Light Basics and vocabulary

For each technique you should explain the following: 

• 1. What effect does it create?
• 2. Why use it?
• 3. How many lights or light sources?

The Five Basic Lighting Techniques

Butterfly (or Paramount) -- 

1. This is very similar to the loop type, but the shadows are all cast down.

2. It is very flattering.

3. At the very least, one light.

Loop -- 

1. It creates a nice looking illuminated subject, with a bit more light on one side of the face.

2. Used for formal and professional looking photos.

3. Requires at least two lights.

Rembrandt -- 

1. One-sided, with a small triangle of light on the darker side, with the subject facing the light.

2. It creates a dramatic effect without the harsh lighting of a split light, can be used for ambiguity.

3. At the very least, one

Split -- 

1. This creates a harsh shadow on one side of the face, split symmetrically down the face.

2. For dramatic effect, harsher than Rembrandt, can be used to emphasize duality of the subject.

3. At the very least, one.
Broad and Short --

1. Similar to Rembrandt, only the subject faces away from the light.

2. Can be used to show breadth in the subject's face. 

3. At the very least, one. 

Flash Photography Basic Concepts

1. Every flash photograph is two exposures in one
2. Fill flash can be used when subject is backlit or side lit to eliminate silhouettes or shadows
3. Flash exposure is not affected by shutter speed.
4. Flash illumination is dramatically affected by distance.
5. Your camera measures ambient light and flash illumination separately.
6. With automatic flash metering, the flash illumination is measure after the shutter buttons pressed, and the flash out put is adjusted accordingly.
7. Every SLR camera with a mechanical shutter box has a maximum flash sync shutter speed. The top speed for our cameras is 1/200
8. Harsh lighting, washed out subjects and red eye can be eliminated by using diffusers and light bouncing.
9. It is possible to change the order of when the flash fires using "Rear Curtain Sync."
10. Removing the flash from the top of the camera helps eliminate red eye and unflattering shadows.

Year in Photos: 2014

1. Photojournalism

2. Light as a subject

3. Mostly artificial, many light sources, the photographer used light as the subject in this photo.

4. This photographer most likely used a high shutter speed and continuous shoot to capture this quick event.

1. Portrait

2. Simplicity

3. Artificial, most likely more than one, and they used their own arrangement of lights for this to get a good balance.

4. The photographer setup their lights to light their subject like such.

1. Cityscape

2. Simplicity

3. Natural, the sun, the photographer used the time of day to have the clouds diffuse the light.

4. The photographer could have waited for this exact time.

1. Landscape

2. Depth of field.

3. Natural, the sun, this could not have been done at night, so there is that.

4. The photographer must have been in a helicopter to get this angle.

1. Photojournalism

2. Depth, framing

3. Artificial, many light sources, the lights prevail through the smoke and dust, lighting the launch pad.

4. The photographer took this remotely, using a timer to calculate the exact time of launch.

1. Photojournalism

2. Cropping

3. Mixed, possibly many light sources, 

4. First, they had to be allowed into the funeral, and then they had to wait for the officer to go up to the casket.

1. Landscape

2. Circular Composition

3. Natural, the sun, the light shows the fully enveloped explosion.

4. This photo had to be taken from a helicopter mere moments after it's conception.