Lighting Photo Workshop E-Book

Chris Bucher

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Serie: Photo Workshop
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 344

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

A rigorous practical guide to photographic lighting techniques, complete with hands-on assignments

Offering digital photographers a complete course in photographic lighting, this book covers everything from using flash systems and studio lights to working outdoors in bright or low-light conditions. Full-color examples show how the right lighting can enhance color, improve contrast, and open the door to new creative possibilities.

Leseprobe

Lighting Photo Workshop

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Elements of Light

Understanding the Three Elements of Exposure

Dealing with Color Temperature

Setting White Balance

Using Contrast to Create Mood

Working with the Quality of Light

Chapter 2: Understanding Your Equipment’s Role in Lighting

Compact Digital Cameras

Digital SLR Cameras

In-Camera Metering

On-Camera Flash

Studio Lighting and Accessories

Chapter 3: Working with Outdoor Natural Light

Learning to Use the Meter

Sunrise and Sunset

Making Great Images with Overcast Lighting

Chapter 4: Working with Interior Light

Setting Your Exposure Inside

Seeing the Contrast Indoors

Working with Window Light

Incandescent Light

Fluorescent Light

Chapter 5: Lighting for Portraits and People

Shooting Great Outdoor Portraits

Finding the Best Light

Creating Better Light

Candids, Kids, and Environmental Photography

Working with Groups

Chapter 6: Action, Sports, Motion, Blur

It Is All About The Shutter

Stopping Motion

Slow Down to Show Motion

Long Exposures to Show Motion

Water and Nature

Panning

Using Flash to Capture the Movement

Chapter 7: Lighting Scenarios in Landscape Photography

Lighting Terminology

Timing Your Landscape Exposures

Working with Overcast Light

Using Filters to Enhance Your Shot

Shooting Landscapes in Fog

Chapter 8: Dealing with Change: Travel and Adventure Photography

Traveling Light: What to Take

Shooting Street Photography

Museums, Churches, and Other Indoor Destinations

Considering the Weather Conditions

Preparing for Extremes

Chapter 9: Still Life and Macro Lighting

Capturing Great Light in Your Everyday Life

Principles of Design

Lighting for Close-Up and Macro Photography

Taking Product Photos

Chapter 10: Mastering Night and Low Light Photography

Your Best Friend, the Tripod

Capturing Skylines

Taking Photos at Dusk

Creating Soft, Moody Light with Low Light

Capturing the Motion of Lights

Long Exposures for Celebrations

Glossary

Lighting Photo Workshop

Chris Bucher

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River StreetHoboken, N.J. 07030www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-1-118-07926-3Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Author

Chris Bucher is a freelance commercial photographer who has contributed to a number of award-winning projects in the dozen-plus years he’s been creating beautiful, marketable images. Although a resident of Indiana, he began his career in Arizona and retains an affinity for the desert Southwest, where his fascination with natural light is fed by the harsh but striking landscapes. His commercial images have appeared in countless national and regional magazines. On his own time, Chris loves racing mountain bikes and serving the Humane Society as a foster parent. But his favorite pastime, bar none, is watching the interaction of light with his favorite subject, his wife, Jennifer.

Credits

Acquisitions Editor

Kim Spilker

Senior Project Editor

Cricket Krengel

Project Editor

Kelly Dobbs Henthorne

Technical Editor

J. Dennis Thomas

Editorial Manager

Robyn Siesky

Vice President & Group Executive Publisher

Richard Swadley

Vice President & Publisher

Barry Pruett

Business Manager

Amy Knies

Book Designers

LeAndra HosierTina Hovanessian

Project Coordinator

Adrienne Martinez

Graphics and Production Specialists

Brooke GraczykJennifer MayberryShelley NorrisAmanda Spagnuolo

Quality Control Technician

Todd Lothery

Cover Design

Daniella RichardsonLarry Vigon

Proofreading and Indexing

Debbye ButlerRebecca R. Plunkett

Wiley Bicentennial Logo

Richard J. Pacifico

Acknowledgments

As with so many things, so much credit goes to so many people, and thanks to those who helped immeasurably to make this book happen. This book was made so much better with the contributions of these photographers: Jarod Trow, Holly Jordan, Lynne Stacey, Dave Edelstein, Marcos Dominguez, and Jonathon Juillerat. Their input and offerings were beyond helpful.

Thanks to the team of Kelly, Kelly, Laura, Cricket, and Denny for your insight and immense help in working with this hopeless writer on his first book, and I will never be able to thank Kim Spilker enough for her constant encouragement and faith in me throughout this process.

I need to acknowledge Sharlie Douglas Hall and Nikon Inc. for much help over many years and for gear that just plain works. The calls, e-mails, and support that I got from Erik, Jarod, Angie, Lisa, David, Matt, Tim, and Eric meant more than they’ll ever know.

A very special thank you goes to my parents and my siblings for their constant love and backing.

I also have the blessing to know that whenever I am in doubt or in need, that I always have the guidance of Butch Hall, Tom Casalini, and my Dad, Wes Bucher, for counsel and direction.

Finally, thank you to my wife and partner, Jennifer, for her patience and encouragement throughout this entire process.

For my wife, Jennifer

Introduction

To say that light is integral to photography is just scratching the surface. This book is just scratching the surface of all the angles and colors and direction that light can present to you in the viewfinder. As a photographer, you need light on the subject to create an image, but to create a great image, you need to get the best light you can on the subject.

Great light can come in many ways. Sometimes it just happens, and other times it takes time and patience to create or shape the light in your photographs. Take the time to wait for a few minutes to see whether the light changes, and savor the moments that you are shooting or waiting to shoot because you are not just seeing things through the camera, you are experiencing life happening before your eyes. Then you can take that slice of life home with you.

I hope that the images inspire you, if nothing more than to just take your camera with you or to keep it close to you for when the light is happening. Even more, I hope the images inspire you to try new things. Use the images here as guides and signposts so that you can recognize the things happening in your own images and better know how to capture the images that you see in your mind.

One of the goals that I had for this book was to show how it is possible to create better photographs with light that is there, no matter whether it is great light or not. This entails some testing and practice and trying new things, but that discovery is so exciting. When you begin to realize the skills that you are developing because you can better see and work with light, your photography becomes like second nature.

Chapter 1: Elements of Light

Understanding the Three Elements of Exposure

Dealing with Color Temperature

Setting White Balance

Using Contrast to Create Mood

Working with the Quality of Light

In some ways, photography is analogous to cooking: a certain temperature for a certain amount of time. So how is that like photography? If you substitute light for temperature, you have your answer. In this chapter, I tell you how light affects your camera and images.

Understanding the Three Elements of Exposure

Exposure is the balance of the amount of light allowed to fall on the photographic medium (digital sensor, film, glass plate, and so on). I use the word balance because you use many things to capture the correct exposure. You use three variables to create your exposure:

• ISO. The light sensitivity of the film or digital sensor.

• Aperture. A moving diaphragm within the lens that controls the amount of light passing through the lens and into the camera. F-stops are the numeric designations referring to the size of the aperture.

• Shutter. A mechanical device that opens and closes very quickly, letting light into the camera and in contact with the digital sensor (or film). The length of time the shutter is open is known as shutter speed.

Each incremental change in the exposure of any of these three things is measured in f-stops. A 1 stop difference in any of these three things either halves or doubles the amount of light for the exposure. For example, if you change your ISO from 100 to 200, you have increased your sensitivity 1 stop. If you adjust your shutter speed from 1/125 to 1/250, that is a 1 stop difference as well. Changing your aperture from f/8 to f/11 is also a change of 1 stop.