Last updated on December 7th, 2023
In photography, lighting is the most critical aspect of a photo. Whether you are trying to create an effect or want your subject to stand out in the picture, it all comes down to how you light them.
However, photography lighting techniques are not always easy for beginners to understand. And many don’t know where they should start!
In this article, we will discuss some of the basics of photography lights and what they do. Anyone can then use these tips and tricks on their next photography adventure!
Understanding the Basics of Light
The science of photography lighting is complex, but to understand the basics, you only need to understand a few key concepts. First, what do all photography lights have in common? They emit light! This may seem obvious, but it’s important for determining how they work.
What Is Light, and How Does It Work?
All photography lights are designed to be either bright or dark. It depends on whether they are the primary or secondary photography light.
Now, what happens when photography lights interact with each other? When photography lights meet, several things can happen: both rays may be reflected. One will be absorbed while the other reflects off like a mirror (known as an “ambient” photography light). One will dominate and take over all types of reflections in that area (“key” photography lighting). Or something in between these two extremes.
The critical factor here is which type of photography light has more power and brightness than the other – this determines how intense its reflection will be.
It’s also worth noting that nearby objects can affect ambient photography lights too! This means if you want to create a photography effect, you’ll need to control the surroundings to get what you want.
How to Measure the Quality of a Light Source
Lux/Lumens
Light is measured in Lux or lumens. One way to measure the quality of a photography light source is with an incident meter. You can use Lux for measuring and comparing different types of photography lights.
Exposure Settings
Use your camera’s built-in exposure settings. These will tell you if there are any problems with harsh shadows or glare on your photo.
A Piece of Paper
A third excellent method for determining how well lit your subject would be by using a piece of paper. It gives you more control over where exactly the light falls on it. And it helps reduce unwanted shadows from being cast onto other areas around it like walls/floors etc.
Are you planning on taking pictures outside? Then a photography light meter would be a great photography lighting technique to use for measuring quality.
Grey Card
Another photography light technique that can be employed is the use of a grey card. This will help you determine any problems with your camera’s white balance and ensure that it is set to the proper type.
Understanding the Relationship Between Shutter Speed and Aperture
The most fundamental element to creating the perfect photography lighting is understanding the difference between shutter speed and aperture and how they work together.
Lighting and Shutter Speed Controls
Shutter speed controls how long photography lights enter the camera. There is a tradeoff between shutter duration and exposure time (shutter). The effect of this setting depends on photography lighting techniques. But generally, as your subject moves around more or if you’re in low-light conditions, it will require longer shutter speeds. Photography light then doesn’t move too quickly across the image, which would create blurry images. For example, photography lights can soon change position due to motion blur. This happens when shooting fast-moving objects like cars/bikes from an open window car at night.
Aperture and Lighting
Aperture governs the number of photography lights entering through the lens opening and defines the field’s Depth. It’s similar to what occurs with film cameras, where there may be several photography lights in a room with different brightness levels. Photography light meters measure the number of photography lights by comparing them to an 18% gray card. This will help you determine how much darker or lighter your subject is so that they are not too bright or too dark.
How Shutter Speed and Aperture Work Together
Together, shutter speed and aperture are photography lighting techniques. Motion/blur effects (portraits where the Depth of field should blur out everything but the face) require a large aperture opening (small f-number). Do this while keeping the shutter open for a longer duration.
For example, if someone was holding something brightly lit. Then, using both these settings would have them at a standstill. Less movement means more accurate exposure time (shutter). This photography technique is called photography light painting. It helps create photography lights that look like they’re moving.
Motion Blur Technique
Another example, if you wanted to create the appearance of a car driving in the dark. Use both shutter speeds (exposure time) to capture how quickly photography lights move across an image. And use an aperture, which will produce different levels of brightness on your subject. With photography techniques such as motion blur, each frame captures one particular moment. This is even though there are multiple photography lights. The result is realistic-looking shots without any artificial effects.
