Beecher's Handouts /

Light / 5.7 - Play With a Light

1) Get a light

Purchase a light, such as this one.

Or, use your flash if you have one that's separate from your camera.

Purchase an extension cord for the flash, so you can use the flash off the camera.

2) Set up a still life.

3) Experiment

Place the light in different locations:

a) Near camera

b) To one side

c) Above the camera

d) Behind the still life (backlighting)

Photograph each change in lighting.

4) After each picture, step back, and take a picture of the entire scene—the light and the still life.

By doing so, you'll have "notes" about how each lighting setup was done.

5) Compare the photographs side-by-side.

For example, shadows will make your still life look more three-dimensional.

Summary

Direction	Effect on the Lighting	Because . . .
From the side	Will show texture and volume	. . . the shadows created by side lighting give the viewer a sense of texture and volume.
From the camera	Will flatten the subject	. . . there are no shadows, so the viewer cannot see volume and texture very well.
From behind the subject	1) Will make the subject stand out from the background—more separation 2) Emphasizes the shape of the subject	. . . the increased separation is due to the dark subject against a bright background, as well as the bright lighting on the edges of the subject.