Photography and light: The inverse square law
With respect to light, the inverse square law states that: “the intensity of light radiating from a point source is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source”. This means that a subject 1 meter away from a light source would be illuminated 4 times more than a subject 2 meters away from the same light source: 1/(1*1)=1 1/(2*2)=1/4 So if you were to move a correctly exposed subject 1 meter away from your light twice the distance, it will receive 1/4 times the light, and in turn would be 2 stops under exposed. If you were to move a correctly exposed subject 2 meters away from you light half the distance, it will...
Read MorePhotography and light: light direction
Last time we talked about light size in photography with relation to the subject, and the mood it casts on our composition (Photography and light: light size). Today we talk about light direction and the angle it falls on our subject. The angle in which a light source strikes the subject is indicated in the shadows it casts, which fall away from the light in the same direction. Take the position of the sun, for example. Around sunrise and sunset, the sun is low in the sky. It hits various figures and surfaces from a low angle. As a result, those figures cast long soft shadows that fall away from the light direction in a horizontal manner. As the sun moves...
Read MorePhotography and light: light size
Small light sources in relation to the subject are know as being harsh. That is because of the hard-edged shadows it casts on different parts of the frame. The scene would mainly consist of deep highlight, and deep shadow areas with no real shade areas in between, thus making the transitions between the light and the dark rather abrupt. Examples of small light sources include bare light bulbs, flashguns, spotlights, headlamps, torches, and high mid-day sun on a clear day. Although the size of the sun is actually very large, its size in relation to us is still small because of the huge distance between it and earth. Small light sources usually fall within an...
Read MoreBlack and white photography: Work your light
As we all know, photography is all about light. How it illuminates a scene, how it interacts with different subjects within the same scene, how it is reflected differently off different parts depending on their own reflectance properties, and eventually how it travels through your lens hitting the digital sensor or photographic film and finally registering an exposure. The infinite gradations of light intensities, color temperatures, and tones correspond to the normal way we see the world, and provide a rich and subtle palette for nuanced imagery. Light in black and white photography plays even a greater, more crucial role and its effect on your final image is...
Read MoreBlack and white photography: Pre-visualize your final image
The lack of color in a black and white photograph means that an image needs to depend on its consisting elements of design (lines, form, shape, texture, pattern…), and on its own tonality to be able to see the light of day. To take better black and white photographs you need to be able to visualize your final image (or at least have an idea what you have in mind regarding the final outcome). For example, when you look at a scene, consider the difference between the light and the shadows. How wide is that gap? How contrasting would this scene actually appear if stripped of all its color enhancements? How can you better accentuate this contrast by changing...
Read MoreCreative photography ideas for the winter
Here are some more creative photography ideas for the winter to check out. Today we talk about capturing falling snowflakes, photographing frost, and wintery bokeh. Shooting falling snowflakes: photographing snow as it falls is a great way to capture some unusual drama and mood. Your camera settings would depend on the intensity and the speed of the snowflakes. To accentuate and emphasize snowflakes as they’re in the air, a telephoto lens might come in handy because the distance between you and your main subject would be generally greater than with a short lens, thus there would be more snow in the air in between. If the snow is falling heavily however, ...
Read MoreBeautiful examples of creative self portrait photography
Taking on self portrait photography can be a great way to improve your skills, and practice the trade when you feel uninspired, don’t have an available model or an interesting subject. You can work yourself into poses that are just plain crazy, convey all kinds of emotions, dress up or dress down, go into the woods or just look out through the window of your living room. You’ll definitely gonna need a tripod to secure your camera. You’re gonna also need to set the self timer on your camera or get yourself a remote shutter. One thing I also do is set my camera to continuous shooting mode to take a series of photos while I do my act, and then...
Read MoreBeautiful examples of low light photography from Matthew Stewart
Low light photography doesn’t necessarily have to be at night. Anytime or place that has dim lighting can present you with great low light photography opportunities. For better low light photography make sure to keep your camera as still as possible, since the exposure times are gonna be longer than usual. Having a tripod to rest your camera on, and ensure it stays stable is a very good way to go as well. To avoid camera shake upon pressing the shutter release, you could also use a remote shutter or turn on the self timer on your cam, so that you won’t have to go anywhere near your gear at the moment of making the exposure. Higher ISO settings might...
Read MoreCreative photography ideas for winter & the holidays
Here are some more creative photography ideas to help you get creative and make unique captures during this time of year. In this post I covered some photography ideas for the holiday season, as well as lending a hand and spreading the love. To engage, give, and receive. For last time’s list of creative photography ideas, check out the earlier post here. Deserted swings: once very popular, now desolate snow-covered swings can make a great subject for winter photographs. You can reveal some really strong ideas behind those like the irony of life, turning tides, lonesome souls, lost childhood, child labor… etc Photo by...
Read MoreCreative photography ideas for this winter
As the winter season is upon us, some might feel a little discouraged to go out and shoot. And well, you can’t blame them. Who would wanna leave the comfort and warmness of their home to walk around the block looking for something to shoot. But if you think about it, winter is actually the perfect time to shoot. For starters, the light is soft and diffused almost all day long, especially on overcast days. This means you are not necessity bound by no golden hour. Of course I’m not saying the golden hour has no significance in this time of year, by all means it is and always will be the best time of day to capture photos. I’m just saying that...
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