Alright.
First thing is this. the look you want is determines by a couple of things. the amount of light. the quality of the light and the color of the light.
Lets start on the most important part. The amount of light. And by the amount i mean a few things.
one is your contrast. That means the difference in brightness between the brightest part, and the darkest part of your image.
lets break down this image...
we refer to constrast in an image as the "contrast ratio". This ratio is the difference in Fstops between the bright part and dark parts of an image. These images have LOTS of contrast, something on order of a 6:1 contrast ration on the face alone.
Now lets look at an image thats low contrast.
In this picture the darkest part, under her neck, is not NEARLY as dark as the shadows in the basketmaker images. The contrast in this is something on the order of 3:1.
OK So now you know what i mean when i say, amount of light. ITs your contrat ratio that establishes the mood of the image. horror films, moody period pieces (like the baskemaker) or really any project that warrants it.
Ok this leads me to the next phase. Thats the quality of light. once you establish the mood, you really want to create light that looks visually interesting. Usually Diffusion, reflection, and cutting the light gives you the controll on the quality of light.
First lets talk about hard light. Hard lights are lights that hit the subject directly from the lamp. there is nothing between the lights source and the sunject.
Example:
Notice how the image looks sharp, punchy and bold. But its not flattering. hard light is good for "badguy" lighting. look at the hard sharp shadows, the skin texture becomes more apparent and things like eyelashes start leaving shadows on the face....
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Diffusion:
Diffusion refers to any object placed infront of a light source that spreads it out... like waxpaper, spun glass, frosted window panes.... etc... They make lights called "chimera" lights. they are a big bright bulb in a fireproof cloth "box" where one side is made of a trandslucent material that softens the light and makes it soooo pretty when pointed toward your subject.
SOFTBOX/Chimeara:
Notice how the edges of the shadows are not hard, crisp lines.... they kind of fade away. its makes people look more beautiful, soft and glowy.....
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Now you have reflected light. Refelcted light is exactly as it sounds. you bounce light off something...
but reflected light is a dangerous territory. its difficult to controll, and kind of goes everywhere... but if its used effectively, you can create some amazing images. The reflected light thats unwanted is called, Spill. it can gt into places where you wanted the image to be black, or very dark, and ruin your Contrat Ratio....
The baby was lit only with sunlight reflecting off a wooden cabinent.
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Cutters/flag:
Cutters are what help you to control light. they are any opaque object that blocks, shapes, or otherwise manipulates the throw of light. they are essential for the control of contrast, and your ever precious contrast ratio.
Lets say you want light on your subject but not on your background... you set up a cutter or a flag (same thing), that blocks the light from the lamp, off of the background while keeping the light on the subject. think of it as shading your eyes... with your hand. you can make the shadow go anywhere you want by moving your hand around....
Im sorry icant do an illustration, but ive searched for 40 minutes on google for an image of flags in use and got nothing.....
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COLOR:
lets use this image for example:
Notice the warm, yellow and green tones. that was a result of the sunlight bouncing off of the grass outside. The whiter light is a bounce card outside the door and window.... The warm yellowy colors suggest an inviting space a fond memory... etc... good things... Colder bluer light suggest a more uncomfortable space.
Cooler colors better suggest nighttime, and a sense of the unknown.
I will keep adding to this.... but im tired now.
MORE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showpost.php?p=2057351&postcount=21
First thing is this. the look you want is determines by a couple of things. the amount of light. the quality of the light and the color of the light.
Lets start on the most important part. The amount of light. And by the amount i mean a few things.
one is your contrast. That means the difference in brightness between the brightest part, and the darkest part of your image.
lets break down this image...
we refer to constrast in an image as the "contrast ratio". This ratio is the difference in Fstops between the bright part and dark parts of an image. These images have LOTS of contrast, something on order of a 6:1 contrast ration on the face alone.
Now lets look at an image thats low contrast.
In this picture the darkest part, under her neck, is not NEARLY as dark as the shadows in the basketmaker images. The contrast in this is something on the order of 3:1.
OK So now you know what i mean when i say, amount of light. ITs your contrat ratio that establishes the mood of the image. horror films, moody period pieces (like the baskemaker) or really any project that warrants it.
Ok this leads me to the next phase. Thats the quality of light. once you establish the mood, you really want to create light that looks visually interesting. Usually Diffusion, reflection, and cutting the light gives you the controll on the quality of light.
First lets talk about hard light. Hard lights are lights that hit the subject directly from the lamp. there is nothing between the lights source and the sunject.
Example:
Notice how the image looks sharp, punchy and bold. But its not flattering. hard light is good for "badguy" lighting. look at the hard sharp shadows, the skin texture becomes more apparent and things like eyelashes start leaving shadows on the face....
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diffusion:
Diffusion refers to any object placed infront of a light source that spreads it out... like waxpaper, spun glass, frosted window panes.... etc... They make lights called "chimera" lights. they are a big bright bulb in a fireproof cloth "box" where one side is made of a trandslucent material that softens the light and makes it soooo pretty when pointed toward your subject.
SOFTBOX/Chimeara:
Notice how the edges of the shadows are not hard, crisp lines.... they kind of fade away. its makes people look more beautiful, soft and glowy.....
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Now you have reflected light. Refelcted light is exactly as it sounds. you bounce light off something...
but reflected light is a dangerous territory. its difficult to controll, and kind of goes everywhere... but if its used effectively, you can create some amazing images. The reflected light thats unwanted is called, Spill. it can gt into places where you wanted the image to be black, or very dark, and ruin your Contrat Ratio....
The baby was lit only with sunlight reflecting off a wooden cabinent.
_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cutters/flag:
Cutters are what help you to control light. they are any opaque object that blocks, shapes, or otherwise manipulates the throw of light. they are essential for the control of contrast, and your ever precious contrast ratio.
Lets say you want light on your subject but not on your background... you set up a cutter or a flag (same thing), that blocks the light from the lamp, off of the background while keeping the light on the subject. think of it as shading your eyes... with your hand. you can make the shadow go anywhere you want by moving your hand around....
Im sorry icant do an illustration, but ive searched for 40 minutes on google for an image of flags in use and got nothing.....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COLOR:
lets use this image for example:
Notice the warm, yellow and green tones. that was a result of the sunlight bouncing off of the grass outside. The whiter light is a bounce card outside the door and window.... The warm yellowy colors suggest an inviting space a fond memory... etc... good things... Colder bluer light suggest a more uncomfortable space.
Cooler colors better suggest nighttime, and a sense of the unknown.
I will keep adding to this.... but im tired now.
MORE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showpost.php?p=2057351&postcount=21
