproduces

hardshadows.

So,onceagain,wehaveseenthatstudioorlocation,sunorstrobe,theresultsarethesame.Lightislight.Largelights

producesoftshadows,andsmalllightsproducehardones.Thelocalemaychange,butthebehavioroflightdoesnot.

TheSunasaHairLight

Figure8.32showsanoutsidesetup.Weareincludingittoshowhowyoucanduplicateastudiomainlightandhairlight

setupinthefield.

Figure8.33showshowthispicturewasshot.Theopenskyservesasalarge,softmainlight.Whenwemadethispicture,

thesunwasjustoverthetopofthebackgroundtrees.Sopositioned,itmadeaperfecthairlight.Noticealsohowthedark

treesinthebackgroundcontrastwellwiththebrightlylithair.

8.32Outsidenaturallightandareflectorproducemuchthesamelookasdomainandhairlightsinthestudio.

8.33Hereweseehowwemadethepreviousshot.Noticethattheskyservesasalarge,softmainlight.Thesunwasjustpeepingoverthetopofastandoftreesinthebackground,andwepositionedthemodelsothatitactedasahairlight.

Onceagain,thelocationwasdifferent,buttheprinciplesthatwefollowedwerethesame.Onceagain,lightbehaveslike

light!

CombiningPortableandAmbientLight

Sometimesambientlighthasabeautytotallyunexpectedbecauseit'snothingwewouldbeabletotrulyreproduceinthe

studio.Unfortunately,however,insomeofthosesamecases,thelightweencounteronlocationisnotadequate,byitself,

tomakeafullyacceptablepicture.Wewillcontinuethischapterbyexaminingsomesuchsituations.

InFigure8.34therewasalarge,highwindowthatsomephotographerswouldbetemptedtouseasamainlight.Instead,

werealizedthat

8.34Inmakingthispicture,weusedthenaturalambientlightthatproducedboththekickerandthehairlight.Inadditionweaddedfilllighttothescenefromaflash-fittedumbrellathatwepositionedclosetoourcamera.

thiscouldbethebiggesthairlight-kicker-rimlightwe’deverhadthechancetouseandpositionedthesubjectaccordingly.

Asilverumbrellaaboveandtotherightofthecameraprovidedfill,butinthiscaseasmallstrobeonthecamerawould

haveworkedalmostaswell.

Figure8.35isanother,butquitedifferent—andconsiderablymoreluminous—exampleofaportraitshotmadeusing

mixedlightsources.Wemadethisshotusingbothportablestrobesandtherich,warmlycoloredambientlightpresentat

thescene.Inaddition,forthispicture,weaddedagreengeltoourbagoftricks.ThesubjectisMissPrissyPistol,a

burlesqueartistinthevenuewheresheperformed(Figure8.35).

8.35Thisportraitisanexampleoftheeyecatchingluminosityand“punch”itispossibletoachievebymixingflashandmixed,brightlycolored,ambientlightsources.

8.36ThisdiagramshowsthesetupweusedtomakeMissPrissy’son-locationmixedambientlightandflashportrait.

Forourkey,ormain,lightwechosearound22-inch“beautydish,”orasit’ssometimescalled,“softlight.”Weplacedthis

lightabove,andtocameraleft,ofourcamera(seeFigure8.36).

A32-inchverticalstripboxplacedtocamerarightofourcameraandaimingupfromtheflooraddedabitofextrafill

lighttothecamerarightsideofMissPrissy'sfaceandtorso.

Forthethirdlight,wetapedagreengeloveraflashheadandaimedintoa36-inchumbrella.Wethenputthisabout7feet

behindMissPrissyandtocameraright.LightfromtheumbrellaaddedtheslightgreenkickyouseeonMissPrissy's

camerarightarm,shoulder,andhair.Italsoaddedsomeadditionallighttothebackofthebar.

Whenitcametimetoshoot,wesetourcameraapertureati/5.6withanISOof100.Wethen—afterfiringoffanumberof

testshots—selectedashutterspeedof1/6ofasecond.Atthisslowspeed,ourcamera'sshutterremainedopenlong

enoughforthevariedandcolorfulambientlightpresentinthebartoberecordedbythecamera'ssensor.

Inaddition,theflasheswehadpreviouslysetupalsoilluminatedMissPrissy.Theyfiredforthebriefestmomentwhenthe

camera’sshutterfirstopened.Called“draggingtheshutter,”thistechniquecan

produceout-of-the-ordinaryresultsandisonewithwhichitiswellworthexperimenting.

Note:Youwillneedtoturnoffyourmodelinglightintheflashheadtoavoidtheadditionalambientlightitproduces.

AReflectedAmbientLightPortrait

Workingwithambientlightcanbechallenging.Andthatisputtingitmildly!Youareneverreallysureofwhatitisgoing

tobelikeuntilyouarriveatyourshootinglocation.Inaddition,ambientlightcan,andoftendoes,changeinintensity,

color,direction,andanglewhileyouareshooting.

Withthatinmind,wehumblysuggestthateveryphotographerwhoworksusingambientlightshouldadoptthefollowing

motto:“It’swhatyoudowithwhatyou’vegotthatcounts.”TheportraitinFigure8.37,takeninSavannah,Georgia,isa

caseinpoint.

Photographyisnodifferentfromtherestoflife.Sometimeswearelucky—asinverylucky—andeverythinggoesright.It

wasononeofthosealltooinfrequentdaysthatthereflectedambientlightwasusedinanunusualsetting,abus,toshoot

thefollowingeyecatchingportraitoftheyoungmansittingacrosstheisle.

8.37Thisyoungman’sportraitwasmadeusingnootherlightsourcebuttheambientlightthatwasreflectedintothebusfromthepavementandtherestofitssurroundings.

Themorningonwhichthisportraitwasmadewasbrilliantlysunny.Thebus'sinteriorwasawashwithlightthatwasbeing

reflectedofftheparkinglotandintothebusthroughitsmanywindows.

Onceinside,thislightcontinuedtobereflectedandre-reflectedfromoneshinysurfacetoanother.Theresultwasavirtual

“sea”ofbrightambientlightswirlingaboutthebus'sinteriorandwrappingaroundtheyoungmansittinginhisseat.

Theresultspeaksforitself:anarresting,high-keyportraitofayoungmanlitwithnothingbuttheintensesunlightreflected

intoabusfromthepavementonwhichitwasparked.

APPROACHESWORTHTRYING

Beforeweendthischapter,wewouldliketointroducethreemoretechniqueswefindbothusefulandinteresting.Thefirst

involvestheuseoftwolights—onelargeandonesmall.Theotheremployscoloredgels.Andthethirdreliesonmotion

foritsimpact.Noneisparticularlycomplextoexecute.Allareusefultoolsworthaddingtoanyone’slightingarsenal.

UnfocusedSpot

WhenmakingFigure8.38,ouraimwastocreateadramaticportraitinwhichoursubject'sfacestoodoutbrightlyfromits

somber,almost

8.38Wecombinedthelightgivenoffbyalargebanklightwiththatofaseven-inchtightgridspottoilluminateourmodelgenerallyandhighlightherface.

8.39Thisdiagramshowsthe“additive”lightingsetupweusedtomakeFigure8.38.

monochromatic,setting.Tomakethepicturewewanted,wedecidedtousetwoverydifferentlightsources(Figure8.39).

Onewasa54-by-72-inchbanklight;theotherwasatightgridspotfittedtoa7-inchreflector.Priortoshooting,weasked

ourmodel,Farrah,towearaneutraltonedgrayjacketthatwouldcomplementthesteelyblue-tonedbackgroundwehad

previouslyselected.

Whentimetoshoot,weputthelargesoftboxtoourcameraright,aboutafootinfrontofFarrah.Sopositioned,itput

noticeablymorelightonthecamerarightsideofherface,thushelpingtodelineateherfeatures.Wethenplacedourgrid

spotcloseto,anddirectlyinfrontof,thebanklight.ThisproducedacloselydefinedandintensespotoflightonFarrah’s

Oncewecompletedoursetup,wemadeaseriesoftestshotsvaryingourexposuresettingsandtheoutputofthetwolights

wewereusing.Afterseveral,weselectedthecombinationthatproducedtheimagewehavepreviouslyshownasFigure

Forthesakeofcomparison,intheillustrationthatfollows,weshowwhatFarrahlookedlikewhenlitwitheachofthetwo

lightsweusedtomakeherfinishedportrait.

8.40Ontheleft(A),weseeFarrah’sfacelitbythegridspotalone.Ontheright(B),weseeherfacelitbyonlythebanklight.

SmallLight?LargeLight?WhyNotBoth?

We’veseentheadvantagesofasmalllight:crisplydefinedshadow,goodtextureinsubjects,whichrevealthattextureinmostlydiffusereflection.

We’vealsoseentheadvantagesofalargelight:shadowssoftenoughthattheydonotdistractfromtheprincipalsubject,theabilitytofillalarge

familyofanglestorevealthesurfaceofaglossysubject.

Whatifwewantbothatonce?Wecancertainlydothis,andthereareseveralwaystoaccomplishit.Oneisessentiallycost-free,assumingwe’re

alreadyreasonablyequipped;anotherisfairlyexpensive,butfarquickerandeasiertoreposition.Thedifferenceineffectmaybefairlysubtle,

dependingonthesubject.Tryallthree,ifyoucan,withborrowedequipment,andthendecidewhichyouwanttomostlyuse.

ASmallLightPlacedVeryClosetoaBigPieceofDiffusionMaterial

Thelightdoesn’tilluminatethewholediffusionsheetevenly.Therewillbeahotspotinthecenter,servingasafairlyhardlight.Therewillalsobe

lightscatteredtofillthewholesheet;thatgivesusoursoftlight.Essentially,wegettwodifferentlightsfromoneelectronicdeviceandwegetvery

goodcontrol:movethelightclosertothediffusionmaterialtoincreasethehardlight;movethelightfartherfromthediffusionmaterialtoincreasethe

softlight.Thedisadvantage:we’retalkingaboutaprettybulkyarrangementhere.Thereareprobablytwostands,plusaconnectingrodtoholdthe

diffusionmaterial,thenanotherstandforthelight.

Onephotographercanmanageallofthiswithpractice,butanassistantspeedsthingsup.Thephotographermovesthepivotalstandholdingthe

diffuserandthentellstheassistantwheretoputtheotherstand(“No,notquite,sixinchesclosertothesubject.Yes,there!”).Thenwehaveto

repositionthelight,assumingwehavethediffusionmaterialintherightplace.Difficulttolearn?No.Practicerequired?Definitely,butthefactthat

youhavereadthisfarintothisbookprobablyprovesthatyouareoneofthosewhointendstoputtheextraeffortintoyourlighting.

BackuptheLightbehindtheDiffusionMaterialandThenPutaSecondSmallLightinFrontofIt

Nearlythesameeffectasmethod1butmorecontrollablebecausewecanadjustthepowerofthetwolightsindependently.

AnotherApproachIstoUseaBeautyDish

Abeautydishisametalreflectorsimilartomanyotherstudiostrobereflectorsexcepttheyarequitelarge,usually20to30inchesindiameter.The

largereflectoractsasasoftlight;thesmallerflashtubeactsasahardlight.Afewhaveoptionalcoversfortheflashtubeforsofterlight:sortofa

beautydish-softboxcombinationeffect.Theyrequireonlyonestandinsteadofthethreeorfourneededbytheothermethods,soonephotographer

caneasilycontrolthem.Soundslikeawin-winsituation,right?Notquite.Theydonotfoldupfortravellikeanumbrellaoraclothsoftboxandthey

areprettyexpensive.Still,ifyouarealreadywellequippedandyoudomostofyourworkinthestudio,buyingabeautydishmaybethenextstep

foryou.

OntheleftweseeFarrahilluminatedbyjustthegridspot.Onlythebanklightwasusedtomaketheimageontheright.

ReferringbacktoFigure8.38weseetheimpact—theadditiveeffect—thatresultedwhenwecombinedthesetwovery

differentlights.

CombiningPortableFlashwithColorGels

Ourlivesarefilledwithcolor—afactthatwe,asphotographers,areallwellaware.Muchofthetimeourroleas

photographersistorecordthesecolorsjustasweseethem.Inotherwords,ourpurposeisto“getthecolorsright”—thatis,

toshowthemasclosetorealityaswecan.WemadeFigure8.41,aportraitofourfriend,Tony,withthatapproachin

Tomakethepicturewehadinmind,weusedthreeportablestrobesofthe“hotshoe”varietymadebyNikon,Canon,and

othermanufacturers.Eachoftheseflashescouldbecontrolledwirelessly,eitherseparatelyorasagroup.

8.41Tonyasseenwhenlitwith“normal”coloredlights.

PositionedbehindTony,weusedhisfirstportablestrobetolightthepicture'sbackground.Wethenplacedoursecond

strobetoTony'scameraleftanduseditasakickertoaddthestronghighlightvisibleonthatsideofTony'sface.

WethensetourlastlighttofireintoanumbrellathatweplacedonTony’scamerarightside.Fromthereitlitmuchofhis

faceanduppertorsowithasoft,diffusedlight.

Asyoucansee,thisarrangementproducedaclassicexampleofa“naturally”or“faithfully”coloredportrait—aportrait

thatshowsTonyascloseaspossibletothewayheactuallywaswhenthispicturewasmade.Andthat'sfineifthat'sthe

imageyouwant.Butwhatifthatisnotthekindofpictureyouwanttomake?Whatif,instead,youwanttomakeaportrait

thatisabitdifferent?Whatifyouwanttoaddsomethingextraoroutoftheordinarytothewayyoulightit?

Well,onethingyoucantryistoaddsomecolortothelightyouuse.Andthatiswhatthenexttwopictureswill

demonstrate.Wewillbegin

withFigure8.42.Weusedexactlythesamelightingarrangementtoshootitthatwedidtotaketheprevious“normal”shot

ofTony.

Thistime,however,wetapedpiecesofamberfiltermaterial—orasitisgenerallyknown,“gel”—onbothourbackground

lightandourkicker.Andwhatadifferencethatmade.Thisimage,whilemadewithexactlythesamelightingweused

before,sendsaverydifferentmessage.Andwhatisitthatproducedthisverybigdifferencebetweentwoalmostidentical

portraits?Theanswerissimple:color—thecolorproducedbythepiecesofambergelweattachedtoourlights.

Well,nowthatwehaveseenTonyinbothhisnormalandambermodes,letusmoveontoourfinalexampleofcolorin

action.Figure8.43kicksTony'sportraitupanotchbyaddingtwocolors—greenandblue—ratherthanjustone.

Weusedthesamethree-lightsetupthatweusedbeforetomakethisimage.Onlythistimeweaddedbothgreenandblue

gelstoit.Todothis,wegelledbothourbackgroundlightandourkickerwithgreen.Inaddition,weattachedabluegelto

thelightthatfiredintoourmainlight.Together,theyproducedwhatIthinkisaninteresting,andeyecatching,mixedcolor

effect.

Asweshowedinthepreviousthreepictures,usingcoloredgelstoaddcoloredlightstootherwise“normally”madeshots

canproduceinterestingresults.And,fortunately,thisisnotacomplextechniquetoaddtoyourlightingrepertoire.Itis,

however,onethattakessomepractice.Youcanneverbecompletelysurewhattheexactresultisgoingtobewhenyouuse

evenonegel.Useseveral,andthingsgetevenlesspredictable.

