I do not reveal anything if I tell you that Lighting in photography is everything. Without light there is no photo, as simple as that. For this reason, it is the most important point of a photograph, without a doubt.
So, if you were thinking that what you need as a photographer is this or that camera, forget it. The first thing you need as a photographer is learn to master the light. And point. And there will be those who say that if this, if that, or if the camera is the most important thing, if the megapixelsWhat if the accessories… blah-blah-blah.
No way. I have seen incredible photographs made with a Smartphone of the most simple and authentic birrias made with a camera worthy of the best reporter in National Geographic.
It’s not the camera, it’s the photographer behind it and his mastery of the raw material of a photograph, which is light. And that photographer, my friend, is you.
In this guide I have proposed to collect everything, absolutely everything, what you need to know about lighting in photography, so that you save it and return to it whenever you need it, so that you review it until all the concepts are part of you in a way as natural as breathing.
What is lighting in photography?
Lighting in photography is the discipline that is responsible for providing a scene with the amount of light necessary to achieve the correct level of exposure for the message, emotion or story that the photographer wishes to convey.
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Types of lighting in photography
We will start with the most basic. The two types of light in photography that exist are natural light and artificial light. Let’s see the main characteristics of both:
Natural light
Natural light is that which comes from the sun. Its main characteristic is that it varies greatly depending on the time of day. The first and last hours of the day when the sun is low, we have warm, diffuse lights and long shadows. On the other hand, in the middle of the day, we find ourselves with a hard, neutral light, with strong contrast and very marked shadows.
The sunrises and sunsets they are the kings of natural photography, learning to master this light is essential, because many of your best photographs will be taken with them 😉 . You will do it without problems with these tips for photographing sunrises and sunsets, and with the most recommended settings.
The central hours of the day, they are characterized by causing marked shadows and little or no transition between light and shadow (high contrast), what we know as hard light, which I will explain a little later.
Learning to know a changing light such as natural light is a challenge, but one of those challenges with which you always come back with a good taste in your mouth ;). Tame natural light with these tips.
Evening light, blue hour
Artificial light
Artificial light is that which we originate as human beings, which, ultimately, does not come from the sun, the moon or the stars. Artificial light can be soft or hard depending on how big it is relative to the object it illuminates.
The main advantage of artificial light is that does not change and therefore its behavior can be predicted perfectly, it allows you to work any day of the day and without rushing.
We can also distinguish between ambient light, which is the one that previously exists, and the artificial light that you add, which can be continuous light (bulbs, light windows, LEDs, etc.) or discontinuous light such as a flash.
Characteristics of light in photography
Light has multiple characteristics depending not only on the type of source that originates it, but also on aspects such as direction, distance and size, color temperature or degree of diffusion.
Read on and I’ll show you its main features.
light diffusion
Light can be hard or soft depending on its diffusion.
- A soft or diffused light it is the one that we can observe on a cloudy day or the one that we create artificially with a diffuser. It generates few shadows and a homogeneous light without too much contrast.
- a hard light it is the one we can observe on a clear day when the sun is high in the sky or for example that of an integrated flash. It generates very marked shadows and a lot of contrast in the image.
The size and distance of the light source directly influence the spread of light:
- The smaller the light source, and the further away it is from the illuminated object, the harder it is. A clear example is the sun.
- Instead, the larger the light source and the closer it is to the illuminated object, the softer it will be.
Do not miss our tips to work with hard light and obtain good results even in portraits, I will give you more information below. If you want to control soft or diffuse light, then this is the item for you.
light direction
Another very important aspect when it comes to mastering the light is the direction of the light.
- Front light: it affects the subject frontally, generates few shadows and textures.
- side light: in this case it affects laterally and generates contrast between the illuminated area and the shadow area. It serves to highlight textures and volume.
- Semi-lateral light: It arrives at an angle of 45º and is widely used in photography to highlight textures and add depth.
- Zenithal or chopped: the light falls from above, generates marked shadows and a lot of contrast.
- Low angle shot: light falls from below. It is a light that is not found in nature and its effect is quite unnatural since it inverts the shadows that we consider “normal” such as the lateral or zenithal ones.
