Lighting in PhotographyComposition and lighting in photography are the two most important things to master when you are discovering how to take better digital pictures. Way before digital photography existed, when photography was a beginning art, when the equipment and processes were crude and undeveloped, master photographers were those who understood composition and lighting.
Most lighting lessons use attractive models or subjects. Although this may seem appealing at first, we can get distracted by the subject matter and miss the primary lesson. I used these three photos of a section of the cinder block wall in my basement so that you would easily learn the lighting lesson with a simple and boring subject.
These three photos were all taken with a Canon 580 speedlite, mounted on the hot shoe of my Canon 5D DSLR.
This is called flat lighting. You can just make out the divisions between the individual blocks and very little of the texture of the blocks is brought out. In the middle photo to the right, I moved closer to a side wall and the flash head was rotated toward the wall. This bounced light hit my subject from the side, brings out the texture and it highlights the vertical divisions between the blocks.
Since I was still close to the side wall, the light source is mostly from above, but also some from the side. Notice now that the horizontal divisions between the blocks are emphasized. This is why it's so important to "see the light" while taking photos. Practice observing the direction of the light. Notice how it is hitting your subject. What is being revealed and what is being emphasized? You can then make changes in your camera angle, perspective or modify the light in some manner. It's a skill that I try to improve on always, Even when I am not taking photographs, I observe lighting conditions. Lighting in photography is the one of the most important techniques you can study to improve your photography. I've covered several of those ways to modify the light in other articles. Please feel free to explore and take advantage of the other lighting lessons and digital photo tips on my sight. Photo Lighting - Mannequin. Here is another article where I changed direction of the photo's lighting and got dramatically different portraits-this time using a mannequin as my subject matter. Happy shooting! Back from Lighting in Photography to Photography Lighting |
The subject that I chose to use in this lighting lesson may seem a bit boring, but stay with me here for a minute. 
The top photo was take with my flash unit mounted on top of the camera and pointing directly at the wall.
In the bottom photo, the Canon 580 speedlight was aimed up to produce a ceiling bounce light.