Thenthereisthequestionofexposure.Ortoputitanotherway,justhowmuchlightmusteachofmyflasheshaveto

pumpouttoproducethelookIwant?Obviously,thiscanrangewidelydependingonsuchvariablesaswhatcolorsand

howmanydifferentonesyouuse.

Lastly,ifyouplanonusingremotedevicestocontrolyourflashes,thereisthemysteriousartofgettingthemtowork

properlytobemastered.Theirmanufacturerswillassureyouthisispurechild'splay.Well,don'tyoubelievethemforone

minute!Ihavewitnessedmorethanoneexperiencedshooterlapseintofitsofrageapproachingtemporaryinsanitywhile

tryingtogetabunchofremotelyconnectedflashestoworktogether.

Andwhatdoesallthismean?Simplyput,itmeansthatthekeytogettingcoloredlightstoproducetheresultsyouwantis

experimentation.Inotherwords,shoottestshotaftertestshotuntilyougettheresultsyouwant.Thismaysoundlikea

trulyprimitivewayofgoingaboutthings.Andperhapsitis.Butitworks.SometimeagoIhadthepleasureofwatching

JoeMcNally,oneofthemostexperiencedand

8.42Tonylitusinganambergel.

8.43Tonylitusingbothgreenandbluegels.

soughtafterphotographersworkingtoday,makesomecomplex,remotelylinked,multilight(severalofwhichweregelled)

shots.

Andhowdidhedothem?Well,hedidjustwhatwesuggestedhere.Hesetuphisgearandthenstartedshootingtestshots.

Aftereachhewouldadjustsomething—beitwherealightwas,howhotitsflashwas,thecolorofagel—untilhewas

happywiththeshot.Now,ifthatiswhatittakesforoneoftheworld’smostaccomplishedphotographerstopulloffa

complexshot,donotfeelbadifyouhavetodothesame!

PortableFlashwithMotion

Wehavefollowedadifferentpathinthemakingofthischapter’slastpicture.Uptothispoint,theexampleswehave

shownhavebeenabitontheseriousside;abitformalandbuttonedup.Thatisdefinitelynotthecasewiththefollowing

portrait,acompositeimageweshouldprobablycall“VanceonaRoll.”

LeadsingerandfrontmanoftheinfamousrockbandTheFactory,ourfriendVanceisblessedwithaseeminglylimitless

storeofrawenergy.Andthatisexactlywhatwewantedtoshowwhenwemadethismulti-imageportraitofhimdoinghis

action-packedthing(Figure8.44).

WeshotVanceinatunnelrunningbetweenrailstations.Wepickedthislocationbecauseofitsclose-togetherwalls,

overall“seedy”look,andthevaryingcolortemperaturesofthedifferentfluorescentfixturesthatprovidedtheambient

lightinit.

Theapproachweusedformakingthisportraitissimpleenough.Thatbeingsaid,however,itisalsoanapproachto

portraiturethatiscapableofproducinganendlessarrayofwildlydifferentresults.Theequipmentweusedwasalsothe

soulofsimplicity—acameraonwhichwemountedanon-cameraflashtowhichwehadattachedasmallportable

diffusionbox.

Ourshootingtechniquewasequallyuncomplicated.WechooseanISOof160andexperimentedwithdifferentapertures

rangingfromi/6.3tof/11.

Whenshooting,weaskedVancemoveinhisusualfrenetic,rock-and-rollstyle.Ashedid,wemademultipleexposures,

eachtimeusingtheflashandwithourcamerasetatverylowshutterspeedsthatrangedfroma1/4toa1/2second.

Sometimesweheldourcamerarocksteady.Atothertimeswemoveditaboutindifferentwaysasweshot.

Eachtimewepressedourshutterrelease,theflashwehadmountedonourcamerafired.Theveryshortburstoflightfrom

itfrozethatpartofVanceonwhichwewerefocused.

8.44Wemadethefourimagesinthiscompositeportraitbymixingthelightfromanon-cameraflashwiththeambientlightpresentwhereweshot.

However,becauseoftheslowshutterspeedswewereusing,thecamera’sshutterstayedopenforabriefperiodafterthe

flashwentoff.Itwasthenthatourcamera'ssensorrecordedtheambientlightfromVance'ssurroundings.Becauseof

Vance’smovement—orbecausesometimeswepurposelymovedourcameraindifferentwayswhileits

shutterwasstillopen—thisambientlightwasrecordedasrandomlysweepingswirlsofmixedcolors.

Needlesstosay,becauseseveralfactorsareinvolvedinthiswayofshooting,onecanneverbesureofexactlywhatthe

resultsaregoingtobe.Soshoot,shoot,andshootsomemore.Experimentationisthenameofthegame.Themoretries

onemakes,thebetterthechancesarethatatleastsomeofthemwillwork.

Thismethodmaysoundabitcomplex,butactuallythiskindofshootingiseasytolearn.Sohavesomefunandtryit.

Whenyoudo,rememberjustacoupleofthings:theflash(becauseitissobrief)freezeswhatitisaimedat,andtheslow

shutterspeedallowstimeforthecamera’ssensortorecordambientlightfromthescene.Together,thesetwovery

differentlightsourcescancombinetoproducesomeeye-catchingimages.

ANDFINALLY...

Theonlyoccasionswhentheprinciplesoflocationlightingandstudiolightingdifferarewhenaparticularlightingis

essentialtotheenvironmentortheevent.Achildblowingoutbirthdaycandles,afirefighterlitbytheharshredlighton

theengine,andanorchestraconductorinstagelightingaretheworstpossibleexamplesofgoodportraitlighting.

However,innoneofthesecaseswouldweimprovetheportraitwithstandardstudiolighting.Whenthelightispartofthe

story,wegainmorebycapitalizingonitthanbytamperingwithit.

SuggestionsYes—“Rules”No

Everythingwetellyouinthischapteristrue.Anditallworks.However,thatdoesnotmeanyoushouldfollowour

suggestionsasthoughtheyaretheonlypathstosuccessfulportraitmaking.Farfromit.Thereisnotasingletechnique

herethathasnotbeensuccessfullyandpleasinglyviolatedatonetimeoranother.

Forexample,werepeatedlyrecommendalargelightsourceforportraiture.Usingalargelighttosoftenshadowstendsto

makepeoplelookprettier,butthisdoesnotmeanthatlargelightsourcesinevitablyproducethebestportraits.Less

flatteringlightingcangivetheappearanceofdignity,wisdom,orendurance.

Iftheindividualwearephotographinghappenstobethepersonpayingfortheportrait,weusuallywantthepersontolook

asattractiveaspossible.Butwearemorelikelytopleaseamagazinepictureeditorwithaportraitthatshowscharacterand

emphasizeswhateverpersonalqualitiesrelatetothetext.

Thesizeofthelight,alongwithmostoftheothersuggestionswemake,ismorethanatechnicaldecision.Sometimesitis

artistic:Howdoesthemakeroftheimagewanttorepresentthesubject?Oftenitispolitical:Whoisthepictureintendedto

please?Alwaysitisadecisiontomakeratherthanalawtoobey.Theapproachtolightingpresentedinthischapterisa

basicapproachthatmostphotographerswillbenefitfromlearning—notasetofrulesthateveryphotographerneedsto

follow.

TheExtremes

Theextremesarethelightestandthedarkestgroupsofgraysorcolorsinthephotograph.Foryearstheywerethepartsof

thepicturemostlikelytolackqualitybecauseoftheinherent,irremediabledefectsinfilm.Goodphotographersmanaged

togetexcellentpicturesanywaybecausetheypaidalotofattentiontothesedefectsandhowtominimizethem.

Theextremesareapotentialprobleminanyphotograph,butinawhite-on-whiteorablack-on-blackimage,pictures

composedentirelyoftheextremes,littledefectscanturnintobigones.

Digitaltechnology,lackingsomeofthefilmdefects,haseliminatedsomeoftheseproblemsbutrevealedanewone:some

peoplelikethese“defects.”Ifweshootatechnicallyperfectpictureandreproduceitwell,wethinkitlooksdulland

unappealing!Thus,wehavetoreintroducetheclassicdefects,theoneswealwayshopedtosomedayavoid,justtogeta

picturethatlooksright.

Whenwetalkaboutwhatpeoplelikeanddon'tlike,itsoundsasifweareplayingtopopulartaste—stuffthatcould

reverseitselfinayearorageneration—butwe'renot.Theselikingsseemtobehardwiredintothehumanbrainandwill

notchangewithoutafewmorehundredsofthousandsofyearsofevolutionor,possibly,thesurgicalimplantingofdigital

eyesandlearningtousethem.Inthischapterwearegoingtotalkaboutwhatthosedefectsare,howwereintroducethem

intothedigitalimage,andhowweminimizethelossinquality.

THECHARACTERISTICCURVE

Inthisbook,wegenerallykeepourattentiononlightingandstayawayfromextensivediscussionofbasicphotography.

Nevertheless,thecharacteristiccurvedictatessomeofourtechniquewhenwelight

black-on-blackorwhite-on-whitesubjects,sowehavetotalkaboutit.Otherwritershaveexplainedthismaterialinmore

detail.Youmaygivethissectionasmuchoraslittleattentionasyouneed,dependingonwhosebooksyouhavealready

Characteristiccurvesareusedinmanytechnicalfieldstoplottheresponseofonevariabletoanother.Inphotography,the

characteristiccurveisagraphofthewaythebrightnessofarecordedimagevarieswithdifferentamountsofexposureto

light.(WeareusingthenontechnicaltermbrightnesstomeanboththeelectricalresponseoftheCMOS[complementary

metaloxidesemiconductor],CCD[charge-coupleddevice],andthedensityoffilm.)Forsimplicitywewilltalkabout

grayscalecurves.Whateverwesayherealsoappliestocolor,exceptthatcolorrequiresthreecurves—oneeachforred,

green,andblue(or,forfilm,cyan,magenta,andyellow).

ThePerfect“Curve”

Thecharacteristicscurveisawaytocomparetwograyscales:onerepresentingexposurestepsinthesceneandtheother

representingbrightnessvaluesintherecordedimage.

Notethatwhenwetalkaboutcharacteristiccurves,exposuremeanssomethingslightlydifferentfromwhenwetalkabout

makingapicture.Photographersshootingpicturestalkaboutexposureasifthewholeimagereceivedasingleuniform

exposure—forexample,f/8at1/60second.Exposureusedthiswayisconvenientshorthandfor“HowIsetmycamerafor

thissubjectunderthislightingcondition.”

Butphotographersalsoknowthatideallyeachshadeofgrayinthesceneisrepresentedbyauniquevalueintherecorded

picture.Assumingwearenotphotographingablankwall,therecordedimageisagroupofexposuresthatmakeanimage

ofthegraysinthescene.Therefore,whenwetalkaboutexposurestepsinthecharacteristiccurve,wemean“thewhole

scene,”andnotnecessarilyalargenumberofrecordedpictureswitharangeofdifferentexposures.

Figure9.1showswhatmighthappenwhenwerecordascenecontainingagrayscalemadeupof10steps.Inthisgraph,

thehorizontalaxisrepresentsexposuresteps,thegraysintheoriginalscene.Theverticallinerepresentsimagesteps,

groupsofgraysintherecordedimage.

Eachexposurestepisthesamelengthonthegraphasanyotherexposurestep.Thisisnoaccident.Photographersand

scientistswhoinventedthescaledeliberatelydecidedtodividetherangeofpossiblegraysintoequalsteps.However,the

sizeofcorrespondingbrightnessstepsinthefinalimagemaynotbeequaltooneanother.Thisdifference

9.1Aperfect“curve”:anychangeinexposurewouldproduceanexactlycorrespondingchangeintherecordedimage.

inthesizeofthestepsisexactlywhatthecharacteristiccurveisdesignedtograph.

Theimportantcharacteristicofanidealimageisthatallitsstepsarethesamesize.Ifyoumeasurethelengthofthe

verticallinemarked“step2,”forexample,youwillfindittobethesameasthelengthmarked“step5.”

Thismeansthatanychangeinexposurewillproduceanexactlycorrespondingchangeinthebrightnessoftherecorded

image.Forexample,Figure9.2isagraphofthesamescene,shotwithanidealdigitalsensor(oranidealfilm)withthe

exposureincreasedthreestops.

Later,ifwedecidetheimageistoolight,wecansimplydarkenit.Ifanidealdigitalsensorexisted,exposingitwouldbe

easy.Anyphotographerwhohadanydoubtabouttheidealexposurecouldbesafeinsimplygivingmoreexposurethan

necessary.Theresultingimagecould,with

9.2Anidealcurvewithexposureincreasedbythreestops.Afterpostproductioncorrection,itcouldprintthesameasthepreviousonebecausetherelationshipofthedensitystepsisthesame.

manipulation,produceaprintwiththesamegrayscale.(Furthermore,aslongaswearetalkingaboutideals,wemightaswellassumethefilmgrainwouldbefinealso.)

Intherealworld,however,exposureisamorecriticaldecision.Thisisbecausethegraphofdensitystepsinarecordedimageisnotastraightline;it’sacurve.

ABadCamera

Photographersalmostneveruseadiagramofacharacteristiccurveintheirdailywork,buttheykeepamentalimageoftheshapeofacurvewiththemalwaysbecauseithelpsthemprevisualizehowarealscenewillappearinthepicture.Furthermore,thismentalimageslightly

9.3Inabadcamera,boththehighlightsandtheshadowsaregreatlycompressed.

exaggeratestheproblemsfoundinreality.Wewillcallthisexaggeratedexamplea“bad”camera.

Figure9.3showsthecharacteristiccurvewewouldgetfromabadcameraifweexposeditliketheidealoneinthefirstexample.Theexposurestepsshownonthehorizontallineareidenticaltothoseinthefirstgraphbecausewearephotographingthesamescene,butlookwhathashappenedtotherecordedbrightnessontheverticalline.

Steps1to3occupyverylittlespaceonthebrightnessscale;likewiseforsteps8through10.Theshadowsandthehighlightshavebeengreatlycompressed.Compressionmeansthattonesthatwereverydifferentandeasytodistinguishinthescenearenowverysimilaranddifficulttodistinguishinthephotograph.

Figure9.4isanormallyexposedscene.Thebuildingwallislargelycomposedofgray/browntones,butthelateafternoonlightgivesusawiderangeofhighlightsandshadowstostudy.Noticethatindividual

9.4Asceneexposednormallyhassomecompressioninboththeshadowsandthehighlights,buttheproblemsarenotobvious.

stonesarefaintlyvisibleinboththehighlightandshadowareasofthewall.Thereissomecompressioninboththosehighlightsandshadows.

Overexposure

Keepinmindthatinanaveragescenewithanormalexposure,compressionoccursatbothextremesofthedensitygrayscale.Changingthegeneralexposuredecreasescompressionatoneendofthegrayscale,butitworsensthecompressionattheotherextreme.Figure9.5showsthebenefitsandthesacrificesofoverexposure.

Aswecansee,increasedexposureeliminatessomeoftheshadowcompression.Thisisgood,butthehighlightcompressionismademuchworse.Let’sseewhatmighthappenifweoverexposetheearlierbuildingtosuchadegree.

Figure9.6istheresult.Weseeimprovedshadowdetailinthefloorsofthebalconies,buttherestofthepictureismuchtoolight.Thatisonlypartoftheproblem,however.Wecanfixthatpartbymakingtheimagedarkerinpostproduction.