- Backlighting: the light source is placed behind the subject and in front of the camera. Emphasizes silhouette and shape as much of the midtone information is lost.
- Half backlight: at an angle of approximately 135º, it is used to outline the subject.
- fill light: it is used to fill in the shadows of the main subject with a slight touch of light.
- Backlight: it is the ambient light that we find in a naturally lit environment.
color temperature
color temperature It is the dominant tone or color of light at a given moment. It is controlled through white balance.
- Sunrises and sunsets, as well as the typical indoor home lamps emit a warm light.
- The moments before sunrise and after sunset (known as blue hour), as well as fluorescent type lights emit a cold light. Here you can see some examples of light in the blue hour.
- The central hours of the day, as well as the flash, emit a white or neutral light.
For more information, do not hesitate to take a look at this article that will reveal what color temperature is and how to use it in your photos.
Tips and tricks to master lighting in photography
Fortunately, there are many lighting tips and tricks that will give you great results from the beginning of your learning. I assure you that you don’t have to be a professional to get amazing images.
Learn to master the manual mode
The first thing I advise you is learn to shoot in manual mode. I know that the manual mode is like the flash, something that when we start seems very complicated, unattainable, professional.
Nothing of that, to master the manual mode you just have to patiently learn what it means:
- The diaphragm opening: is the hole through which light enters through the lens and to the camera sensor. The more we open the diaphragm, the more light we let through and vice versa, the more we close it, the less light. The aperture of the diaphragm is also related to the depth of field (area in focus in the image). The larger the aperture, the smaller the area in focus.
- Shutter speed: is the speed at which the shutter opens and closes. The faster the speed at which you work, the less light passes to the sensor and vice versa. Shutter speed is directly related to the ability to freeze the movement of the scene.
- ISO sensitivity: is the sensitivity of the sensor to light. When the value is low, it is not very sensitive but it offers us a better image quality. If we need more light, we must increase that value, but from a certain value, the quality suffers since noise begins to appear in the image.
In this graph I show you the three parameters with their side effects:
With these three ingredients you will be a magician of light, promised. Spend some time fiddling with them and you’ll see that it’s not that complicated ;). Keep reading and we will see how they relate to each other.
The exposure triangle in photography
The three elements (shutter speed, aperture, and ISO) make up what we know as the exposure triangle. Why is it important to know it? Well, because all three have the same ability to add or subtract light as the others, so you have to know balance them to get a correct image in terms of exposure.
For example, if I want a very out of focus background, I will have to open the diaphragm a lot (a lot of light will enter), if I also have a slow shutter speed set (the shutter remains open for a longer time letting a lot of light pass through) and a high ISO (very sensitive in light), I’ll have a probably burned image (unless it’s at night and I need large amounts of light).
What you should probably do in this case is to use a faster speed (lets less light through) and a lower ISO (less sensitive and also with better image quality). This is what we know as the law of reciprocity, which sounds like something mathematical and horrifying but it is not so and we explain it to you very easily in the link.
The game between the three variables, therefore, is the one that will give us a correct exposure.
The steps in photography, what are they?
A step in photography is the exact amount of light we get by opening or closing the diaphragm, the ISO or the shutter speed. Every time we open a passage, we double the light input. Every time we close a step, we divide it by two. It is very important to know this to learn to expose correctly.
You can see it in the following image and finish easily understanding it in our article dedicated in full and in detail about the steps in photography.
The histogram in lighting
Another essential element in lighting is the histogram. Learning to read the histogram is very simple and it is the most reliable help you will have when it comes to knowing if an image is well exposed or not.
Learn to set up your camera
As good as that light in front of you is, if you don’t know how to configure your camera to portray it, you won’t be able to squeeze all its benefits.
There are some basic adjustments that I recommend you to know and use in your photographs:
- The RAW format: unless you never think about editing your photos (which I really don’t recommend) this is the best format there is in terms of image quality.
- Set a suitable metering mode for each occasion.
- Auto white balance usually works fine whenever you want a tone…