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Light in Photography -   LIGHTING -  FLASH LIGHTING -

STUDIO FLASH LIGHTING - THE SECRET


The secret of using the studio flash light or in fact any camera, is to keep things as flexible in your mind as possible, and learn to "read"  the light and shadow areas of the subject from the position of the camera the way film will record it, NOT the way our eye does.
 
 

HOW THE CAMERA SEES
When we substitute a single glass lens and chemical emulsion for the human eye there is a great difference. The camera can take the photograph in a fraction of a second or perhaps over several minutes. It is not capable of scanning the scene or remaining selectively on one area or another the way the human eye does. The iris does not respond to light changes during the exposure or to the varying intensity of light on various parts of the subject. Consider that if the film is black & white, the sensitivity will not record colour and even the black and white values will not be relative to the brightness range as seen by the eye.

Unless we direct then light onto the subject as we intend and use the aperture and shutter controls to produce the desired effect, the camera will record all information with impunity.  Nothing will be intensified nothing will be neglected. It is the photographers responsibility to notice the smallest details control the scene as they require it for the photograph.

Because of the single lens of the camera, dimension will be lacking and, of course we can not hope to automatically capture the beauty, mood or aesthetic qualities that may have been observed in the original scene. These values and other desirable effects must be "created" by the photographer through their knowledge and skill.

With experience, it is possible to acquire what is known as a "camera eye". This is when you have the ability to interpret a scene in terms of how it will appear on the film and adjust the situation before the exposure is made.
 

 

LOOK WITH ONE EYE
In developing a "camera eye", it will be helpful if you get in the habit of viewing the scene with one eye closed. This takes away the three dimensional effect and the planes of the picture are as the single lens of the camera sees them.

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SQUINT
It can also be helpful to squint the eye which has the effect of compressing the light range of the scene. When doing this, we see less detail in the shadows, which is more like the way the film will "see" the scene. When we look at the scene, it is usually possible to see detail in the shadow areas as well as the brilliantly lighted areas. However, the photographic film does not record highlight and shadow detail in the same relationship as seen by the eye. 

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Want to learn more? - do a workshop or one on one with Lloyd Godman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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