Let’slookataFigure9.7toseewhatwouldhappenifwedidthat.Nowthemiddletonesaresimilartothoseintheearlierprint.However,

9.5Overexposureeliminatescompressionintheshadowtonesbutatthecostofmakingthehighlightcompressionmuchworse.

wecannotremedythecompressioncausedbyoverexposingthepicture.Thedistinctionswithinthebuilding’sfacadearestillnotwelldelineated.Althoughthehighlightsaredarkerinthisversion,thedetailinthemisnotimproved.

Notice,however,thatthisterriblepictureisnotwithoutvirtue.Overexposureputdetailintothedeepestshadowsthatsurvived,eveninthedarkerprint.

Underexposure

Iftheimageisunderexposed,weseesimilarproblemswiththeshadowtones.Figure9.8isthecharacteristiccurveforanunderexposedpicture.

Figure9.9issuchanimage.Thehighlightstepsarebetterseparated.Inotherwords,eachstepappearsmoredifferentfromthestepsaboveandbelowit.Whetherthistechnicalimprovementismore

9.6Thesamescene,greatlyoverexposed.

9.7A“correction”oftheoverexposedphotographofferslittleadditionaldistinctionbetweenthehighlights.

9.8Thecharacteristiccurvethatresultsfromunderexposure.Theshadowsarecompressedbadly.

ImageSteps

ExposureSteps

9.9Anunderexposure.Manyshadowtones,differentintheoriginalscene,arenowcompressed.

9.10Alighterprintfromtheunderexposedimage.Eventhoughtheoverallsceneislighter,shadowdetailhasnotbeenrestored.

pleasingdependsontheparticularsceneandtheopinionoftheviewer.Inthisscene,thehighlightsinthebuilding’sfacadearenowbetterdifferentiated.Ofcourse,noviewerwouldconsiderthatgainworththeincreasedcompressionoftheshadowweseehere.

Onceagain,wewilltrytocuretheproblem.We’velightenedFigure9.10inanattempttorecovertheshadowdetail.Aswemighthaveexpectedwhenlookingatthecharacteristiccurve,thelighterversiondoesnotrestoretheshadowdetail.Thisisbecausetheunderexposurehascompressedthosetonestoomuchforthemevertobesalvaged.

ARealSensor(CCDorCMOS)

Thepartofthecharacteristiccurverepresentingtheshadowstepsiscalledthetoeofthecurve.Thetoeofarealcharacteristiccurveislikelytobeonlyslightlystraighterthanthetoeofthebadcurve,soshadowcompressionisalmostasbadinarealimagesensor.

Thepartofthecharacteristiccurverepresentingthehighlightstepsistheshoulderofthecurve.Betweenthetoeandtheshoulderisthestraightline.Thestraightlineofarealcharacteristiccurveislongerthanthatofbaddigitalsensor(eitherCCDorCMOS).Therefore,theshoulderoccursathigherdensityrangesthantheimportanthighlightsinsomescenes.Highlightcompressionislessofaprobleminarealsensorthaninabadsensor.

Realfilmswerecompromisesbetweenourimaginaryidealonesandourimaginarybadones.Theflatteningofthecharacteristiccurveshoulderreducedhighlightdetailbutdidn'teliminateitentirely.Withinverywideranges,shortof,say,brightnessofathermonucleardetonation,thenegativehadatleastsomedifferentiationoftheverylightgrays.Withextrawork,aprintcouldbemadethatshowedthatdifferentiation,evenifitdidthatbadly!

Therealsensorhasanadditionaldisadvantagethatfilmdidn't.Thecurvesimplyendsatthetop.Photographerstendtoroutinelyoverexpose,whethershootingfilmorshootingdigitally;althoughitmaynotbeavirtue,it'sstillafact.Photographersshootingfilmdosobecauseit’s“safe.”Highlightlossiseasiertocompensatethanshadowloss.Photographersshootingdigitallydosotokeepasmuchiftheimageaspossibleoutofthe“noisy”lowerranges.Digitalphotographerscannotoverexposenearlyasmuch,however,becauseoftheabruptlossofdetailatthetopofthecurve.

USINGEVERYRESOURCE

Thedifficultiesofwhite-on-whiteandblack-on-blacksubjectsarenotcausedbyjustthesubjectsthemselves.Theproblemsarerelatedtotheverybasicsofthephotographicmedium:scenesgetrecordedonthoseportionsofthecharacteristiccurvethatpreservetheleastdetail.Thismeansthatnosingletechnique,orevengroupoftechniques,isalwaysadequatetodealwithsuchsubjects.

Whiteonwhiteandblackonblackrequirecompletecommandofalltypesofphotographictechniques.Thetwomostessentialsetsofthesetechniquesarelightingandexposurecontrol.Thesetwoworktogethertoproduceeachpicture.Therelativeimportanceofeachvariesfromonescenetoanother.Wesometimesthinkprimarilyaboutexposurecontrolandinothersituationsuselightingtechniquesastheprimarytool.Theremainderofthischapterdiscussesbothandsuggestsguidelinesaboutwhentousewhichtool.

WHITEONWHITE

Whitesubjectsonawhitebackgroundcanbebothpracticalandappealing.Inadvertising,suchsubjectsgivedesignersmaximumflexibilityinthecompositionofthepiece.Typecangoanywhere,evenoveranunimportantpartofthesubjectitself.Blacktypeonawhitebackgroundislikelytosurviveevenpoorreproductioninanewspaper.Furthermore,photographersdonothavetoworryasmuchaboutmakingthecropfittheavailablespace.Ifthepictureisreproducedtokeepthebackgroundpurewhite,readerscannotseeintheadwheretheedgeoftheprintmighthavebeenrelativetothesubject.

Somephotographersstillshootfilm,forverygoodreasons.Evenaftertechnologyrendersfilmtrulyobsolete,somephotographerswillprobablystill

shootfilmjusttobedifferent,likethosefewwhostillprinton19th-centuryemulsions.Youcanoverexposenegativefilmtobesafe,butweneedto

warnyouthatoverexposureincreasesgrain.

Thetwofactorsthatmostaffectgrainsizearethesensitivityofthefilmtolightandthedensityoftheimage.Weusuallychoosetheslowestfilmthat

allowsanacceptableapertureandshutterspeed.Afterthat,weminimizegrainbypayingattentiontodensity.

Thedensertheimageis,thecoarserthegrainsizeis.Itmakesverylittledifferencewhetheradensityincreaseiscausedbyanexposureincrease

oradevelopmentincrease.Theeffectonthegrainissimilar.

Thismeansthatthegrainisnotuniformthroughoutthescene.Thehighlightareahasmoregrainthantheshadowareabecauseofthedensity

difference.Thisfactsurprisessomephotographers,especiallythosewhosenegativesareconsistentenoughtoprintwithverylittlemanipulation.

Thedenserareasinmostnegativesproducelightgrayorwhiteintheprint.Thegrainiscoarseinthoseareas,butitistoolighttosee.Highlight

grainisalsoconcealedinaprintbyfurtherhighlightcompressioninherentinthecharacteristiccurveofthepaperitself.

Suppose,however,thatthehighlightdetailisnotadequatewithanormalprintingexposure.Dependingonthescene,mostphotographersremedy

theproblembyincreasingeitherthegeneralprintingexposureortheexposurejustintheproblemarea(a“burn”).Thismakessomeofthehighlight

stepsprintasiftheyweremiddlesteps.Printingthedensergraystepsasmiddlestepsrevealsthecoarsestgraininthenegative.

Highlightcompressioninthenegativeisnotasbadasshadowcompression,butthedefectiscompoundedbyincreasedgrain.Theresultingeffect

onimagequalitycanbeevenworse.

Formanyyears,goodphotographersrealizedthatblack-and-whitefilm,printedwithmodernenlargers,neededabout20%lessdevelopmentthan

thefilmdatasheetstoldthem,andtheygotmuchlessgrainwiththereduceddevelopment.Photographersshootingcolornegativefilm,however,

wereprettywellstuckwithstandardizeddevelopmenttimesbecausereducingdevelopmenthurtthecolorbadly.Thosephotographersowealotto

theformerpresidentoftheProfessionalPhotographersofAmerica,FrankCricchio,who,beforehestartedshootingdigitally,workedoutan

exposuresystemforcolornegativefilmthatguaranteedadequateexposurewithoutoverexposure.Heprovedhissystembymakingmuchlarger

printsthanotherphotographers,withbettersharpness.

ForatleastacenturyphotographersregrettedthatS-shapedcharacteristiccurveandwishedthefilmmakerscouldgetitstraight.Theysawtheloss

ofhighlightandshadowdetailinthosepartsofthecurveandrightlythoughtthatdetailcouldbeimprovedbyalinearcurve.Now,withdigital

photographyreplacingfilm,wehaveourwish,butitturnsoutthatithasitsownshortcomings.

TheRawfileformatofferedbydigitalcamerasstraightensthecurveandkeepsthehighlightandshadowdetailthatusedtobelostifwedonot

overexposeorunderexposethescene.Thetrouble,nowthatwecanactuallyseesuchapicture,isthatitlooksflat.Weliketoseemorecontrastin

themiddletonesandwe’rewillingtosacrificeabitofhighlightandshadowdetailtogetit.Soitappearswewillhavetokeepthosephotographic

defectsuntil,possibly,amajorandunlikelychangeinhumanpsychology.

TheadvantageofRawisthatwegettokeepthedetailuntilpostproductionandmakejudgmentsaboutwhatdetailweneedtosacrificetomakethe

picturelookright.Rawisoftencalled

“thedigitalnegative”becausephotographerscanmakesomeofthesamedecisionstheyusedtomakeinthedarkroom.Likeanegative,aRawfile

alsogivesthephotographerthefreedomtochangehisorhermind,tomorrowornextyear,andusetheRawfiletomakeanew,whollydifferentTIFF

orJPEGthanwhateverheorshefirstliked.

ThedisadvantageofRawisthateverycameramakerdefinesitdifferentlyandkeepsthatdefinitionasecret.ThispotentiallymakestheRawformat

hostagetothecameramakers’proprietarysoftware.That’sahugeproblem.YouorIcouldprintMatthewBrady’snegativestoday,maybebetter

thanhedid,butiftheRawsoftwaretointerprettoday’sdigitalfiledoesn’texistinanother150years,whatwillourdescendentsdowithourdigital

negatives?

It’sinterestingtogototheU.S.NationalArchivestolookatpicturesshotbyEdwardSteichenwhenhewasaNavyphotographerduringWorldWar

II.Thegovernmentownsthenegativesandgenerallymakesmuchworseprintsthanhedid.Butonceinawhileagovernmentlabtechnicianmakes

abetterprintthanhedid.Oldfilmcanrevealnewinformation.

SomefeelthatabettersolutiontoproprietaryRawisAdobe’sDigitalNegativeFormat(DNG).It’sanopen,nonsecretstandard,likelytosurvive

history’sforgetfulness.ItpreservestheadvantagesofRaw,butanyonewithsoftwaresavvy,includingthoseusingwhatevercomputerswe’llhavein

150years,canreaditandinterpretit.SomecameramakershavemadetheirRawformatscompatiblewithDNGbut,alas,toofew.

Unfortunately,white-on-whitesubjectsarealsoamongthemostdifficultofallscenestophotograph.A“normally”exposedwhite-on-whitesubjectisrecordedontheworstportionoftheusablecharacteristiccurve.Lessercontrastinthatportionofthecurvecausescompressionofthatpartofthegrayscale.Graystepsthatweredistinctlydifferentinthescenecanbecomesimilaroridenticalgraysinthephotograph.

Whitesubjectsonwhitebackgroundsalsolargelydepriveusoftheuseofoneofourfavoritelightingingredients:directreflection.Wehaveseeninearlierchaptersthatbalancingdirectanddiffusereflectioncanrevealdetailthatmightotherwisedisappear.Directreflectionisespeciallycontrollablebypolarizingfiltersonlightsourcesorlenses.

White-on-whitescenesgenerallyhaveasmuchdirectreflectionasanyotherscene,butthediffusereflectionisusuallybrightenoughtooverpowerthedirectreflection.Withsomuchcompetitionfromdiffusereflection,thecameracannotseemuchdirectreflection,andphotographersaccomplishlittlebytryingtomanipulateit.

However,wewillaccomplishevenlessbycontinuingtocomplainabouttheproblems.Sowewillgoontoadiscussionofhowtodealwiththem.

Goodlightingcontrolproducestonaldistinctionsinwhite-on-whitesubjects.Goodexposurecontrolpreservesthosedistinctions.Neithercontrolaloneisadequatetodothejob.Wewilldiscussboth.

ExposingWhite-on-WhiteScenes

Theextremelyhighandextremelylowestrangesofthecharacteristiccurvearethoseareaswherewearemostlikelytolosedetail.Reducingtheexposureofawhite-on-whitesceneputstheexposureinthemiddleofthecharacteristiccurve.Doingthismaymakethescenelooktoodark,butwecanfixitlater.Theworstthingthatcanhappenisthatwefixapicturesothatithasthesamelossitwouldhavehadwithanormalexposure,andthat’snottoobad.Theotherthingthatcanhappenisthatwefindwecangetmorehighlightdetail,andthat’saverygoodthing.Keepinmindthatthelossofshadowdetailthatcomesfromunderexposureofanormalsceneisnothingtofearherebecausetheshadowareaofawhite-on-whitesceneisprettylight.Howmuchcanwereduceexposurewithoutgettingintoothertrouble?

Followingaresomedefinitionswewillbeusing.Wewillconsideranormalexposuretobeareflectedlightreadingfroman18%graycardoranincidentlightreading.Wewillfurtherassumethatstandardreproductionrendersthatcardasexactly18%reflectanceintheprintedimage.Finally,wewillconsiderreducedexposureandincreasedexposuretobedeliberatedeviationfromthenormal.Thisdifferentiatesthemfromaccidentalunderexposureandoverexposure.

Atypicalwhitediffusereflectionisabout2%stopsbrighterthanan18%graycardseenunderthesamelight.Thismeansthatifwemeterawhitesubject,insteadofagraycard,weneedtoincreaseexposureby2%stopsmorethanthemeterindicatestogetanormalexposure.

Suppose,however,wefailtomakethat2%-stopcorrectionandexposeexactlyasthemetersuggests.Thismeansthatthesamewhitewillreproduceas18%graywithastandardprintingexposure.Thisismuchtoodark.Viewerswillalmostneveraccept18%grayas“white.”Suchanexposuredoeshaveitsadvantages,though:itplacesthewhitesubjectonthestraight-lineportionofthecharacteristiccurve.

However,weareundernoobligationtousestandardreproduction.Wecanreproducetheimageaslightasweneedsothattheresultingimageisanappropriatelylightgraythatviewerswillcall“white.”OncewemovetheimageupthetonalscaleandconvertitfromRawtoastandardfileformat,weget

theexpectedhighlightcompression.

Soifwe’regettingthehighlightcompressionanyway,whynotshootitnormallyandletthecompressionhappenfromthebeginning?Weshouldnotdosofortworeasons:(1)thereducedexposurereservesmorechoicesforlater,and(2)thedigitalsensordoesnothaveaperfectlylinearresponse;italsohasacharacteristiccurvewithashoulder,albeitslight.Reducedexposurekeepsthehard-to-holddetailawayfromthatshoulder.

Reducingtheexposureofwhite-on-whitesubjectsby2%stopsistheminimumexposureweareeverlikelytouse.Tryitforscenesthathavevery,verybrightwhites.Thewaytodothisistousetheexposureindicatedbyareflectionmeterandignoretheroutinecorrection.

Photographerswhohavethoroughlymasteredmeteringtechniquesmaybeoffendedbyoursuggestiontojustpointthemeterandread,thendowhatthemetersays,withoutanycalculationorcompensation.Theyoughttobe!Wewouldbecompletelyirresponsibletomakesucharecommendationifwedidnotgoontowarnyouaboutsecondaryblacksubjectsandtransparencies.

Usingtheuncorrectedexposureindicatedbythereflectionmeterworksfineifthesceneiscomposedentirelyoflightgrays.Ifanadditionalblacksubjectisinthescene,however,thatpartofthescenewilllackshadowdetail.

Whetherthislackofdetailisaproblemdependsentirelyonwhatthesubjectisinthespecificscene.Iftheblacksubjectisunimportantandifitistoosmalltoadvertisethedefect,thenthelackofshadowdetailwillnotbeobjectionable.

However,ifthesignificanceorthesizeofthesecondaryblacksubjectcommandstheviewer'sattention,thedefectwillalsobeapparent.Insuchacase,itwouldbebettertouseanormalexposureinsteadofareducedone.“Importance”isapsychologicaljudgment,notatechnicalone.Itisentirelyreasonabletodecidetoreducetheexposureforonewhite-on-whitescenebuttouseanormalexposureforanothertechnicallyidenticalscene.

Ifweconsiderthepossibleerrorsandacceptthereflectionmeterreadingofawhite-on-whitescenewithoutcompensation,thenthatisadeliberatedecisiontoreduceexposure.Ifweusetheexposurethatwereadonthemeterwithoutthinkingaboutthedangers,theresultmaybeaccidentalunderexposure.

Realizethatbeingfreetouselessexposureinawhite-on-whitescenealsoallowsusingaslowerISO.Decidingtoreduceexposureby2%stopsmeansthatwecanusethesameapertureandshutterspeedforISO32asthoseforanISO180exposednormally.

LightingWhite-on-WhiteScenes

Lightingawhite-on-whitescenerequiresenhancingbothtextureanddepth,likethelightingofanyotherscene.WecandothiswiththesametechniquesweusedinChapters4and5.Theotherspecialrequirementofwhite-on-whitescenesistokeepallpartsofthesubjectfromdisappearing!

Theeasiestwaytoobtainatrue“white-on-white”sceneistosimply“print”ablankpieceofpaper.Ofcourse,photographersdonotreallymean“whiteonwhite”whentheyusetheterm.Instead,they

mean“verylightgrayonverylightgray,withsomewhitesinthescene.”

Wehavetalkedaboutwhythesesimilarlighttonestendtobecomethesametoneinaphotograph.Goodexposurecontrolminimizesthisproblem.Butalightgraystilldisappearsagainstanidenticallightgray.Theonlywaytokeepsuchasubjectvisibleistomakeoneofthosegrayslighterordarker.Thisiswhatlightingdoes.

SubjectandBackground

Themostimportantgraystodistinguisharethoseofthesubjectanditsbackground.Withoutthisseparation,theviewercannotseetheshapeofthesubject.Aviewermaynevernoticethelossofminordetailwithinthesubject,butalostedgeisreadilyapparent.

Wecanlighteitherthebackgroundortheedgeofthesubjectsothatitreproducesaswhite(orverylightgray)inthephotograph.Oncewedecidewhichoftheseistobewhite,weknowthattheothermustbeatleastslightlydarker.Technically,itdoesnotmatterwhetherthemainsubjectorthebackgroundisslightlydarker.Eitherwaypreservestonaldistinction.

Psychologically,however,itmattersalotwhetherthebackgroundorthesubjectiswhite.Figure9.11showsawhitesubjectagainstawhitebackground.Wehavelitthescenetorenderthebackgroundwhiteandthesubjectlightgray.Whenyoulookatthepicture,yourbraininterpretsthesceneaswhiteonwhite.

However,thebrainislesswillingtoacceptagraybackgroundasawhiteone.LookatFigure9.12.Wehaverelitthescenetorenderthebackgroundlightgrayandthesubjectwhite.Younolongerseeawhite-on-whitescene;youseeawhite-on-grayone.

Figure9.12isnotabadpicture.Itstillhasgoodtonaldistinctionbetweenthesubjectandthebackground,anditispleasingineveryotherway.Youmaypreferthelighting,andwehavenoreasontodiscourageit.Wearesimplysayingthatitisnotagoodwhite-on-whiteexample.

Becausethissectionisaboutwhiteonwhite,wewillkeepthebackgroundwhite,ornearlyso,inallremainingexamples.Intheseexamples,thebackgroundneedstobebetween%stopand1stopbrighterthangraysintheedgesoftheprimarysubject.Ifitislessthan%stopbrighter,partofthesubjectmaydisappear;ifitismorethan1stopbrighter,flaremayscatterenoughlightinsidethecameratocostcontrastinthesubject.

9.11ThebackgroundlookswhiteandtheBachbustlookstobealightgray.Thebraininterpretssuchasceneaswhiteonwhite.

9.12Thebackgroundisnowalightgrayandthebustappearswhite.Thebrainnowinterpretsthevisualmessageaswhiteongrayratherthanwhiteonwhite.

9.13Onegoodlightingarrangementforawhite-on-whitesubject.

UsinganOpaqueWhiteBackground

Theeasiestwhite-on-whitesubjectsarethosethatallowseparatecontroloverthelightingoftheprimarysubjectanditsbackground.Inthosecases,wecanslightlyincreasethelightonthebackgroundtokeepitwhite.Puttingthesubjectdirectlyonawhiteopaquebackgroundisthemostdifficultwhite-on-whitearrangementbecausewhateverwedotoonealsoaffectstheother.Thisisalsothemostcommonarrangement,sowewilldealwithitfirst.Figure9.13illustratestheprocess.

LighttheSubjectfromAbove

Lightingfromaboveplacesthefrontofthesubjectslightlyinshadowbutfullyilluminatesthetabletop.Thisreadilyestablishesthegraysubjectandwhitebackgroundwewant.Inmostcases,thecameraseesgooddistinctionbetweenthesidesofthesubjectandthebackgroundwithoutanyfurtheradjustments.Figure9.14istheresult.

Notice,however,thatsuchanarrangementalsofullyilluminatesthetopofthesubject.Thelossoftonaldistinctioninthatareameanswehavetodosomemoreworkbeforeexposing.

9.14ThereisgooddifferentiationbetweensideedgesoftheBachbustandthebackground.However,thetopoftheheadhasvanished.

UseaGoboabovetheSubject

Thisstepisalmostalwaysnecessary.Weplacethegobotocastjustenoughshadowonthetopofthesubjecttobringitsbrightnessdowntoalevelsimilartothatofthefront.YoucanseetheimprovementinFigure9.15.

Youmayhavebeensurprisedthatwedidnotdiscussthesizeofthelightinthepreviousstep.Asfarasthesubjectisconcerned,youcanusealightofwhateversizethatlooksgood.However,werecommendamedium-sizedlightbecauseitislikelytoworkmosteffectivelywiththegobointhisstep.

9.15Agoboblockinglightfromthebust’sheadtakescareoftheproblemwesawinthepreviouspicture.Thetopoftheheadisnowclearlyvisible.

Thehardnessoftheshadowcastbythegoboisusuallymorecriticalthanthatofthesubject.Ifthelightistoosmall,wemaynotbeabletogettheshadowofthegobosoftenoughtoblendwiththerestofthescene.Alightthatistoolargemaykeepthatshadowtoosofttoeffectivelyshadethesubject.Usingamedium-sizedlightfromthebeginningreservestheprivilegeofexperimentingwiththegobolater.

Ifyouhavenotdonethisbefore,youmaynotknowhowlargethegoboshouldbeorhowfaritshouldbefromthesubject.Thesefactorsvarywiththesubject,sowecannotgiveyouformulas.Wecan,however,tellyouhowtodecideforyourself.Beginwithagoboaboutthesizeoftheoffendinghighlight.Foreaseofmovement,holditinyourhandwhileexperimenting.Youcanalterthesizeofthegoboandclampitappropriatelywhenyoufine-tunethesetuplater.

Thecloserthegoboistothesubject,thehardertheshadowofthegobobecomes.Movethegoboclosertothesubject,thenfartheraway,toseethishappen.Theedgeoftheshadowofthegoboneedstoblendnicelywiththeedgeofthehighlightweneedtoconceal.

Theshadowofthegobomaybecometoolightasyoumoveitfartherfromthesubject.Ifthishappens,tryalargergobo.Conversely,iftheshadowofthegoboblendswellbutistoodark,cutthegobosmaller.

Finally,whenthegobopositionisrightfortheprimarysubject,lookatitseffectonthebackground.Thegobowillalsocastashadowthere.Onmostsubjects,theshadowthegobocastsonthebackgroundwillblendnicelywiththatofthesubjectandwillnotbenoticeable.Thegoboshadowwillbesofteronthebackgroundthanonthetopofthesubjectbecausethebackgroundisfartherawayfromthegobo

thanthesubjectis.

Ifthesubjectistallenough,thegobomayproducenoperceptibleshadowonthebackgroundatall.Therewillbeaproblem,however,withveryshallowsubjects.Inanextremecase,suchasawhitebusinesscardonawhitetable,itisimpossibletoputashadowonthecardwithoutshadingthebackgroundequally.Inthosesituations,wemusteitheruseoneoftheotherbackgroundsdiscussedlaterinthischapterorresorttomaskingorretouchingafterthephotographiscompleted.

AddDimension

Thewhitebackgroundonwhichthesubjectsitswillprovideagreatdealoffilllight.Unfortunately,thisfillilluminationwillusuallybetooeventogivethepictureagoodsenseofdimension.Figure9.15istechnicallyacceptablebecausethesubjectisreasonablywelldefined,buttheblanduniformityofthegraysmakesitboring.

Ifthesubjectisverymuchdarkerthanthebackground,weneedtoaddareflectortooneside.Thisaddsbothfillanddimension.Moreoften,white-on-whitesubjectsareonlyslightlydarkerthanthebackground,andwedarenotfurtherbrightenthemwithfill.Instead,weusuallyaddablackcard,againtooneside.Thisblockssomeofthelightreflectingfromthebackgroundandproducesashadowedsidetothesubject.Figure9.16hasablackcardontheleft,justoutofcamerarange.

UsingaTranslucentWhiteBackground

Iftheshapeofthesubjectisveryflat,thereisnowaytoshadowitwithoutdoingthesametothebackgroundonwhichitsits.Onegoodsolutiontothisproblemistouseatranslucentbackgroundthatcanbelitfrombehind.Whiteacrylicisgoodforthispurpose.Aslongasthesubjectisreasonablyopaque,wecanlightthebackgroundtowhateverbrightnesswepleasewithoutaffectingthesubject.Figure9.17showsthelightingdiagram.

Figure9.18appliesthistechnique.Thesubjectiswelldifferentiatedfromthebackground.Notice,however,thattheilluminationunderthesubjecthaserasedanyhintofagroundshadow.

9.16Ablackcardontheleftreducedthefillreflectedfromthetabletop,creatingasenseofdepth.

9.17Atranslucentbackgroundphotographswhiterthanawhitesubject.

9.18Lightfromundertheflowereliminatedanyhintofagroundshadowintheprint.

Afterlookingatthispicture,wemightbeinclinedtoavoidthissetupanytimewewanttopreserveashadowunderthesubject.Shouldweavoidit?Absolutelynot.Oneofthesinglebiggestadvantagestothistechniqueisthatitallowsustocontroltheapparentshadowofthesubjectcompletelyindependentlyofthelightingofthesubject.Here'show.

Beginbyturningoffanylightsweintendtousetophotographthesubject.Next,setupatestlighttoproduceapleasingshadow.Itdoesn'tmatterwhetherthislightisgoodforthesubjectbecausewewillnotusethislighttoshootthepicture.Weintendtousethelighttotraceapattern(aswedidforthefamilyofanglesinChapter6andthereflectorbehindtheglassofliquidinChapter8).

9.19Manufacturingagroundshadow.

Next,slideanyopaqueorsemi-opaquepaperunderthesubject.(Ifyoumovethesubjectintheprocess,don’tworry.Criticalpositioningisunnecessaryatthistime.)Tracetheshadowpatternonthepaperwithapencil.Thenremovetheopaquepaperandcutouttheshadowpattern.Thefinalstepistogluetheshadowpatternunderthetranslucentbackground,asshowninFigure9.19.

Nowyoucanturnoffthetestlightandlightthesubjectinanymanneryouplease.Figure9.20isthefinishedpicture.Theshadowsundertheblossomandstemwerenotcastbythelightilluminatingthesubject.However,itcertainlylookslikeit.

UsingaMirrorBackground

Probablytheeasiest“white”backgroundtouseisamirror.Amirrorreflectsalmostnothingbutdirectreflections.Thesereflectionsarelikelytobemuchbrighterthanthediffusereflectionsfromawhitesubject.

Webeginthearrangementwithalightlargeenoughtofillthefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflectionsontheentiremirrorsurface.(WedeterminewherethatfamilyisexactlyaswedidwiththeflatmetalinChapter6.Youcanlookbackatthatsectionifyouneedalightingdiagram.)Becausethelightsourcemustfillthefamilyofanglesdefinedbytheentirebackground,thismayturnouttobethelargestlightwewilleverneedforaflatsubject.

9.20Agobowasplacedunderthetabletoproduceashadowthatlooksasthoughitwascastbytheflower.

Theotherspecialrequirementforthelightsourceisthatitshownodistractingtexture.Rememberthatthelightitselfwillbevisiblyandsharplyreflectedinthemirror.

NoadditionalstepswereneededtoproduceFigure9.21.Alightsolargeusuallyproducesshadowssosoftthatnootherlightisrequiredforfill.Furthermore,thisisoneofthefewtechniquesinwhichthebackgroundcanreflectmuchfilllightunderthesubject.

Anoccasionaldrawbacktothistechniqueisthereflectionofthesubject.Itmaybeconfusing,dependingonthecropandontheshapeofthesubject.Ifthesubjectisappropriate,trymistingthetabletopwithwatertocamouflageandbreakupthatreflection.

9.21Amirrorreflectingthelightsourceisanotherbackgroundthatis“whiter”thanthe“white”flower.

Theotherpossiblecomplaintisthelackofgroundshadow.Thereisnowaytoobtainonewiththissetup.Ifyoufeeltheshadowisnecessaryforyoursubject,thensomeotherarrangementwillbebetter.

InAnyCase,KeeptheBackgroundSmall

Wehaveexplainedwhydirectreflectionsareusuallynotveryimportanttowhitesubjects.Thefewweseegenerallyaddabitofdimension,butcomparedwiththediffusereflections,theytendtobetooweaktobemajorplayersinthelightingevent.

Theexceptiontothisisdirectreflectionontheedgeofthesubject.Directreflectioninthoseareasisespeciallylikelytomakethesubjectdisappearagainstthewhitebackground.Tomakemattersworse,thewhitebackgroundsinallofthesearrangementsareinexactlythepositionmostlikelytocausethesereflections.

Themostcommonsolutionisthesameasthetechniqueforkeepingreflectionofftheedgeoftheglassinthebright-fieldmethod,asdiscussedinChapter7:keepthebackgroundassmallaspossible.Sometimesourbackgroundismuchlargerthantheareathecamerasees,andwedonotwanttocutit.Inthosesituations,weeitherconfinethelighttotheimageareaorsurroundtheimageareawithblackcards.

