Behind the Lens

4.2Adventures in Lighting: Lighting Sources 101 Part II—Fluorescents

Last month, I broke down the elements of tungsten light sources. For this second installment in Adventures in Lighting: Light Sources 101, we’ll take a look at fluorescent fixtures.

Once upon a time, fluorescent light was the bane of the cinematographer’s existence. The light produced by these ubiquitous lamps was often greenish, ugly, and unflattering. How-ever, modern advances in multi-phosphor mixes have made fluorescent fixtures feasible and efficient tools to light with.

The benefits of fluorescent lighting are that it is naturally soft, it consumes very little electricity, ...