Using Natural Light to Your Advantage
Natural light is the number one technique in a photographer’s toolbox. It also helps that natural light, as long as you have space with the best lighting, is entirely free to use. You want to employ natural lighting to create stunning photos every time for portrait photography, landscape photography, and other types of photography. Here’s which natural lighting techniques will give you the best advantage:
Lighting at the Right Time of Day:
Try shooting portrait photography in natural light early or late in the day, also known as golden hour. The golden hour is the time of day when the sun shines brightly. Shadows are less dark, and highlights are less likely to be overexposed. It is also a good time for landscape photography because there is warm light.
How to Use Artificial Lighting for Effects
Suppose you work in a studio or low-lighting conditions. In that case, artificial lighting is your best bet for the most impactful photography. Here are some effects to use with artificial lighting:
Front Light (or Flat Light) Photography
Photography lights are positioned in front of the photography subject to create a soft illumination on them. The position is excellent, making features appear more three-dimensional of photography the subject. They’re perfect for portrait photography that requires attention to facial detail. Just make sure not too many other objects between yourself and your subject because this will affect how well lit both sides are.
Backlight (or Rim Light)
Photography lights provide an accentuation. They a photo filter or another form of photography technique such as Photoshop. It’s is perfect for highlighting detail and texture on the backside of things. But be careful not to cast shadows onto your photography subject from these photography lamps/lights. They can make it difficult for viewers to see what you’re photographing. Angle the camera, so there are no shadows cast onto your photography subject. Then, position these types of photography lamps/lights behind them or off to one.
Soft Light
“Soft” light is a popular lighting technique that you’ll find in almost every photo. This kind of light comes from an indirect source, and it can be used to create more subtle shadows than “hard” lights. By using this type of illumination, photographers end up with less intense contrasts between the darks and highlights within their photos too!
If you’re looking to keep light soft and natural when shooting portraits, there are steps that can be taken in a studio or outdoors. A photographer could use diffusers like curtains over windows for more gentle sunlight indoors or try waiting until the sky is overcast outside for softer shadows. These simple tricks will help add an air of youthfulness to your images without having to put too much work into it!
Hard Light
The lighting technique of hard light will create high contrast and intensity, bright whites with dark shadows. This type of light can be created by using a spotlight or other non-diffused source to produce the effect in your studio.
Rim Light
Rim light can be created using a form of backlighting, where the subject and background are at different angles to each other. The angle creates an outline or highlight around your subject that distinguishes them from their surroundings. Rim lighting makes it easy for viewers to see what is happening in the photo because there’s less information competing with you focal point-the person being photographed!
Positioning your light source above and behind your subject will create a rim of light. Experiment with the contrast to see what works best for you, some may prefer high while others might want it more subdued. If you’re not getting enough detail from just one side try using reflectors or other lighting techniques such as diffusers to enhance that area.
Loop Lighting
As one of the more subtle and natural lighting options, loop lighting is used for an intimate portrait. A “loop” from the nose on a cheek creates shadows to frame that beautiful face. It’s perfect for getting along with loved ones without being too harsh or dramatic in your pictures!
Position your light at a 45-degree angle, slightly higher than eye level to create an evenly lit loop on either side. Keep it between 10 inches (25cm) – 24inches (61cm). Experiment with adjusting distance to get different sized loops or more defined shadows.
Loop lighting is pretty universally flattering because we can adjust how much shadow there is by moving our lights closer or farther away from subjects as well as experimenting with their size through height adjustments like increasing the intensity of one’s own shadow.
Broad Lighting
Broad light is a type of side lighting that can be used for graduation photos. It creates shadows on one half the face, and allows the other to shine brightly. This technique works best if you want your subject to have an hourglass figure, as it increases contrast between their two halves by making them appear more separate from each other (and thus fuller). Positioning your model’s face at an angle will allow this flattering effect when shooting with broad light in mind.
Short Lighting
Short lighting, like broad lighting is a way to play with the natural shadows of your face. Short Lighting shines light on only one side while placing more emphasis on that portion of the photo and making it appear fuller than its counterpart in contrast creating tension between these two sides as well as giving off an ominous vibe through this simple technique.
Split Lighting
Photography lights are positioned on either side of photography subjects. They provide a photography lighting effect where half the face is illuminated with light, highlighting one part of it. To do this, photography lamps/lights need to be photography lights that have more power output (aka brighter). The photography lighting of the subject’s face is on one side.
