Mastering Light.

I realize if I am to make a living from photography in 2 years time, I will have to master light. Light is the raw ingredient of photography. The word photography comes from the Greek words “Photos” for light and “Graphien” draw. How do I draw with a good picture with light if I do not have a proper understanding of how lighting works and how best to exploit it?

The NAFA course has provided me with a good introduction to studio lighting. It is up to me now to take it further. This long weekend will be a good time for me to start.

I have started off with some theory:

The Nature Of Light

-energy that travels in waves

-photography makes use of visible light

-photons are the raw material of light; when atoms are excited or energized, photons are emitted.

-white light is made up of a mixture of colours

Light can be:

i) Reflected ~ light will always come off a flat reflective surface at the same angle at which the incoming wave of light struck the surface ( angle of incidence = angle of reflection)

ii) Scattered - reflection off a rough surface which diffuses the light

iii) Refraction - light slows and bends when it passes through certain materials

iv) Absorption - Absorption results in the production of heat and not light.

Light intensity
–Illumination from a light source declines considerably over distance ~ inverse square law holds i.e if you double the distance between the subject and the light, the illumination is reduced to a quarter of what it was originally.

Colour of light

- Coloured gels are important and very useful tools for anyone interested in flash photography. They are commonly used to get the light from your flashes to match the surrounding light.