Anotherdangerofwhite-on-whitesituationsiscameraflare.Largewhitebackgroundsscatteralotoflightinsidethecamera.Thisflarewillprobablybesouniformthatyouwillnotseeit,evenwhenthegenerallossofcontrastissignificant.However,ifyoustayinthehabitofkeepingthewhitebackgroundonlyaslargeasitneedstobe,youwillnotneedtoworryabouttheflare.

BLACKONBLACK

Masteringwhiteonwhiteisagoodstepforwardintheprocessofmasteringblackonblack.Manyoftheprinciplesaresimilarbutappliedinreverse.Wewillpointoutsomeofthesesimilarities,butwewillemphasizethedifferences.

Themajordifferenceinexposureconsiderationsisnotrecordinginthecamera'snoiserange.Themajordifferenceinlightingconsiderationsistheincreasedvisibilityofdirectreflection.

ExposingBlack-on-BlackScenes

Thesectiononthecharacteristiccurvepointedoutthecompressionofgraystepsinboththeshadowandthehighlightsteps.ThishappenswheneverweshootaJPEG,andithappenswheneverweconvertanimagefromRawtoanyotherconventionalformat.Wealsosawwhyoverexposureexaggeratesthisprobleminwhite-on-whitescenesandwhyunderexposureexaggeratesitinblack-on-blackscenes.

Theproblemissomewhatworseintheshadowstepsasaresultofdigitalnoise.Theserandom,minutespecklesmaybeunnoticeableinanormalscenewithnolargedarkareasbutapparentinblackonblack.Theseverityoftheproblemdependsonthequalityofthecamera,butfornowatleastweseeittosomeextentinallcameras.Soweincreasetheexposureofablack-on-blackscenetomoveitclosertothemiddlegrays,evenifweknowwe'regoingtodarkenitbackdownlaterinpostproduction.

Themostextremeamountthatwemightusetomodifytheexposureissimilartowhiteonwhite,2%stops,exceptthat,becauseofnoise,we'remorelikelytoactuallygotothatextremehere.Thismeansweexposethatmuchmorethanwhatagraycardreflectionreadingoranincidentreadingtellsus.Orwecanaccomplishaboutthesamethingbysimply

pointingareflectionmeteratthesubjectandexposingasitsays,withoutanycompensation.

Thisisasatisfactoryshortcuttomoresophisticatedmeteringtechniquesifwerememberthepotentialproblemsitcancreate.These,too,aresimilartothoseforwhite-on-whitesubjects.

Thismethodwill,ofcourse,overexposeanysecondarylight-graysubjectsinthesamescene.Therefore,it’sapplicableonlywhenthescenetrulyapproximatesblackonblack.

LightingBlack-on-BlackScenes

Black-on-blackscenesrequirespecialattentiontoexposuretorecordasmuchdetailaspossible.However,increasingtheexposureofablack-on-blacksceneworksonlyiftherearenosecondarywhitesubjectsindangerofoverexposure.

Evenwithoutanywhitesubjects,increasedexposureofablack-on-blackscenesometimesdoesnot

lookright,evenifitrecordsmoredetailthananormalexposure.Althoughgoodexposureisessential,itisnotenough.Themanipulationofexposureandlightinghelpsoneanothertorecordthescenewell.Nowwewilllookatthelightingprinciplesandtechniques.

Like“whiteonwhite,”“blackonblack”isanaccuratedescriptionofasceneonlywhenweacknowledgeittobeanabbreviationforalongerdescription.Abetterdescriptionwouldbe“ascenecomposedmostlyofdarkgraysbutwithsomeblacksinitalso.”

Likeallscenes,lightingblack-on-blackscenesrequiresthatwerevealdepth,shape,andtexture.Justaswithwhite-on-whitescenes,thelightingofblack-on-blackscenesneedstomovesomeoftheexposurestepsinthescenetothemiddleofthedensityscale.Thisishowweovercomethetendencyforverylightorverydarksimilartonestobecomeidenticalinaphotograph.

White-on-whitescenesproduceagreatdealofdiffusereflection;thisiswhatmakesthemwhite.Conversely,blacksubjectsareblackbecauseoftheirlackofdiffusereflection.Thisdifferenceindiffusereflectionisimportantmainlybecauseofwhatitimpliesaboutdirectreflection.

Thegreatestsingledifferencebetweenlightingblack-on-blackandwhite-on-whitescenesisthatmostblack-on-blackscenesallowusthefulluseofdirectreflection.Whitesubjectsdonotnecessarilyproducelessdirectreflection.Instead,whateverdirectreflectionawhitethingdoesproduceislessnoticeablebecausethediffusereflectionissomuchbrighterbycomparison.Bythesametoken,blackthingsdonotproduceanymoredirectreflection.However,thedirectreflectiontheydoproduce

ismorevisiblebecausethosereflectionshavelesscompetitionfromdiffusereflections.

Thus,theruleofthumbforlightingmostblack-on-blackscenesistocapitalizeondirectreflectionwheneverpossible.Ifyouhavemasteredlightingmetal,youknowthatweusuallydothesameforthosecases.(Directreflectionmakesthemetalbright.Werarelywanttophotographittoappeardark.)Therefore,anothergoodruleforblackonblackistolightitasifitweremetal,regardlessoftheactualmaterial.

Generally,thismeansfindingthefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflectionandfillingthatfamilyofangleswithalightsourceorsources.(Chapter6describeshowtodothis.)Wewilltalkaboutspecificsduringtheremainderofthischapter.

SubjectandBackground

Wecanonlyphotographascenecomposedofgrays,notatrulyblack-on-blackone.Thismeansthateitherthesubjectorthebackgroundneedstobedarkgray,notblack,tokeepthesubjectfromdisappearing.

Figure9.22isablacksubjectonablackbackground.Noticethatwehavelititsothatthebackgroundisabsolutelyblack.Doingthismeantthatwealsohadtokeepthesubjectfrombeingabsoluteblack.Renderingthesubjectasadarkormiddlegraykeepsitdistinctfromthebackgroundandpreservesitsshape.

Ablacksubjectonadarkgraybackgroundcouldmaintainthesamedistinction.Ineithercase,thereis

enoughdifferencebetweenthesubjectandthebackgroundtokeepthesubjectfromdisappearing.However,illuminatingthebackgroundcausesadditionalproblems.Figure9.23showsthem.

Thebackgroundnolongerlooksblack.Wearepsychologicallywillingtoacceptadarkgraysubjectasblack,butwecannotacceptadarkgraybackgroundasblack.Thisisalmostalwaystrueforsimplescenesthatdonotgivethebrainmanyothercluestodecidehowtheoriginalscenelooked.Thesameisalsotrueformanycomplexscenes.

Thiscorrelateswiththeearlierprinciplethathumanbrainsconsidermostscenestobewhiteonwhiteonlywhenthebackgroundispure,ornearlypure,white.Italsosuggestssimilaraction.Ifyoujustwanttodifferentiatethesubjectfromthebackground,keepeitheroneofthemblackandmaketheotheronegray.However,ifyouwanttosuccessfullyrepresent“blackonblack,”makesurethebackgroundisasblackaspossible.

9.22Thebraininterpretsagraysubject,suchasthispot,againstablackbackgroundasablack-on-blackscene.

9.23Thesubjectisblack,andthebackgroundisdarkgray.Thebrainnolongeracceptsthesceneasblackonblack.

Youwillseethatthisopinioninfluencesalmosteverytechniquewearegoingtosuggest.Thereisonlyoneexception,andwewilltalkaboutthatnext.

UsinganOpaqueBlackBackground

Puttingablacksubjectonanopaqueblackbackgroundisusuallyoneoftheworstwaysofcreatingablack-on-blackscene.Wediscussitfirstbecauseitisoftenthemostavailablesolution.Moststudiophotographershaveblackseamlesspaperhandy.

Figure9.24showstheproblem.(ThelightingisalargeoverheadsourcelikethatusedforaboxinChapter5.)Thepaperbackgrounddirectlyunderthesubjectreceivesasmuchilluminationasthesubjectitself.Thereisnoeasywaytolightthesubjectanybrighterthanthebackground.Weknowthatweneedtorenderthesubjectdarkgray,notblack,topreservedetail.However,ifthesubjectisnotblack,thenthebackgroundunderitcannotbeblackeither.

Wecoulduseaspotlighttoconcentratethelightontheprimarysubject,thuskeepingthebackgrounddarker.Remember,however,wewanttoproduceasmuchdirectreflectiononthesubjectaspossible.Thisrequiresalargelightsourcetofillthefamilyofanglesthatdoesthat.Usinglargelightsgenerallymeansusingnospotlights.

9.24Theblackpapercannotbeexposeddarkenoughtorenderitblackiftheflashlightisproperlyexposed.

Wecouldalsohopethatalotofthereflectionfromthebackgroundispolarizeddirectreflection.Thenwecoulduseapolarizingfilteronthecameralenstoblockthatreflectionandkeepthebackgroundblack.Sometimesthisworks,butinmostofthosescenesthedirectreflectionfromthesubjectisalsopolarized.Unfortunately,thepolarizerislikelytodarkenthesubjectatleastasmuchasitdarkensthebackground.

Thebestsolutionistofindabackgroundmaterialthatproduceslessdiffusereflectionthanthesubject.Blackvelvetservesthispurposeformostsubjects.Figure9.25istheearliersubjectphotographedwiththesamelightingandthesameexposurebutwithblackvelvetreplacingthepaper.

Therearetwopossibleproblemstotheblackvelvetsolution.Afewsubjectsaresoblackthateventhevelvetwillnotbeblackerthantheyare.Amorecommonproblemisthattheedgesoftheblacksubjectmergewiththeirownshadow,andweseesomeofthatinthispicture.Whetherthelossisacceptableisajudgmentcallandwilldifferfromonepicturetoanother,butwe’llassumeit’sunacceptableherebecausewewanttotalkabouthowtodealwithit.Filllightdoesnothelpmuch.Rememberthatthesubjectdoesnotproducesignificantdiffusereflection,andtheonlyplacefromwhichalightcanproducedirectreflectionontheedgesofthesubjectislocatedwithintheimagearea.

9.25Withthesameexposure,theblackvelvetismuchdarkerthantheblackpaperusedinFigure9.24.

NoticethatthisproblemissimilartotheonepresentedbythemetalboxshowninChapter6.Wesolvedthatproblemwithinvisiblelight.Unfortunately,wecannotreflectverymuchlight,invisibleornot,fromblackvelvet.Thatrequiresaglossysurface.

UsingaGlossyBlackSurface

InFigure9.26wesubstitutedablackacrylicsurfacefortheblackvelvet.Thenwebouncedalittleinvisiblelightfromtheglossysurfacetofillinthesidesofthesubject.Thisworksforalmostanyblacksubject.Ordoesit?Noticethatthelargelightabovethesubjectalsofillsthefamilyofanglesthatproducesdirectreflectionontheglossyacrylic.Therefore,thebackgroundisnolongerblack.Becauseyousawthatsoquickly,youprobablyalsorememberthatwesaidearlierthatthebackgroundhadtostayblack.

Wewouldliketotalkourwayoutofthisapparentdiscrepancybypointingoutthatthebrainneedstoseeablackbackgroundinsimpleblack-on-blackscenes.Thesubject,background,andreflectionofthesubjectadduptoamorecomplexscene.Wemaintainthattheblackreflectionunderthesubjectisasufficientvisualcluetotellthebrainthatthesurfaceisblackbutglossyandreflectinglight.Sothisisstillablack-on-blackscene!

9.26Ablackacrylicbackground.Noticethesharplyoutlinedreflectionoftheflashlight.Isthesceneblackonblack?

Thisargumentoughttoconvincemostreaderstoletusgetbywiththegraybackground,butafewofyouwillbelesscharitableandinsistthatwekeepouroriginalcommitment.Wewilldosowiththenextsolution.

KeeptheSubjectawayfromtheBackground

Supposeweplacethesubjectfarenoughfromthebackgroundthatthelightingofthesubjecthasnoeffectonthebackground.Wecanthenlightthesubjectanywaywepleaseandthebackgroundwillremainblack.

Thisiseasyifwecropthebottomofthesubjectoutofthepicture.InFigure9.27themodelhandisonapedestalseveralfeetfromthebackground.Thisallowsustolightthehandwellwithalmostnolightonthebackground.However,iftheentiresubjecthastoshow,wehavetosupportitwithtrickery.

Amateursassumeprofessionalphotographersdothiswithstring.Sometimeswedo,buttoooftenthestringneedstoberetouched.

9.27Thesubjectisseveralfeetfromthebackground.Thismakesiteasytolightwithoutlightfallingonthebackground.

(Stringmightoccasionallyescapeundetectedinabriefmotionpictureorvideoshot,butitislikelytobeapparentinahigh-qualitystill.)Retouchingablackbackgroundisusuallynotdifficult.However,doingnoretouchingatallisevenbetter,sowewillsuggestsomeotherways.

InChapter6weinvisiblysupportedthemetalboxonasheetofglass.Thenwehadtouseapolarizingfiltertoremovethepolarizeddirectreflectionfromtheglasssurface.Thisdidnotaffectthemetalbecausedirectreflectionfrommetalisrarelypolarized.

Theglasstablewillnotworkformostblacksubjects.Muchofthedirectreflectionfromablacksubjectislikelytobepolarized.Ifweuseapolarizingfiltertotakethereflectionoffourtablesurface,wewillprobablyturnthesubjectblacktoo.

THEHISTOGRAM

Achapteronblackonblackandwhiteonwhiterequiresmoretalkaboutthetechnologyofphotographythananyother.Thismakesitagoodplacetotalkaboutthehistogram.Wewillclosewiththat.

ManyphotographersfirstencounteredthehistograminAdobePhotoshop(Image>Adjust>Levelsgetsyouthere).Afterlearningtousehistograms,manyofusdecidedthiswasamuchmorestraightforward

methodofimagecontrolthananytechnologyintraditionalphotography.Nowmanydigitalcamerashavebroughtthehistogramintotraditionalphotography.(Isadigitalcameratraditionalphotography?Wemaintainthatitcertainlycanbe.)

ManycamerasdisplayahistogramofthesceneweareabouttoshootandallowustomakePhotoshop-likecorrectionsbeforeweshoot.NoneofthedigitalcameramakershasyetimplementedthehistogramaselegantlyasAdobe,butpresumablytheywillgetthere.

Conceptuallyspeaking,histogramsaresimpleenough.Theyarenothingmorethangraphs—andquitesimpleonesatthat.However,onceyoulearnhowtointerpretthem—howtodecodetheinformationtheycontain—histogramsbecomeextraordinarilyusefultools.Thetruthisthatintoday'sdigitalworld,anunderstandingofhistogramsissoimportantnophotographercanaffordtobewithoutit.

Ahistogramismadeupoflines.Eachlinerepresentsthenumberofpixelstheimagecontainsforeachofthe256valuesthatconstitutethegraytonalscalefromtheblackestblacktothewhitestwhite.

Ifweareshootingcolor,usuallythecasewhenweareshootingdigitally,thebasichistogramisacompositeofthreehistograms:oneeachforred,green,andblue.Ifweneedtomakecoloradjustments,wecanselectthehistogramforasinglecolorandmanipulateitalone.

Fornow,however,wewillignorethatandassumeweareshootingablack-and-whitephotographaswedoinmostoftherestofthisbook.It’sjustsimplertotalkaboutandsimplertounderstandthatway.

