David Busch's Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV

11

Making Light Work for You

Successful photographers and artists have an intimate understanding of the importance of light in shaping an image. Rembrandt was a master of using light to create moods and reveal the character of his subjects. The late artist Thomas Kinkade’s official tagline was “Painter of Light.” Dean Collins, co-founder of Finelight Studios, revolutionized how a whole generation of photographers learned and used lighting. It’s impossible to underestimate how the use of light adds to—and how misuse can detract from—your photographs.

As a Sony photographer, you must learn to be a painter and sculptor of light if you want to move from taking a picture to making a photograph. This chapter provides an introduction to using the ...