Butterfly Lighting
This light type is perfect for photography subjects who want to appear friendlier. It achieves this by wrapping the photography subject in one or two photography lamps/lights. This creates a butterfly-like effect with their head being lit while everything else becomes less visible.
Photography lights need more power output (aka brighter). It can provide a lit background for your photography subject. Then, photography lights should be lit from the side. It should not be behind your photography subject.
Rembrandt Lighting
This photography lighting technique is most often used when photographing people from a low angle. Photography lights are positioned off to one side of the photography subject. Make sure they’re at an opposite height. For example, if you’re standing up, then your photo lamp should be just below eye level or lower on the ground. Avoid going too high because that will cause harsh shadows in photos.
Another pro tip: A bonus with using multiple photography lamps/lights makes makeup look more natural. There’s no contrast between light and dark areas on faces, making some skin tones appear uneven or blotchy.
Different Types of Photography Lights
Flashes
A camera flash is a device that emits light in an extremely quick and intense burst. Camera flashes are used to illuminate scenes with insufficient ambient light, or provide extra lighting for close-ups. When the photographer presses the shutter button on a camera, the flash will go off automatically. The duration of this event can be as short as 1/1000th of a second or less than 1 millisecond (ms). Flash tubes produce white light; modern strobe lights emit full spectrum colors including red, blue, green and purple.
Softboxes/Light Box
The light box is a must-have tool for any professional photographer or amateur photography enthusiast. It’s an ideal way to get sharper images with less noise, and it will give you more consistent lighting than natural outdoor light. The background is easy to change and the lights are adjustable for any time of day. A light box will also help you take better product shots.
Fibre Optics
These are great for photographers who want to create a surreal effect in their photos. Fiber optic equipment works best when combined with other artificial or natural sources. They can make colors and objects pop off the screen.
Led Lights
LED lights are a great option for photographers looking to take their pictures to the next level. Traditional photography bulbs burn out quickly and have to be replaced, but LED lights last up to 50,000 hours! They provide better color and light quality than traditional photography bulbs. The perfect lighting can be achieved with these LEDs because they come in different colors. These LEDs are easy to use – there is no need to set up complicated equipment or worry about cords tangling together. There’s no risk of fire hazard with these lights since they don’t get hot enough.
Ring Lights
The ring light is a continuous light that can be used as an economical and more natural alternative to strobes or flash photography for still subjects. This ring light comes with different sizes, shapes, and wattages depending on the needs of the photographer. The result is softer shadows and smoother skin tones.
Reflectors
These reflectors are fillers when there isn’t much natural sunlight available. They help reflect the artificial sources towards a subject. This makes them perfect for outdoor shoots/photo sessions where you don’t have access to enough power outlets.
They’re also great because they eliminate harsh shadows. People with darker skin tones will still look beautiful (they highlight cheekbones).
Tungsten
Tungsten light bulbs are the most common kind of lightbulb that is used for indoor areas. They use a tungsten filament inside an inert gas and when a current passes, it will make the filament glow orange. The color temperature of tungsten lights is around 3200K and it can change the colors in your photo if you do not adjust your camera settings to match.
HMI
Hydrargyrum Medium-Arc Iodide (HMI) lights are a type of light that most productions use. They emit an ultraviolet light and have a blue tint. To power up, HMI lights need a ballast. The ballast ignites the metal-halide gas and mercury vapor mix in the bulb. Ballasts also limit the current to make sure that there is no flickering when using HMI lamps. These lamps are four times as powerful as traditional incandescent bulbs so there is a very loud noise when powering them up, which means that the lighting technician needs to shout “striking” before turning on these bulbs so people know it’s happening and can get out of its way if needed.
Conclusion: Photography Lighting Techniques
In photography, lighting is the most critical aspect of a photo. Whether you are trying to create an effect or want your subject to stand out in the picture, it all comes down to how you light them. Understanding the relationship between shutter speed and aperture will help with different effects for pictures taken indoors or outdoors as well as what type of artificial lights (or natural) should be used. We’ve also discussed some tips on using flash when photographing people that might not have enough contrast in their skin tone or face shape – they can use fill-lights so they don’t look washed out in photos! All types of photographers need to know about these principles if they want successful images every time.