LookatFigure9.28.Itisatypicalhistogram,anditrepresentsinformationaboutthephotographwesawearlierinFigure9.27.Putanotherway,wecansaythatFigure9.28isagraphshowingthenumberofpixelsateachofthemanydifferentbrightnesslevelsthatmakeupFigure9.27.

They-axisatthefarleftofthegraphshowsthenumberofpixels,andthex-axisalongthebottomshowstheirbrightness,orwheretheyfitintothepicture’soveralltonalrange.Thedarkestpixelsareonthehistogram’sleftside.Thelightestareontheright,andthemiddle-graytonesareinthemiddle.Whenweputallthispixelinformationtogether,weendupwithagraphthatshowsuswhattonalvaluesarepresentinapictureandhowtheyaredistributedthroughoutit.

Totranslatethisintothelanguageofgrayscalevalues,wecansaythattheblackestofblacksatthehistogram’sfarlefthasatonalvalueof0.Thewhitestofwhiteshasatonalvalueof255,andthemiddlegrayhasatonalvalueof128.ForthosefamiliarwiththeZonesystem,thefarleftofahistogramcorrespondstothe“0”Zone.ThemiddlegraycorrespondstoZoneV,andthefarrightcorrespondstoZoneX.

9.28Thehistogramshowshowmuchofeachgrayscaleorcolorvalueexistsinthescene.

Earlierwetoldyoutherewere256shadesofgrayfromblacktowhite.Nowwetellyouthehighestnumberonthescaleisonly255.Thisisnotatypo:thezerocountsasacoloralso.

Becausethisisahistogramofablack-on-blackscene,itshowsnowhiteorlightgrays.Noticethatthelightestpixelinthesceneisabout218or220,not255.Similarly,awhite-on-whitescenewouldhaveveryfewpixelsattheleftsideofthegraph.

PreventingProblems

Wecanalsolookatthishistogramandtellthatthepicturehasprobablybeenmanipulated.Lookatthegapsinthehistogramatbrightnesslevelsofabout93,110,and124andinfourotherplaces.Suchgapsarerareinsceneswephotographandtheyusuallyindicatedatalostthroughsubsequentmanipulation.Inthiscase,thelossisminor.Overmanipulation,however,canleadtosevereproblems.

SupposewehaddecidedthatFigure9.27wastoodarkandthenlightenedit.Figure9.29istheresultandFigure9.30isitshistogram.

9.29ThesamephotographwesawinFigure9.27,nowsubstantiallylighter.

9.30ThehistogramforFigure9.31.

Thenewhistogramhasapproximately100gaps.Thisisexactlywhyhistogramsaresouseful.Byglancingatahistogram,fairlyinexperiencedphotographerscanseeproblemstheymightotherwiseoverlookandeventhemostexperiencedeyesgetreassurance.EvenifwedecidethatFigure9.29isagoodpicture,itshistogramshouldcauseustoworry.

Overmanipulation

Manyaspectsofmanipulatingthehistogramareidenticalinthecameraandinpostproduction,butthedifferencesbetweenthetwoareimportant.Althoughpostproductionhasnothingtodowithlighting,wewouldberemissintellingyouasmuchaswedohereandthenleavingyoutothinkwehavetoldthewholestory.Wehaven’t.There’smore,andit’ssoimportantweoughttomentionitevenifitdoesn’tdirectlyrelatetolighting.

Thebestwaytoavoida“bad”histogramistolightthescenecorrectlyandexposethepicturecorrectlyinthefirstplace.Sometimesthisisimpossible.Wecan’taskarapidlyevolvingnewseventtowaitforustosetuplights!

Overmanipulationisoftencausedbyrepeatedadjustmentstotheimage:weadjusttheimage,lookataproof,tweakabitmore,thenrunanotherproof.Pleasedon’tdothis!

Intoday'sdigitalworld,imagesoftenmovearoundfromplacetoplaceandpersontoperson.Ateachstepalongtheway,theircolorrange,saturation,hue,andalltheotherparametersmayshiftandchange.

Itisnotunusualthatsuch“refining”producesanimagethatishopelesslyovermanipulated.Unfortunately,however,thisconditionmaynotbeimmediatelyobviouswhenwelookatthepictureonalmostanyexistingmonitor.Fortunately,however,itshistogramwillwarnusataglance.

Whenweadjustahistogram,wespreadcertaingrayscalevaluesoveralargerrange.(That'swhatcausesthosegapsinthe“bad”histogram.)However,thetonalscaleislimited,andwhenweexpandpartoftherangeweoftencompressanotherpart.Compressionmeansthatgrayscalevaluesoncerepresentedasawiderangenowoccupyanarrowerrange.Thismeansthattwovaluesthatwereoriginallydifferentgraysnowbecomethesamegray.Detailislost.Isthisallright?Veryoften,yes,ifthesacrificeismorethancompensatedforbyimprovementsinotherpartsoftheimage.

Themoreseriousproblemcomesfromrepeatedadjustment.Thelossiscumulative,andifithappensinsmallsteps,youmaynotevennoticeit.

Thesolutionistokeeptheoriginalfile,tomakeadjustmentstoacopy,andtokeepnotesaboutwhattheadjustmentswere.Thenifwearenothappywiththeresult,deletethealteredfileandreturntotheoriginaltoreadjustbasedonournotes.RecentversionsofPhotoshopallowkeepingsuchnotesinthefileitself.

AnotheralternativeistouseaPhotoshopadjustmentlayer.Thisway,noadjustmentismadetotheoriginal;instead,theadjustmentlayerrepresentstheimageonthemonitororinaprintoutasiftheadjustmentshadbeenmade.Thereis,therefore,noharminreturningtotheadjustmentlayerandreadjustingasmanytimesasweplease.

CURVES

Becausethedigitalrealmforcesustotalkaboutissuesthatdonotstrictlyrelatetolighting,weshouldalsomentioncurves.Wewillnotgivedetailedinformationherebecauseexistingdigitalcamerasdisplayonlyhistograms.(Somecamerasmaydisplaycurves,however,bythetimeyoureadthis.)Curvesareapostproductiontoolthatonthemonitorlookverymuchlikethefilmcharacteristiccurves

wesawearlierinthischapter.Theylookquitedifferentfromthehistogrambutrepresentmuchthesameinformation(Figure9.31).Theirusediffersfromthatofthehistogramintwoways:(1)theydonottellushowmuchof

9.31TheCurvesdialogbox.

eachvalueisinthescene,and(2)whereasthehistogramallowsustoadjustthreepointsonthescale(black,white,andthemidpoint),curvesallowustosetandadjustasmanypointsasweplease.

Theabilitytocorrectmultiplepointsinthescalemakescurvesamuchmorepowerfultoolforcorrectingapictureandforruiningit.Asitdoesforlevels,Photoshopallowsmakingcurvesadjustmentsinanondestructivelayer.

Weencouragebeginnerphotographerstolearntocontrolthehistogramfirstandthen,later,tomoveontocurvesandusethosenondestructiveadjustmentlayers.

NEWPRINCIPLES

Wehaveintroducedveryfewnewprinciplesinthischapter.Instead,wehavetalkedmostlyaboutbasicphotographyandbasiclighting(plusafewbitsofmagicandchicanery).

White-on-whiteandblack-on-blacksubjectsdonotrequiremanyspecialtechniques.Thesesubjectsdo,however,requirethebasics,appliedmeticulously.Thismaybetrueofphotographyingeneral.

Professionaldevelopmentmaynotbesomuchamatteroflearningnewthingsbutoflearningand

relearningthebasicsandcombiningtheminmoreperceptiveways.

Oneofthesebasicsisthatlightbehaveslikelight,andnoneofourpietyorwitcanevermakeitdootherwise.Weliketosaywecontrollight,butoftenallwecanreallydoistocooperatewithwhatitwantstodo.Thisistrueofanylight,inthestudiooroutofit.

Youwillhearmoreofthisinthenextchapter.

TravelingLight

Locationlightingpresentsallsortsofchallenges.Somearerelativelyeasytosolve.Othersrequireagoodbitmoreeffort.Somerequireyoutomovehundredsofpoundsofgeararound,whereasotherscanbetakencareofbythecleveruseofaportableflashweighinglessthanapound.Inthefollowingpageswepresentanumberofapproachesthatwehavefoundhelpful.

SOMEVERYGOODNEWS

Duringtheyearssincethefirsteditionofthisbookwaspublished,photographyhasexperiencedanamazingrevolution—thedigitalrevolution.Ithasturnedtheworldofimagemakingonitshead.Beitinvolvingcameras,lights,orpostproduction—theartandscienceoffreezingamomentintimehavechangedtosuchadegreethattheywouldbealmostunrecognizabletophotographersplyingtheirtradeanamazinglyfewyearsago.

Andthisisalmostallgoodnews—very,verygoodnewsasweseeit.Thisisbecausethenewworldofphotographyletsmorefolksinandallowsthemtoenjoyevermoresophisticatedmodesandmannersofpicturemaking.

Andofallthemanyassortedvenuesforpicturemaking,nonehasbenefitedmorethanlocationshooting—particularlythelightingsideofit.Thereasonforthisissimple:Picturemakinghasgonedigital!

Thesimpletruthisthatthefantasticlittleexternalor“hotshoe”flashesthatareattheheartofthelightingtechniquesfavoredbysomanyoftoday’stopprofessionalsareactuallyminicomputersconnectedtoflashtubes.Butthat’snotall.Today’scomputer-centricflashgearismarried.Itismarriedtothecomputer-lenscombinationsthataretoday’severadvancingdigitalcameras.

Fortunatelyforus,theirsisanextraordinaryunion.Today’slight-givingandpicture-recordingcomputer-drivenunitsareinconstantelectroniccommunication—communicationthat,onceweusersunderstandit,iscapableof,andoftendoes,produceamazingresults.

Withtheaboveinmind,letusmoveontoabriefaboutchoosingthelightsthatarebestforwhatyouwanttodo.

CHOOSINGTHERIGHTLIGHT

Threebasickindsofstrobes,or“flash,”areavailabletoday.Theyrangefromthebig,heavyandhugelypowerfultotheverysmallandlight,butstillamazinglypowerful.

Inmyownshooting,Iusuallyuseoneortheotherofthese.However,itisnotuncommonforphotographerstocombinethem.Forexample,oneaccomplishedhusbandandwifeweddingteamIknowfrequentlyusesamedium-weightbatterypackportablestrobemountedonastandandaimedattheceilingandacamera-mountedhotshoeflashtogether.Thesetwolightsareconnectedbyawirelesscommandsystem.Wheneverapictureistaken,bothlightsfiresimultaneously.

StudioStrobes

Attheheavy—frequentlyveryheavy—endofthegamutarethestudiostrobes.Butjustbecausetheyhavethewordstudiointheirnamedoesnotmeanthattheyaredestinedtoalwaysstayinthatenvironment.

When,forexample,youarecalledupontoshootthe25membersofaboardofdirectorssittingaroundanenormousconferencetable,allindarksuitsandsurroundedbydarkpaneling,youneedplentyoflight.Studiostrobescanprovideenoughwatt-seconds,usually1200to4800watt-secondsperpowersupply,tomeetsuchlarge-scale,high-qualitydemands.

Ofcourse,thereisnodenyingthatstudiostrobesarecumbersometoworkwithonlocation.Andtheyareevenmoresoifthelocationlackselectricalpowerandyouhavetolugagenerator,numerousheavy-dutyindustrialextensioncords,plug-inboards,stands,andothersuchaccessorieswithyou.Duringsuchshootsitiseasytobecomelostinwonderaboutwhyoneeverthoughtitwouldbegreatfuntobecomeaphotographer.

PortableStrobes

Nextdowntheportabilityscalearetheheavy-dutyportablestrobes.Batterypowered,thesearelesspowerfulthantheirstudiocounterparts.Theyare,however,considerablyeasiertocarryaround.Averaging

from100to1200watt-seconds,thelowerwattagetypepowerpacksofsuchstrobesaresupportedbyshoulderstrapsandattachedtotheflashheadbyapowercord.Thehigherwattagetypesareplacedonthegroundandconnectedtoaflashheadonastand.

LightweightHotShoeStrobes

Lightweightandpowerful,today’sadvancedhotshoestrobesofferahighdegreeofportabilityandmorethanenoughlightformanysubjects.Notonlycantheseunitsbeusedoncamera(hencethecommonname,hotshoe)theycanalsobefiredoffcamera.

Inaddition,theseunitscanbecombinedintomultipleflash“gangs”andfiredbybothradioandinfraredwirelesscontrolsystems.And,makingthemevenmoreuseful,thereisalargearrayofdiffusersandothersuchaccessoriesavailableforthem.

Becauseofalloftheabove,theseflasheshavebecomethelightsofchoiceformanyoftoday’stop-flightshooters—particularlythosewhospendmuchoftheirlivesontheroadshuttlingbetweenlocations.

GETTINGTHEEXPOSURERIGHT

Studiophotographersoftenworkundersuchconsistentconditionsthattheycanusethesameexposuretheydidthedaybeforewithoutthinkingaboutit.Determiningexposureismoredifficultonlocation.Ambientlightvaries.Thebrightnessofreflectivewallsandceilingsdiffersfromonelocationtoanother.Thedistancetothosereflectivesurfacesdependsonthesizeoftheroom.

Therearethreebasicwaysofcomingupwiththerightexposureusingstrobes:letthestrobedothework,useaflashmeter,orcalculate.Inthiseditionwehavedecidedtoconcentrateonthefirsttwoandleavethethirdout.Wecametothisdecisionfortworeasons.First,today’sdigitalcamerasarethemastersofinstantgratification.Amomentafteryoupressyourshutterrelease,theresultisstaringupatyoufromyourcamera’sLCD.Thatletsyouseehowthingsaregoingwhileyouareshooting.If,forexample,yourshotisonthedarkside,youknowitimmediatelyandlightenitthenandthere.Second,today’sthrough-the-lensmeteringsystemsareamazinglyaccurate.Theyalmostalwaysproduceflashresultsthatareatleastacceptable.Withafewtestshots,itisthenrelativelyeasytoarriveatexactlytheexposureyouwant.

If,however,youareinterestedinlearningthecalculationsbehindtheexposuredecisionsmadebytoday’sadvancedflashunits,yougototheirinstructionmanuals.Theyprovidedetailedinformationonhowtocalculateflashexposurewiththeirparticulargear.

LettingtheStrobeDeterminetheExposure

Today'shotshoestrobesreadthelightreflectedfromthesubject,andthenquicklyturnoffwhentheythinktheyhaveseenenoughlighttoexposethesceneproperly.Severalofthemajormanufacturersofferautomaticstrobesspecificallydesignedforusewiththeircameras.Thesededicatedunitsmaximizetheabilityofthecameraandstrobetoworktogether.

Oneofthemostimportantfeaturesthatdedicatedstrobesofferistheoptiontousethrough-the-lensmetering.Inadditiontoeaseandspeedofoperation,thechiefadvantageofsuchstrobesisthattheyaccountfortheenvironmentwhereyouareshooting.If,forexample,youuseoneinalargegymnasiumandthentakeitintothecoaches'office,itwillmaketheproperexposureadjustmenttocompensateforthestrobelightreflectedfromthewallsofthesmallerroom.

UsingaFlashMeter

Anumberofdifferentflashmetersareavailable.Althoughthedetailsoftheiroperationvarysomewhat,theyallcalculatetheproperapertureatwhichthelensshouldbesetforanygivencombinationofambientlightandflash.

