Light : science & magic : an introduction to photographic lighting / Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hunter, Fil.

Contributor:

Biver, Steven.

Fuqua, Paul.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Photography--Lighting.

Photography.

Physical Description:

xii, 308 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm

Edition:

Third edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Focal, 2007.

Summary:

No matter how smart your digital camera is, its lighting is hit-or-miss at best. That's still a job for your eyes and brain. Lighting is worth the effort to learn well-there is no other skill that can improve your photography so much, so quickly. This is not your typical how-to book! This is a tried-and-true how to understand book. How to understand and predict the size of light, types of reflections, and the family of angles. Master these principles and you can shoot any portrait, any surface, anywhere!

With the third edition of Light-Science & Magic you will: Master shooting metal, glass, and portraiture, Learn how to make educated judgments about where to maintain detail (and losing it where the viewer will not notice) Save time with the post-production fixes given to common lighting problems. Styles of lighting continue to change, but the nature of light will always remain the same. Once you understand the basic physics of lighting your creative potential is endless!

Contents:

Chapter 1 How to Learn Lighting 3

What Are "The Principles"? 4

Why Are the Principles Important? 4

How Were the Example Subjects Chosen for This Book? 5

Do I Need to Do These Exercises? 6

What Kind of Camera Do I Need? 7

Should I Shoot Film or Digital? 8

What Lighting Equipment Do I Need? 10

What Else Do I Need to Know to Use This Book? 11

What Is the "Magic" Part of This Book? 11

Chapter 2 Light: The Raw Material of Photography 13

What Is Light? 14

How Photographers Describe Light 17

Brightness 17

Color 18

Contrast 19

Light versus Lighting 22

How the Subject Affects the Lighting 24

Transmission 24

Direct and Diffuse Transmission 26

Absorption 27

Reflection 28

Chapter 3 The Management of Reflection and the Family of Angles 31

Types of Reflection 32

Diffuse Reflection 32

The Inverse Square Law 36

Direct Reflection 37

Breaking the Inverse Square Law? 38

The Family of Angles 39

Polarized Direct Reflection 41

Is It Polarized Reflection or Ordinary Direct Reflection? 45

Turning Ordinary Direct Reflection into Polarized Reflection 46

Applying the Theory 47

Chapter 4 Surface Appearances 49

The Photographer as Editor 50

Capitalizing on Diffuse Reflection 51

The Angle of Light 52

The Success and Failure of the General Rule 55

The Distance of Light 57

Doing the Impossible 59

Using Diffuse Reflection and Shadow to Reveal Texture 62

Capitalizing on Direct Reflection 65

Competing Surfaces 68

Try a Lens Polarizing Filter 70

Use a Still Larger Light 71

Use More Than One Light 72

Use a Gobo 73

Complex Surfaces 74

Chapter 5 Revealing Shape and Contour 79

Depth Clues 81

Perspective Distortion 81

Distortion as a Clue to Depth 82

Manipulating Distortion 83

Tonal Variation 84

The Size of the Light 85

Large Lights versus Small Lights 86

Distance from the Subject 86

The Direction of the Light 87

Light on Side 89

Light above the Subject 90

Fill Light 91

Adding Depth to the Background 95

How Much Tonal Variation Is Ideal? 97

Photographing Buildings: Decreasing Tonal Variation 99 Photographing Cylinders: Increasing Tonal Variation 100

Remember Surface Detail 101

The Glossy Box 102

Use a Dark Background 103

Eliminate Direct Reflection from the Box Top 104

Eliminate Direct Reflection from the Box Sides 105

Finish with Other Resources 107

Use Direct Reflection? 109

Chapter 6 Metal 111

Flat Metal 112

Bright or Dark? 113

Finding the Family of Angles 113

Lighting the Metal 116

Keeping the Metal Bright 117

What Is a "Normal" Exposure for Metal? 120

Keeping the Metal Dark 120

The Elegant Compromise 124

Controlling the Effective Size of the Light 126

Keeping the Metal Square 130

Metal Boxes 132

A Light Background 135

A Transparent Background 136

A Glossy Background 137

Round Metal 140

Camouflage 141

Keeping the Light off the Camera 141

Using a Tent 142

Polarizing Filters 144

Black Magic 145

Dulling Spray 145

Where Else Do These Techniques Apply? 146

Chapter 7 The Case of the Disappearing Glass 149

The Problems 150

The Solutions 150

Two Attractive Opposites 152

Bright-Field Lighting 152

Dark-Field Lighting 156

The Best of Both Worlds 160

Some Finishing Touches 162

Defining the Surface of Glassware 162

Illuminating the Background 166

Minimizing the Horizon 166

Stopping Flare 168

Eliminating Extraneous Reflections 170

Complications from Nonglass Subjects 171

Liquids in Glass 172

Secondary Opaque Subjects 176

Recognizing the Principal Subject 179

Chapter 8 An Arsenal of Lights 181

The Single-Light Setup 182

The Basic Setup 182

Light Size 183

Skin Texture 185

Where to Put the Main Light 185

Left Side? Right Side? 191

Broad Lighting or Short Lighting 192

Eyeglasses 194

Additional Lights 195

Fill Lights 197

Background Lights 203

Hair Lights 205

Kickers 207

Rim Lights 209

Mood and Key 210

Low-Key Lighting 211

High-Key Lighting 212

Staying in Key 215

Dark Skin 215

Available-Light Portraiture 216

A Window as a Main Light 217

The Sun as a Hair Light 219

Combining Studio and Environmental Light 220

Keeping the Light Appropriate 223

Setting Rules? 223

Chapter 9 The Extremes 227

The Characteristic Curve 228

The Perfect "Curve" 228

A Bad Camera 230

Overexposure 232

Underexposure 234

A Real CCD 235

Using Every Resource 238

White-on-White 238

Exposing White-on-White Scenes 241

Lighting White-on-White Scenes 243

Subject and Background 243

Using an Opaque White Background 245

Using a Translucent White Background 250

Using a Mirror Background 253

In Any Case, Keep the Background Small 254

Black-on-Black 254

Exposing Black-on-Black Scenes 255

Lighting Black-on-Black Scenes 255

Subject and Background 257

Using an Opaque Black Background 257

Using a Glossy Black Surface 260

Keep the Subject away from the Background 261

The Histogram 263

Preventing Problems 266

Overmanipulation 266

Curves 268

New Principles? 269

Chapter 10 Traveling Light 273

Choosing the Right Strobe 273

Getting the Exposure Right 274

Letting the Strobe Determine the Exposure 275

Using a Flash Meter 275

Calculating the Exposure 276

Calculating the Guide Number 276

Using the Guide Number 276

Getting More Light 278

Focused Flash 279

Multiple Strobes 279

Multiple Flash 280

Improving the Quality of Light 282

Bounce Flash 282

Feathering the Light 285

Lights of Different Colors 287

Why Is the Color of the Light Important? 288

Nonstandard Light Sources 289

Do the Colors Mix? 292

The Remedies 295

Lights of Different Duration 297

Is Studio Lighting Possible on Location? 299.

Notes:

Includes index.

ISBN:

9780240808192

0240808193

OCLC:

80331790