Focus On Lighting Photos

Book description

Have you ever wondered if you need to use a flash in sunlight? What the best lighting is for a macro shot? How long your exposure should be in low lighting? If you have, this book is for you! Lighting affects composition, focus, exposure decisions, and pretty much everything about taking a picture. Further, the mood of the photograph is totally dependent on the lighting - and can make or break the image. It is also one of the hardest things for a budding photographer to grasp. The existing lighting books tend to require expensive equipment and extensive knowledge on how to light photos. For those who aren't at that level yet, this guide shows how to take shots in certain settings and times, such as lighting for specific seasons, back-lighting, water lighting, available light at mid-day, and more. Loaded with photos, tips, tricks, and inspiration, you can't help but walk away from this book with the critical knowledge you need to know to take the perfect picture.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Halftitle
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Introduction: Lighting? Why Bother?
  9. Chapter 1: There’s More Than One Way to Get Things Done
    1. Built-in flash
    2. Modifier 1: A mirror
    3. Modifier 2: A big white reflector
    4. Other modifiers: Fill light, hair light
    5. Same principle: We can control the size of the light in many ways
    6. Adding another light
  10. Chapter 2: Tools: Now We Have Light, but How Do We Get It under Control?
    1. Off-camera flash
    2. How to trigger flash
    3. The size of the light
    4. But what if we don’t have a wall or a ceiling to use for bounce?
    5. Now, get to work!
  11. Chapter 3: The Color of Light
    1. Using gels for dramatic color
  12. Chapter 4: Light and Shadow
    1. Texture
    2. Why does the same light look so different on another subject?
  13. Chapter 5: Sunlight
    1. Found light
    2. Amending or mixing light
    3. Distance and haze
    4. Architecture
  14. Chapter 6: So, Where Do We Put This Light for Portraits?
    1. Split lighting
    2. Short lighting
    3. Broad lighting
    4. Hair light
    5. Background light
    6. Rim lighting/kicker
    7. Butterfly/Beauty lighting
    8. Low key versus high key lighting
    9. The wrinkle
    10. Eyeglasses and lighting: Can they get along?
    11. Groups
    12. Pets
  15. Chapter 7: So, Where Do We Put This Light for Metal?
    1. Flat metal
    2. Round metal
  16. Chapter 8: So, Where Do We Put This Light for Glass?
    1. Dark-field lighting
    2. Bright-field lighting
    3. A glass half full
    4. Glass and paper
    5. Bottles and more
  17. Chapter 9: Motion
    1. A bit of motion
    2. Lots of motion
    3. Freezing motion
  18. Chapter 10: The Future Is Now?
    1. New light sources
    2. Postproduction
    3. High dynamic range imaging
  19. Conclusion
  20. Glossary
  21. Index

Product information

  • Title: Focus On Lighting Photos
  • Author(s): Fil Hunter, Robin Reid
  • Release date: May 2013
  • Publisher(s): Focal Press
  • ISBN: 9781136088452