Weuseflashmetersfromtimetotimeandwelikethem.Suchmeterscanbeausefulaccessoryforanyphotographerwhousesstrobes.However,theyhavetoomanydisadvantagestodependonthementirely.Likeanyothersophisticatedequipment,theycanbreakwhenweneedthemmost,especiallyaftertheyhavebeenknockedaroundinacamerabagonthewaytoalocationassignment.

However,abiggerdisadvantageisthatonmanylocationassignments,photographersoftenfindthemselveswithtoolittletimetoworkandtoomuchbulktomanage.Flashmetersworsenbothproblems.

GETTINGMORELIGHT

Wephotographerstendtowantmorelightthanwecanhave.Thisisespeciallytrueoflocationassignmentsbecausemobilityandavailableelectricalpoweroftenprecludecarryingallthelightingequipmentwewouldlovetohavewithus.

Therearetimes,ofcourse,whenallthatreallycountsishavingenoughlighttogetthepicture.Wehaveallbeenupagainstsuchsituations.Weknowbeforeweevenreleasetheshutterthatthelightingwillproduceharsh,high-contrastresults,but,duetosituationsbeyondourcontrol,suchlightingisthebestwecanget.

Sometimeagoweaccompaniedpoliceofficersworkinginabusyprecinct.Theyworkedatnightandwhenthingshappened,theyhappenedfast.Therewasnotimetothinktheshotthrough,notimetoputtheflashinanotherspot.Becausemostoftheactiontookplaceonthestreet,therewerenoceilingsorclose-bywallsfromwhichtobouncealight.Theonlyalternativewastouseaflashmountedonthecamera.

Whentheactionstarted,theonlythingwehadtimetodowasaimandshoot.Undersuchcircumstances,itwouldhavebeenfoolishtoworryaboutthe“qualityofthelight.”Allthatcountedwashavingenoughlighttorecordthesceneonfilm.

Anothertime,oneofuswenttoshootpicturesofjunglewildlife.Asinthebusypoliceprecinct,manyoftheanimalsbecameactiveatdusk.Onceagain,allthatreallymatteredwasbeingabletolightthescenewellenoughtogettheshot.

Thelistofsuchsituationscouldgoonandon.Examplescouldbedrawnfromalmostanykindofphotography.Butnomatterhowdiversesuchsituationsmaybe,thecommonthreadisthatyoumusthavetheamountoflightyouneedtomakethepictureyouwant.

Thefirstthingyoucandotoprovideasmuchlightaspossibleistousecommonsense:takethebrightestlightyoucanusepractically.Lessobviousisthatthisdoesnotsimplymeanusingasmanywatt-secondsaspossible.Somestrobeshavemoreefficientreflectorsthanothers;othersofferinterchangeablereflectors.Efficientreflectorscanmultiplylightoutputwithoutincreasingweight.

Inthecaseofhotshoestrobes,gettingallthelightyouneedusuallyboilsdowntotakingmorethanone.AnaccomplishededitorialphotographerIknowalwayscarriesthreeormore.Oneservesashiskeylightwhiletheothersprovidefillandilluminatethosepartsofthelocationhewishestoemphasizeinhiscomposition.Inonerecentshoothewasforcedtouseeightdifferentflashunitstogettheresults

hisclientdemanded.

FocusedFlash

Youcanalsouseaccessoriestofocusyourflashondistantsubjects.Thisisacommonlyusedtechniquewithwildlifephotographers.OneofthemostpopularusesaFresnellenstofocuslightfromacamera-mountedflashintoapowerful,far-reachingbeam.Withsuchaunititispossibletophotographanimals,andothersuchsubjects,ataconsiderablygreaterdistanceatnightthanitwouldbewiththeflashalone.

MultipleStrobes

Severalportablestrobestogetherproduceasmuchlightas,butallowmoreflexibilitythan,asinglestudiostrobe.Wecanusethemseparatelyasamultiple-lightsetup,aslargerlightsmightbeusedinthestudio,orwecangroupthemasaclustertobehaveasasingle,verypowerfulstrobe.

Today'shotshoestrobesareespeciallywellsuitedformultipleuse.Notonlydoestheirsmallsizeandlowweightmakethemrelativelyeasytocarry,italsomeansthatyoucanrigthemonlightweightlightstands.Andthatcanmakeahugedifferenceifthelocationatwhichyouaregoingtoworkisahardonetogetto.

Alongwithbeingrelativelyeasytocarry,hotshoestrobesarealsodesignedtoworkwelltogether.Onceyouinvestthetimeinmasteringhowtodoit,itisarelativelystraightforwardmattertogetabunchoftheselittletechnologicalwonderstoworktogetherthewayyouwant.Inaddition,therecentarrivalonthemarketofseveraldifferentradiocontrolsystemsallowsfarmoreflexibilitythanstandardinfraredlineofsightsetupsprovide.

IMPROVINGTHEQUALITYOFLIGHT

Theprevioussectionofferedsomesuggestionsforobtainingenoughlightusingthelimitedequipmentavailableformanylocationassignments.Theotherproblemcommontomosteasilytransportablelocationlightingequipmentisobtaininglightingthatlooksgood.Thuswewillnowmovefromquantitytoquality.

Locationlightingoftensuffersfromtwobasicdefects:illuminationthatistoohardandilluminationthatisuneven.Thehardlightingiscausedbytheneedtousesmallstrobesforportability.Unevenlightingistheresultofneedingtoilluminatelargerareaswithfewerlights.

Fortunately,tworelativelysimpletechniquescanbeusedtoproduceanacceptablequalityoflightwithmanyportablestrobes.Thesearebouncingandfeathering.Bothhelptoevenoutthelightinasceneandtoreduceunwantedshadows.

BounceFlash

Portableflashesare,bytheirverynature,smalllightsources,andsmalllightsourcesproducehard-edged,unattractiveshadows.Onewaytosoftentheseshadowsistobouncethelightfromawallorceiling,asshowninFigure10.1.Theceilingbecomestheeffectivelightsource.Becausetheceilingisa

muchlargerlightsource,itmakestheshadowsinthescenefarsofterandlessnoticeable.

10.1Bouncingthestrobelightfromaceilingorwallenormouslyincreasestheeffectivesizeoftheflash.Thiscausesshadowstobecomemuchsofterandlightstheroommoreevenly.

Althoughbouncedlightisgenerallyfarmoreattractivethandirectflash,itdoeshaveonemajordrawback:efficiency.Onereasonisthatthelighthastotravelfarther.Thedistancefromthestrobetotheceilingtothesubjectisfartherthanadirectpathfromthestrobetothesubject.Furthermore,partofthelightourstrobesprovideisabsorbedbytheceiling.Allthisaddsuptolesslightwhereweneedit.

Theamountoflightlostbyabsorptionandscatteringvariesaccordingtohowtheceilingispaintedandwhatitstextureis.Inmostsituations,however,compensatingbytwoorthreestopsisusuallyadequate.If,forexample,youareworkinginasituationinwhichyouwouldnormallyshootatf/8,theproperexposureisprobablyf/4.Openupabitmorefordarkerceilings.Ofcourse,thetechniqueusuallyproducesgoodpictureswhentheceilingisreasonablyneutrallycolored.

Iftheceilingisveryhighorifthesubjectisclosetothecamera,aceilingbouncewillcausedarkshadowsinthesubject’seyesockets.

Manyphotographersminimizethisdefectbyusingsmallbouncecards,suchastheoneweshowinFigure10.2.Theycanbeattachedtothestrobebyarubberbandortape.Inaddition,someofthenewerhotshoeflasheshaveabuilt-inbouncecard.Thisisagreathelpbecausetheyarealwaysavailablewhenyouwanttousethem.

Thesecardsbouncesomeofthelightdirectlyontothesubject'sface.Therestofthelightisbouncedfromtheceiling.Thecombinedresultisamoreevenlyilluminatedpicture.

Figures10.3and10.4showthesamesceneshotbothwithoutandwithabouncecard.

10.2Asmallbouncefillcardontheflashwillreducethefacialshadowscausedbybouncinglightfromtheceiling.

Anyreflectorthatisusefulinthestudioisalsolikelytoserveasagoodbouncecardonlocation.Youcanbouncestrobesfromthemandusethemtoreflectambientlightintoascene.Theonlyspecialrequirementisthattheybetransportable.Somereflectorscollapseorfoldforthispurpose.Themostcommonexampleisthelightingumbrella.

10.3Withoutabouncefillcard,bouncingthestrobelightfromtheceilingcausesunflatteringfacialshadows.

10.4Lookathowmuchlighterandlessobjectionablethebouncefillcardmakestheshadowsonoursubject’sface.

Biggerreflectorsareoftenusefuloutsidethestudiobecausemanyofthesubjectsarelarger.However,thebiggerthereflectoris,theharderitistotransport.Themostcreativesolutiontothisdilemmacomesfromaphotographerweknowwhooncerentedlargetrucksandparkedthemsothattheirsides

actedasfillcards.Evenifyouthinkthistacticisextreme,rememberitifyoudecidetobuyavan—considergettingawhiteone.

FeatheringtheLight

Featheringalightmeansaimingitsothatpartofthebeamilluminatestheforegroundandanotherpartlightsthebackground.Figure10.5showshowthistechniquecanbeused.

10.5Featheringthestrobelight.Thesuccessofthistechniquedependsgreatlyonthedesignofthestrobereflector.

Beforeexplainingfeathering,awordofcautionisdue.Howwellfeatheringworksorwhetheritwillworkatalldependsonhowtheflashheadisconstructed.Someofthelargerportablestrobesaremadewithlarge-diameter,circularreflectors.Theseusuallyscatteragreatdealoflightindirectionsotherthantowardthesubject.Suchunitscanalmostalwaysbefeatheredwell.

Ontheotherhand,manylightweightstrobeshaveverysmallflashtubessurroundedbyefficientlyfocusedreflectors.Thesedirectmostofthelighttowardthesubjectandwasteverylittleinotherdirections.Thistypeofbeamisfarlesswellsuitedtofeathering.Whatthismeansisthattheonlywaytofindoutifyourstrobecanbefeatheredistotryitout.Theprecedingwarningnoted,letusnowmoveontowhatisactuallyinvolvedinfeathering.

InFigure10.5,noticehowthestrongestraysoflightareemittedfromthecenterofthestrobehead.Ifthestrobeisheldattheproperangle,thesewillilluminatetherearofthescene.Thelightraysthatspilloutofthesidesofthereflectorarefarweaker.Theyilluminatethingsthatareclosertothecamera.Withalittlepractice,itisfairlyeasytolearnhowtoholdthestrobetoachievethedesireddegreeoffeathering.

ThereisstillanotherlessontolearnfromFigure10.5.Inityouwillnoticethattheflashisbeingheldashighaspossible.Thisisdoneto

10.6Holdingthestrobetoolowcausesdistractingshadowsonthewall.

10.7Holdingtheflashhighenoughcausesmanydistractingshadowstodisappear.

positionitsothatanyshadowsitslightcastswillbeasunobtrusiveaspossible.Thehigherthelightis,thelowertheshadowwillbecast.Thus,ifasubjectisstandingnearawallandtheflashisheldhigh,theshadowwillfallwherethecameracannotseeit.

WemadeFigures10.6and10.7ofthesamesubject,withthestrobeintwodifferentpositions.InFigure10.6,weheldtheflashlow,ataboutcameraheight.Noticetheverypronouncedanddistractingshadowonthewallthatthislightingproduces.NowlookatFigure10.7.Thistimewemadethepictureholdingtheflashashighaboveourheadaspossible.Noticehowthatactioncausedtheshadowtodisappear.

LIGHTSOFDIFFERENTCOLORS

Photographersinthestudiocarefullycontrolthecolortemperatureoftheirlight.Alllightsusuallyhavethesamecolorbalance.Addingotherlightswithgelsorlightsofanothertypeisadeliberateattempttoalterthecolor,notawhimoranaccident.

Photographersworkingonlocationmaynotbeabletocarefullycontrolthecolortemperatureofthelight.Theexistinglightinthesceneoftendoesnotmatchanystandardizedphotographiccolorbalance.Itmaybeimpossibletogetridoftheexistinglight.Eveninanindoorlocationinwhichtheexistinglightcanbeturnedoff,itmaybeessentialtoleaveitonforenoughlighttoilluminatealargearea.Thisnonstandardcolorhasunpredictableconsequencesifphotographersdonotanticipateproblemsandtakestepstodealwiththem.

WhyIstheColoroftheLightImportant?

Shootingacolorimagewithlightsourcesofdifferentcolorscanbeaseriousproblem.Whenwelookatascene,ourbrainscompensateforsomefairlyextremedifferencesinthecoloroflighttointerpretmostscenesaslitby“white”light.Thereareexceptions:ifyouaretravelingatdusk,withyourvisionadjustedfordimdaylight,youcanseethelightsofadistanthousetobetheorangecolorthattheyreallyare;ifyoustopatthathouse,however,andgoin,yourbrainwillimmediatelycompensateagainandyouwillseethelightaswhite.Toseewhythishappens,let’slookatthetwostandardlightcolors,tungstenanddaylight.

Tungsten

Thistermappliestoascenelitbytungstenbulbs.Thesetendtoberelativelyorange.Setfortungsten,thecamerawhitebalancecompensatesfortheorange.Usedwithtungstenlights,itproducespicturecolorsthatareclosetonatural.

If,however,weweretouseatungstenwhitebalancetoshootapictureilluminatedbydaylight,theresultingcolorwouldbenonstandard.Insteadoflooking“normal,”theentirescenewouldappearveryblue.

Tobeaccurate,wehavetopointoutthathouseholdtungstenbulbsalmostneverproducelightthatisthecolorofphotographic-standardtungsten.Theyaremoreorangewhentheyarenewandgetstillmoreorangewithage.Quartz-halogenlights,usedbyphotographersandtheaterproducers,dohaveaccuratetungstencolorandkeepthataccuratecolorthroughoutthelifeofthelamp.

Daylight

Daylightwhitebalanceproducesstandardcolorinascenethatisilluminatedbythesun.Obviously,sunlightisdifferentcolorsatdifferenttimesofdayandindifferentweatherconditions.Originally“standarddaylight”wassunlight,ataspecifictimeofday,ataspecifictimeofyear,ataspecificlocation,andonacloudlessday,inBritain.

Suchlightisrichinblue,andthatiswhytheskyonacleardayisblue.Adaylightcolorbalancecompensatesforthisandgivesthemostaccuratecolorreproductionusedwitheithermiddaysunlightorstrobe.Ifthisbalanceisusedwithtungstenlight,thepictureslookorange.

NonstandardLightSources

Photographersconsiderdaylightandtwoslightlydifferentcolorsoftungstenlighttobestandard.Alloftheothersarenonstandardtous.Unfortunately,“nonstandard”doesnotmean“unusual”or“rare.”Otherlightsarequitecommon.Wewilluseafewofthemasexamples.Thisdoesnotapproachacompletelistofnonstandardsources,buttheyshowthedangerswellenoughtokeepyoualerttothepotentialprobleminanylocationassignment.

Thefrequentmixoflighting,especiallyinmanymodernoffices,istherootoftheproblem.Thedigitalcameracancompensateforthecolorofalmostanynonstandardlight.Furthermore,itcancompensateforalmostanyevenmixoflightcolors.

Thedifficultycomesfromanunevenmix:partofthesceneislitbyonelight,andotherareasarelitbylightsofothercolors.It’sexpectingtoomuchtowantthecameratofixsuchproblems,andwehavetothinkbetterthanthecameradoestofixthemourselves.Thefollowingaresomecommonlightsourceswecallnonstandard.

