3
About Light
56
Shooting Guide Book
Read the light to view the photo
The practical use of light in photography is very important. We see and write things
with the help of light and technically speaking we are seeing the light that is reected o objects, not seeing the objects themselves. Because of this objects can appear totally dierent depending on the light conditions. It is often said that photos are pictures painted with light. How you use light deter-
mines whether you will take a good shot or not. And to make it more dicult light changes constantly and there are numerous types of light sources. To deal with light appropriately, you need to understand the nature of the light and gain experience.
About Light
57
Natural light and articial light
Light can be natural (sunlight) or articialiy derived from a variety of sources that can illuminate your scene.
The two light sources look similar but are actually completely dierent. The area pro duced by each light source, the spectral quality qualit y of the light, color temperature and the amount of light are not the same. Natural light is a plentiful source that changes constantly. The environment we are in
changes continually while the sun remains the same. The earth's rotation changes day to night, changes the seasons and impacts the environment. These factors pro-
duce very dierent and attractive natural light. The ever-changing beauty of natural light poses diculties for photographers. They have to wait for the right moment and even delay a photo shoot when the conditions are not not right. The biggest disadvantage disad vantage of natural light is that you cannot control it.
Articial light comes in various types and colors. It is dicult to predict how they will appear in actual photos. But that unpredictability also brings positive unexpected results. Cameras are tools for fun and amusement, so take your time, try anything you want and enjoy the moment.
58
Shooting Guide Book
Light and color
Light contains dierently sized wavelengths. You may have seen a photo with various colors made up of white light split by a prism. If you look at the spectrum of white light,
you will recognize it is divided into the seven dierent colors of the rainbow. Shorter wavelengths have larger refraction properties and make the color blue. Longer wavelengths have smaller refraction properties make the color red. White light has the three primary colors: blue, green and red. The combination of these three primary colors results in white light. If the proportion of the primary colors is not balanced, it will no longer look like white light to the naked eye. Relating this to something we see regularly: the light at dusk contains an overwhelming amount of red hue and the sky at dawn has a lot of blue light.
About Light
59
The dierence between photos and what you actually see
The three primary colors are not always balanced. A clear day at noon is an example where the three primary colors are in a balanced combination. Except for these few
hours almost every light source has dierent colors that are not close to the properties of white light. Our eyes however, are not sensitive enough to detect these changes. Human eyes are very adaptable. This adaptability has two categories: changes to light
and shade, and changes into color. If you suddenly walk into a dark room, it is dicult to make objects out at rst, then after time their outline becomes visible. On the other hand, when you come into bright sunlight, it is hard to see what is ahead for a short
time. Your Your eyes then adjust adj ust to the change in light. Your Your eyes' irises act like the aperture of a camera, controlling the size of the hole and reacting to brightness. As with brightness, color adaptability works the same way. The brain obtains the color information from the optic nerve in the retina. During this process, any color imbal-
ance is adjusted. Color adaptability is a crucial dierence between what we see and what the camera shows when it takes a photo. Image sensors on digital cameras do not have the same adaptability that human eyes have and record the exact colors of the light source. As a result the colors that we see are sometimes expressed com-
pletely dierently in photos. This does not only apply to color dierences but it is good to have a basic understand ing of light and color, the raw material of photos.
60
Shooting Guide Book
Adjustable digital colors
The image sensor of a digital camera does not have the same adaptability that human eyes have but it does have the ability to help you control colors in a photo. This can be done by controlling white balance. Adjust colors to match the way you see it or show
color in totally dierent ways. This is one of the biggest advantages of the digital cam era. Giving you color control has changed many photographic practices including the
use of many, dierent color-compensating lters to adjust color color.. The point to keep in mind is that color distinction is fundamentally subjective. There
is no need to obsess over the subject's intrinsic color. The color of an object is deter mined by the color temperature of the light source and the exact color is actually hard to determine.
What is important is that you need to understand the dierences between what you see and perceive, and what the digital camera records. Based on this understanding, you need to extend your ability to produce the desired impression of colors and the sensitivity of beauty. beaut y.
About Light
61
Changes of natural light during the day
Natural light changes constantly. Direct sunlight makes objects look vivid and their
shadows dark and obvious. Diuse light can spread widely making objects look soft and warm. The color of a red sunset inspires people and the blue hue of dawn describes itself. Photographers select the right time for set up to get the perfect conditions in their shot. Watching seasons change can have them waiting months for the
right moment. The sun's light that seems to be unchangeable but changes all the time is also an excellent object of expression. The innite changes and the possibilities that the sun creates is a much cherished subject of photographers.
