Lighting technique
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Lighting technique is the photographer's ability to make the most out of a combination of different forms of light and direct it to advantage onto the image.
- Ambient light is non-directional light present in most scenes
- Sunlight is the most powerful form of directional natural light
- Moonlight and starlight are generally too dim for most photographic purposes
- Artificial light generally refers to the output of light fittings, such as domestic tungsten bulbs, commercial fluorescent lighting, and industrial mercury vapour lighting
- Flashguns are portable, hand-held devices, often attached to the camera hot-shoe or built into the camera
- Studio strobes are powerful, generally mains-powered, flash lighting, on stands, with a wide range of light modifiers
- Production continuous lighting such as theatre fresnels, TV-lights and photo-floods are directional lights, typically with a range of light modifiers, with general application outside still photography, but occasionally used for specific applications, such as a light brush.
- Reflectors direct light onto the image from light sources
Good lighting technique involves correctly exposing the image, bringing out textures and three-dimensionality, and managing lighting colour, especially colour temperature, in conjunction with the camera's white balance function.
