1 An introduction

 

 

 

Why bother?

Of course we take light for granted. It is part of our everyday world; a phenomenon so familiar that we cease to think about it.

When shooting on location there is usually light of some sort around. It may not be ideal, but at least it allows the camera to see what is going on. If whatever you are looking at happens to be in shadow, move it into the light; if the surroundings are insufficiently bright, add illumination of some kind. In the studio, surely all you need is overall lighting from a large bank of lamps. So why all this mystique about lighting techniques? Why does one need to study the obvious?

Most of us start with questions like these. It is certainly puzzling when you find that a straightforward ...

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