62
Shooting Guide Book
Bluish hues of dawn
Imagine that the darkness disappears slowly at dawn. Objects reveal their shapes and the whole world turns blue. Without direct sunlight, only the skylight brightens the world before the sunrise. The skylight colors the whole world in blue.
In broad daylight, you can t deep blue lters to the lens and underexpose to express the dark atmosphere of dawn on purpose. In these circumstances you can create a
monochrome photo which has a single hue, regardless of the subject's color color.. Monotone photos simplify a scene and hide complicated and disorderly backgrounds.
Monochrome eects work well in the city's forest of buildings or by a river where there the re is spray or mist. Enhance and emphasize the theme by arranging the background and the particular quality of light.
About Light
63
Red light after sunrise
When the sun rises, the situation reverses. The cold blue hue disappears without a trace and the world begins to turn red. At sunset or sunrise when the sun is tilted, sunlight comes through the thick atmosphere to reach your eyes. To get through the
thick atmosphere, the blue light with a short wavelength is reected and scattered, and only the red light with a long wavelength can reach your eyes. The intense red light is generated this th is way. Sunrise is short and dynamic. The sun comes up and it ends abruptly. Because of this photographers taking shots of a sunrise need to do preliminary research on time and
location and then, choose the best place to set up a tripod. For beginners it is more dicult but there is a tip to get you started. Do not focus obsessively on the sun. The morning sun creates a fantastic atmosphere. When sunrise is over, the sun continues to rise in the sky. Concentrate on the subject in the light from the other side, and then you can capture unexpected and fascinating scenes.
64
Shooting Guide Book
Natural white light
As the day progresses the sun rises higher. The atmosphere gets thinner and direct sunlight and sky light combine as white light. The color temperature function in digital cameras is based on white light on a sunny day at noon. Using this white light it is possible to represent the exact color of a subject without distortion.
About Light
65
Warm and cozy late afternoon
After noon, the sun is lower in the sky and the white light changes to red and the color temperature falls gradually. The sun dropping moderately generates the warmth of the afternoon sun and creates a warm and cozy atmosphere. While adjusting the white balance to compensate color you may add warmer colors to
the photo. If these are very dierent from natural white light, it will look more natural if the photo has warm colors rather than cold colors.
66
Shooting Guide Book
Red light of sunset
By sunset, the glow of the setting sun creates a very intense atmosphere. When you see a sunset, you will probably press the shutter button in wonder of its beauty. The western sky where the sun sets is eye-catching, but the other side of the sky is equally beautiful. During sunset the western sky is a bright red color, but the eastern and the northern sky turns cold deep blue or violet. The red color has a lot of underlying shades. This means that you can capture unexpected, wonderful moments. It helps to vary the exposure while taking lots of shots to get a range of shots.
About Light
67
Too short magical time
The sun has set, but you can still take great shots. This time lasts a little over 10 minutes and is what we call the Magic Hour. Right after sunset and before darkness sets in, the color creates a unique atmosphere. This magical, reddish color changes from moment to moment and has its own charm, suitable for use in movies. It is such a brief moment and it fades so quickly that it is easy to miss.
68
Shooting Guide Book
Moments to avoid or not miss
The ever-changing natural light has its own allure. However there are particular times
that photographers like and don't like. Photographers tend to avoid working at noon. The light is directly overhead and makes short and unattractive shadows. It is very
close to white light and hard to create dramatic eects with. Objects also tend to not look stereoscopic at this time of day. Times favored by photographers are limited and are related to the inclination of the sun. At sunrise and sunset, when the sun is leaning at a good angle is a preferred time. The angle of the sun produces a warm, comforting, soft light source. It is direct light,
but it strongly illuminates the subject and also strains the eye. You will be impressed by the eects of a sunset reecting o someone's face and buildings, buildings, the scenery of a bluish riverside and the dreamlike color of the sky after the sunset.
About Light
69
Light which makes textures
Photos are basically at but we do get a sense of dimension from them. There are many factors contributing to a 3D eect. One of them is the expression of texture. It makes us feel softness or roughness on the surface of the subject. It is the shadows which make the texture. Once the shadows separate the light and dark areas you can sense the texture. It does not matter if the surface is uneven and bumpy. If the direct light removes the shadow, you cannot recognize the texture and
3D eect in the photo. Also you need to use a light source delivered at a right angle to show the texture and 3D. Do not use direct light or backlight. Use a side light source as much as you can to
give a 3D eect to at photos.
70
Shooting Guide Book
How to read the light
Sunlight also displays various changes in color. These changes occur constantly and are mostly not recognized. It is more accurate to check the color on the digital cam-
era's screen than to see it with your own eyes. Press the shutter button and nd out the color of the sunlight surrounding you.
