Lighting Techniques

If you are at the first stages of your dream to take stunning and remarkable photographs by yourself, a factor known as Lighting has a big influence to the outcome of any picture. The beauty of a photograph does not only rely on the subject and the surroundings alone, the lighting must always be perfect.

Aside from the fact that it makes the subject and surroundings visible, light also gives you the liberty to evoke mood or emotions. Try these tips and it will surely boost your skills to another level.

You must learn about the right layout of light sources. According to professional photographers, light should come from three sources; this method is called Triangulation.

In triangulation, the first light source must be placed behind the person taking the photograph (you); the second one must be placed behind the subject. The third one are called fill lights, the light source that can be placed anywhere, depending on the photographer’s choice. Fill lights are used to provide the needed lighting onto the subject, depending upon the situation. These lights are said to decrease shadowing, create depth, and perspective on the subject of the photograph.

Moreover, the settings used when you take pictures in a room (controlled lighting environment) are different from shooting outdoor. In a situation where you are shooting in direct sunlight, fill lights will serve as key light. However, if the surroundings are a little bit gloomy, you could use the sun as your fill lighting source. In addition, shooting indoors at night would require a deeper knowledge on how to make use of the light sources; how to manipulate them and make them work together.

You must learn to manage the light and shadow that you would need in order to produce a much better image. It is recommended that you set the key light as the brightest one of the three because you can manipulate make the necessary adjustments on the other two light sources much easier.

Fill lights and back lights must be dimmer than your key lights to get that sense of balance of lighting needed to produce high quality images. The flash, a common technique used in professional and amateur photography, is also very important. Some shots can appear much better when the flash is used as a fill light. However, always provide the proper lighting on the subject to reduce the occurrence of red eyes.


LESSON IN LIFE:
"In life and in photography, nothing will come out of darkness."