Fluorescenttubesarethenonstandardlightsourcephotographersencountermostfrequently.Thelightproducedbyfluorescenttubespresentsphotographerswithaspecialproblem.Inadditiontobeingnonstandard,itcomesinmanydifferentcolors.Agechangesthecoloroffluorescenttubesslightly.

Furthermore,peoplereplaceburned-outtubeswithnewonesofanothertype.Afterafewyears,asinglelargeroommayhaveseveraldifferenttypesoftubes.Awhitebalancethatisgoodforanyparticulartypeoftubemaybebadfortherest.

Asarule,thelightfromthesetubestendstohaveastronggreencast.Thiscanproducesomeparticularlyunpleasantnonstandardcolorswheneithertungstenordaylightfilmisused.People,inparticular,tendtolookawfulwhentheyarephotographedunderuncompensatedfluorescentlighting.

Nonstandardtungstenlightismorecommonthaneitherofthephotographicstandardtungstencolortemperatures.Ordinarytungstenbulbsaresignificantlymoreorangethanphotographicbulbs,andtheygetmoresoastheyage.Thedifferenceisenoughtomatterwhenevercolorbalanceiscritical.

Nonstandarddaylightdoesnotsurprisemostpeople.Weallknowthatsunlightismuchredderatdawnanddusk.Whatsurprisesmostof

usmoreislearningthatdaylightcanbeverynonstandard,eveninthemiddleofabrightday.

Figure10.8illustratestwodifferentkindsofdaylight.Thehouseonthelefthasdirectsuncomingthroughawindowontothesubject.Suchdirectlightfromthesunwillbeslightlywarm.Itwillhaveaslightlyredtoyellowcolorbias.Ontheright,weseeadifferent“daylight”situation.Thistimethesubjectisbeinglitbylightthatcomesfromtheblueskyratherthanthesun’sdirectrays.Thislightisdecidedlycool.Ithasagooddealofblueinit.

Bothofthesesubjectsareilluminatedbydaylight.Theonlyproblemisthattheso-calleddaylightisverydifferentineachofthem.Eachproducesapicturewithadifferentcolorbalance.Thecauseoftheproblemisthateachsubjectlackspartofwhatweacceptasstandarddaylight.

Whenphotographersusethetermdaylightwemeanlightthatismadeupofacombinationofraysthatcomedirectlyfromthesunandthosethatcometousfromtheskyaroundit.Intheprecedingexample,eachsubjectwaslitbyonlyoneofthetwopartsofthatcombination.

Anothercommoncauseofnonstandarddaylightisfoliage.Subjectsshadedfromthedirectsunlightmaystillbeilluminatedbytheopensky.

10.8Thedirectsunlightstrikingthehouseontheleftiswarmcolored,noticeablybiasedtowardyellow.Lightreachingthehouseontherightcomesfromthebluesky,anditwillhaveamuchcooler,blue-biasedcolor.

Thiscausesthesameblueshiftwesawinthesubjectontherightintheprecedingexample.Thisproblemiscompoundedbygreenleavesfilteringandreflectingwhateversunlightdoesreachthesubject.Inextremecases,theresultlooksmorelikefluorescentlightthandaylight.

Onceagain,thecolorerrormaynotbesignificantinmanycases,butwehavetothinkaboutthe

importanceofaccuratecolorineachsceneanddecidewhethertheproblemneedsaremedy.

DotheColorsMix?

Therearetwobasicsituationsthatweencounterwhenworkingwithdifferentcoloredlightsources.Thefirsthappenswhenweusewhatwewillcallunmixedcolor;thesecondoccurswithmixedcolor.Asyouwillseeshortly,unmixedandmixedcolorpresentdifferentchallenges,andtheyarehandledindifferentways.

Mixedcolorlightingisjustwhatthenameimplies.Itoccurswhentheraysoflightwithdifferentcolorbalancesmixorblendtogethertoproduceacolorbalancedifferentfromthatofanysinglelightsource.

Figure10.9showshowlightsourcescanmixtogetherinthisway.Fluorescenttubesprovidetheambientillumination.Astrobeis

10.9Mixedstrobeandfluorescentilluminationproducesevenlycoloredlight.

10.10Mixedcoloriseasytocorrect,ifeverythingislitroughlyequallybyallsources.

bouncedfromtheceiling.Thebouncedstrobeilluminatesthescenemuchasthefluorescenttubesdo.Thelightraysfromtheflashtubemixwiththoseproducedbythefluorescenttube.Theresultisafairlyevenilluminationthroughoutthescenebylightofadifferentcolorbalancefromeithertheflashorthefluorescenttubesalone.WeshotFigure10.10withevenlymixedlightsources.Everylightwas“wrong”forphotography,butthemixwaseasyenoughtocorrect.

UnmixedcolorisdiagrammedinFigure10.11.Thesceneisthesame,butthestrobeisnowdirectedatthesubject,nottheceiling.Thisisacommonexampleofascenethatisilluminateddifferentlybyeachofthetwolightsources.

Noticeinthediagramthatthebulkofthesceneislitbyoverheadfluorescentbulbs.However,theforegroundsubjectandhisimmediatesurroundingsarelitbytheflash.

Theresultistwoverydifferentlycoloredareasinthepicture.Theforegroundsubjectandhisimmediatesurroundingswillbeilluminatedbytherelativelyblue“daylight”fromtheelectronicflash.Therestofthescenewill,however,receivethegreenlightfromtheoverheadfluorescents.Theproblemisthatthecameracanbebalancedforonlyonelightsource.

10.11Usingtheflashasshownherewillproduceapictureinwhichdifferentpartsofthescenearelitbyverydifferentlycoloredlight.Thiscancauseseriousproblemsincolorphotography.

Sometimesunmixedlightingcanoccurwhenwedonotexpectit.InFigure10.12,thewallbehindthesubjectisnotagreatdealfartherfromthestrobethanthesubjecthimself.Wemightexpecttohavethesamemixofstrobeandambientlightoneverythinginthepicture.

Notice,however,thatthestrobeandthefluorescentlightcomefromdifferentdirections.Thestrobecastsashadowonthewall,butthefluorescentlightilluminatestheshadowandmakesitgreen.

TheRemedies

Bothmixedandunmixedlightsituationsarecommon,anditisimportanttobeabletohandlebothofthem.Weuseaslightlydifferentremedyforeach.

10.12Becausethefluorescentlightilluminatestheshadowthestrobecastsonthewall,theshadowwilllookgreeninacolorphotograph.

CorrectingMixedColors

Mixedcolorsituationsarerelativelyeasytohandlebecausetheimproperilluminationthatresultsfromthemisuniformthroughoutthescene.Inotherwords,theentiresceneislitbylightthathasthesamecolorbalance.Thecolorbalanceofthewholepicturewillbewrong,butallpartsofthescenewillbewronginthesameway.

CorrectingColorwhileShooting

Itisthisuniformityoferrorthatmakestheproblemsosimpletocorrect.Thecamerawillprobablyfixitforyou.Ifitdoesn't,itwillbecloseenoughthataslightwarmingorcoolingoftheimagewillfixit.Theresultwillbeapicturethathasthecorrectcolorbalanceandinwhichcolorswithinthescenereproduceinastandard,orrealistic,way.

CorrectingColorafterthePictureIsShot

Becauseanycolor-balanceproblemsareuniformwhenmixedcolorsareused,itisrelativelysimpletomakeanyrequiredcoloradjustmentsduringpostproduction.Thisgivesyouausefulsafetymarginshouldyoufail

togetthepropercorrectionwhenyouareshootingthepicture.Thecolorbalancemaynotbequiteasgoodasapicturethatwasshotrighttobeginwith,butitislikelytobegoodenoughthatanexperiencedviewercannottellthedifferencewithoutaside-by-sidecomparisonofthetwo.

Onecautionisdue,however.Bewareofthosescenesthatincludealightsourceorthemirrorreflectionofone.Theseextremelybrightareasrecordinthepictureaswhitehighlights,regardlessofthecolorof

thelightproducingthem.Thesehighlightsmaythentakeonthecolorofwhatevercorrectionisusedtoremedytherestofthescene.

Youcandealwiththisproblem,butitrequiresmorethanthestraightforwardcoloradjustmentmostpeopleknowhowtodointheirimageeditingsoftwareandisatopictoofarfromphotographiclightingtodealwithinthisbook.Evenworse,onlythebestoffsetprintershaveprepressdepartmentswhocandealwithit.Thewaytobesuretogetitrightistoeithercorrectthecolorwhileshootingthepictureortocomposeitsothatitdoesnotcontainanytroublesomehighlights.

CorrectingUnmixedColors

Nowhitebalanceadjustmentcancorrectunmixedcolor.Whatevercorrectionisrightforoneareaiswrongforanother.Tryingacompromisewhitevaluebetweenthetwoproducesjustthat:acompromiseinwhichnothinginthesceneisquiteright.Youcanoftencorrectthecolorbalancelocallyinimageeditingsoftware—alittlemorebluehere,moreyellowthere—butthat’stediousandit’sbesttoavoiditwhenyoucan.

MakingtheSourcesMatch

Thebestwaytocopewithunmixedcolorsourcesistofilterthelightstomatcheachotherascloselyaspossible.Theobjectiveofthisistogetallofthelightsourcestobeasinglecolorbutnotnecessarilytherightcolor.Thenletthecameraadjusttheoverallscenetoberight.

Thus,ifwewerefacedwithsituationssuchasthoseinFigure10.11or10.12,wecouldcovertheflashwithalightgreentheatricalgelthatapproximatelymatchesthecolorofthefluorescent.(ThegelcoloriscalledToughPlusgreen,equaltoCC30G.)Thisaddsenoughgreentomakethestrobelightapproximatethecolorofmanyoverheadfluorescents.Thentheentiresceneislitbylightofatleastsimilarcolor.Thecameracanprobablygetthecolorcloseenoughthatwhateveradjustmentweneedtomakeisminor.Evenbetter,wecanmakeaglobalcolorcorrectionfortheentirescenewithoutindividuallyretouchingeachiteminthepicture.

Thefilterwesuggesthereisasolutionthatfrequently,butnotalways,works.Thespecificfiltrationvarieswiththescene.Aswasthecaseearlier,theonlyreallysatisfactorywayofdeterminingexactlywhatfiltertouseisbytrialanderror.

FilteringtheDaylight

Rememberthatwindowsarelightsourcesandthattheycanbefilteredlikeanyotherlightsource.Motionpictureandvideophotographersdothisroutinely,butstillphotographerstendtooverlookthepossibility.

Considerasceneinwhicharoomislitbytungstenphotographiclightsandbydaylightcomingthroughopendoorsorwindows.Aquicksolutionwouldbetousebluegelsonthephotographiclightstomakethemmatchthedaylight.Thenthescenecouldbeshotatadaylightwhitebalance.However,ourlightsareprobablyweakerthanthesun,andwewouldprefernottodimthemevenmorewiththelightabsorbedbythefilter.Abettersolutionwouldbetoputorangetheatricalgelsontheoutsideof

thewindowandthenshootwithatungstenwhitebalance.Thisaccomplishesthesamebalancingoflightcolorsbutbetterbalancestheintensityofthetwosources.

CorrectingErrorsinReproduction

Ifthecolorisunmixed,thisistheworstsolution.Useitonlyasalastresort.Nosinglecorrectionwillworkfortheentirescene.Localcorrectionwithinthescenecanbefunwhenyouarelearningimagemanipulationsoftware,butitcostsextratime,money,orboth.

LIGHTSOFDIFFERENTDURATION

Photographersoftenusephotographiclightandexistinglighttogethersothatonesourceisthemainlightandtheotheristhefill.Measuringtherelativebrightnessofthetwoiseasyifbothlightsareturnedoncontinuously.Thisistrue,forexample,ifthetwosourcesaresunlightandtungsten.

However,ifthephotographiclightisstrobeinsteadoftungsten,comparingitsbrightnesswiththedaylightismoredifficult.Thedaylightis“on”continuously,butthestrobelightsforonlyafractionofasecond.Wecannotseetherelationshipbetweenthetwo.

Figure10.13showsacommonoutdoorshootingsituationinwhichstrobesareuseful.Whenweplacedthemodelwherewedesired,hewasbacklit.Asaresult,anormalexposurewasfartoodark.

10.13Thecompositionwewantedcalledforthemodeltobebacklit.However,withanormalexposure,thisarrangementproducedapicturethatwasfartoodark.

Thereweretwowaysinwhichwecouldhavecorrectedthispicture.Onewouldhavebeentoincreaseourexposuresubstantially.Thisexposurecorrectionwouldhavelightenedthesubject,butitalsomighthavecausedseriousflarefromthesunlightcomingthroughthetrees.

Ourotheralternativewouldhavebeentouseastrobetofillintheshadow.Figure10.14showstheresultofsuchlighting.Thefillflashdidjustwhatwewantedittodo.Itallowedustoproduceapictureinwhichboththebackgroundandthesubjectareproperlyexposed.Giventhattheuseofafillflashwasagoodideainthissituation,thenextquestionishowtocalculatetheproperexposureforthepicture.Howwereweabletoselectanexposurethattookintoaccountboththeambientdaylightpresentinthesceneandourstrobeoutput?Keepthefollowingpointsinmind:

•Insituationssuchasourexample,thestrobeexposurewillbedeterminedalmostexclusivelybytheaperture.Theflashistoobrieftobesignificantlyaffectedbyshutterspeed.

•Theambientlightexposurewill,ontheotherhand,bedeterminedbyacombinationofboththeapertureandtheshutterspeed.

10.14Afillflashproducedanexposureinwhichboththesubjectandthebackgroundareproperlyexposed.

Ifyouphotographapoliticalleaderdashingtohislimousineafterhisfraudindictment,youwillcertainlyletthecameradeterminethebalancebetweenyourstrobeandtheambientlight.Ifyouphotographaroominteriorforthecoverofafurniturecatalog,youwillcarefullybalancetheambientandartificiallight.Increaseyourshutterspeedformoreoftheambientlight.Decreasetheshutterspeedforlessambientlight.Ifthechangeinshutterspeedmakestheimagetoolightortoodark,thenadjusttheaperturetocompensate.

ISSTUDIOLIGHTINGPOSSIBLEONLOCATION?

Yes,ofcoursestudiolightingispossibleonlocation,butitmayrequiremuchmoreworktoachieveit.Controlismoredifficult.Habitandexperiencesometimeswillnotsubstituteforcalculation.Testingandreshootingaresometimestheonlywaystogetthebestresults.Whateverittakestogetthoseresults,wehopethischapterhelpsyouachievethem.

Goodpicturesrequiremorethangoodlighting.Whenwehaveevenlesscontroloverthesubjectthanwedothelight,speedandspontaneitycancountmorethantechnicalvirtuosity.Thesuccessofthepicturedependsonbeingabletorecordthecriticalinstant,nottheinstantjustafterit.Sowealsohopeyoucanusesomeoftheshortcutsinthischaptertogetthepicturebeforethepicturegetsaway.

Eitherwayisgoodattherighttimeandplace.

Thisisthemostimportantmessageinthisbook.Thereisno“correct”waytolightascene,justasthereisnodecidedly“right”cameratouse.Goodphotographershaveatoolboxofideasandtechniques.Theypickfromthattoolboxaccordingtothetaskofthemoment.

Wewillnotmindifyouneverlightasinglesubjectexactlyaswehaveinourexamples,butwedowantyoutohaveourtoolboxofideastouseasyouplease.Helpyourself.

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