Lights

Portraits on blog

What is hard & soft lighting? 

When you walk outside on a sunny day you’re looking at hard light. The shadows have a lot of edge detail and are very dark. Hard and soft lighting can also be created artificially with the use of different lights/reflectors.

Reflections are small and very bright. In light like this we can see a lot of texture in surfaces. The shadows, if the light is coming from the right direction, can be a dramatic and important part of an image. When taking pictures reflectors can be used sometimes which has two sides. They control how much light is going to reflect off the reflector onto the object which will then make the image hard or soft. Hard light often creates harsh shadows. With soft lighting, the light is more diffused and evenly spread out. Direct sun overhead is an example of hard light, when the sun is behind clouds in the sky this creates soft lighting. 

                                                    What is Aperture & what does it control? 

Aperture is a setting on the camera, which controls the amount of light that comes into the camera. The higher the Aperture, the lower the Shutter speed. The lower the Shutter speed, the higher the Aperture. It is just like your iris; when it is dark, it gets bigger and allows a lot more light in compared to when it is bright which is when it allows less light in.

What is single light portrait? 

Single light portrait is when you are taking pictures of an object or human from a single light; the main light.

What is a reflector?

A reflector is a sheet of reflective material used to reflect light into shadows of a subject. They come in different sizes and shapes. When using a reflector the white side must be used and placed in between the persons face and neck. The light must be shone onto one side of the persons face so you can see that the light is reflecting straight off the reflector and onto the persons face giving the image a clear, natural look.

What is a clam shell lighting?

A clamshell is 2 large light sources arranged from above and below like the open shell of a clam.

Clamshell lighting is mainly used in beauty, fashion photography shots because it is very natural. Clamshell lighting gives a flattering light that still manages to sculpt the face and cheeks and provide a good amount of wraparound lighting. The top light and the bottom light can be in different ratios.