![]() ![]() When shooting toward a light source, it's important that the front of the lens is shaded. To create this shot, I used a pair of Speedlites-one as a key light and the other as a fill light. In the second image, we switched positions so that now the sun was coming over his shoulders. There is no clean separation between my subject and the background. In the first of the two photos opposite, we can see that the noon sun was lighting the subject frontally, meaning that it was at my back during the shoot. ![]() ![]() In a portrait session outdoors, you can position your subject so that the noon sun falls on her back and shoulders to create a rim or separation light and use Speedlites as the key light. Ambient Light Does Not Always Appear AmbientĪs your skills as a Speedliter develop, you'll come to understand that ambient light does not always have to be the key light (a.k.a. A warmly lit room interior with only black in the windows tells us that it is night. Conversely, steep shadows in brilliant light indicate that it's noon. Long shadows and a warm cast to sunlight indicate that it is either early morning or late afternoon. Just as ambient light provides clues to the emotion of a photograph, it can also tell the viewer much about the time of day in the photograph. A pair of bright lights heading straight at us suggests panic. A lone figure lit overhead by a street lamp portrays a sense of loneliness or foreboding. The beam of a flashlight cutting into a dark cave creates a sense of suspense. A couple lit by the glow of candlelight suggests romance. A smiling child lit by morning light streaming in through a window suggests comfort. Through our own experiences, we associate certain emotions with different types of ambient light. So knowing the look of ambient light enables you as a Speedliter to create a feeling in your photographs-even when the light you need isn't present. The Clues Of Ambient LightĪmbient light goes a long way toward informing your viewer about the feeling and time of your photograph. The blinking lights on roadside construction barricades, a strobe light in a modern dance performance, and the bulbs that appear to race around a marquee in Time Square also provide ambient light. While most ambient light comes from continuous sources, you can also find ambient light from intermittent sources. There's a huge range of ambient light sources that you can use either in or as a light source for your photographs: the sun, fluorescent lights in a grocery store, the lamp on a bedside table, car headlights, or a cake covered in birthday candles. It is the light that you find in the scene already. Sources Of Ambient LightĪmbient light is everywhere. Likewise, it can be an unwanted part of the scene we want to photograph. Whether natural or created, the look of ambient light can be a powerful communication tool. The same is true of the light in our photographs. The light in our world greatly influences how we feel, act, and think. Learn More Buy The Role Of Ambient Light For maximum efficiency, combine low ambient lighting with local accent or task lighting for work areas.Speedliter's Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites Well-designed architecturally integrated lighting such as coves, valances, and soffits also provide high quality ambient light. To shield bulbs from view, and provide diffuse light, fixtures that are used for ambient lighting typically have a translucent shade or enclosure, made from glass or plastic. For best reflectance, paint the ceiling white or a light color, using matte paint. Uplights also provide good ambient light by aiming light toward the ceiling and upper portion of the walls, so that these surfaces serve as reflectors, creating soft, shadowless ambient light. Ceiling-mounted diffusers are meant to distribute light uniformly throughout the room, especially if the fixture is mounted near the center of the room. Most rooms in homes are small enough so that one or two fixtures will provide adequate ambient light. Ambient lighting provides general, diffuse illumination for a space, and is appropriate for activities that are not visually demanding, such as conversation or television viewing. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |