Table of Contents
Introduction xv
1 Light: the Beginning 1
Lighting Is the Language of Photography 1
What Are the "Principles?" 2
Why Are the Principles Important? 4
How Did We Choose the Examples for this Book? 4
To Do or Not to Do? 5
What Kind of Camera Do I Need? 6
A Word of Caution 7
What Lighting Equipment Do I Need? 10
What Else Do I Need to Know to Use this Book? 11
What Is the Magic Part of this Book? 11
2 Light: the Raw Material of Photography 13
What Is Light? 14
How Photographers Describe Light 16
Brightness 17
Color 17
Contrast 18
"Light" versus "Lighting" 22
How the Subject Affects Lighting 24
Transmission 24
"Direct" versus "Diffuse" Transmission 27
Absorption 28
Reflection 29
3 The Management of Reflection and the Family of Angles 31
Types of Reflections 32
Diffuse Reflections 32
The Inverse Square Law 35
Direct Reflections 36
The Family of Angles 39
Polarized Direct Reflection 40
Is It Polarized Reflection or Ordinary Direct Reflection? 45
Turning Ordinary Direct Reflection into Polarized Reflection 46
Applying the Theory 47
4 Surface Appearances 49
The Photographer as an Editor 50
Capitalizing on Diffuse Reflections 50
The Angle of Light 51
The Success and Failure of the General Rule 55
The Distance of Light 57
Doing the Impossible 59
Using Diffuse Reflection and Shadow to Reveal Texture 63
Capitalizing on Direct Reflection 65
Complex Surfaces 69
5 Revealing Shape and Contour 75
Depth Clues 77
Perspective Distortion 77
Distortion as a Clue to Depth 78
Manipulating Distortion 79
Tonal Variation 81
The Size of the Light 82
Large Lights versus Small Lights 82
Distance from the Subject 83
The Direction of the Light 85
Light on the Side 86
Light above the Subject 87
Fill Light 89
Adding Depth to the Background 92
How Much Tonal Variation Is Ideal? 96
Photographing Cylinders: Increasing Tonal Variation 96
The Glossy Box 98
Use a Dark- to Medium-Toned Background 99
Eliminate Direct Reflection from the Box Top 100
Move the Light Source toward the Camera 100
Raise or Lower the Camera 101
Use Falloff 101
Eliminate Direct Reflection from the Box's Sides 101
Put a Black Card on the Tabletop 102
Tip the Box 102
Use a Longer Lens 103
Finish with Other Resources 103
Try a Polarizer 103
Use Dulling Spray 104
Use Direct Reflection 104
6 Metal 107
Flat Metal 108
Bright or Dark 109
Finding the Family of Angles 109
Position a White Target where You Think the Family of Angles Will Be 109
Place a Test Light at the Camera Lens 110
Aim the Test Light 110
Study the Position and Shape of the Area Marked on the Test Surface 111
Lighting the Metal 112
Keeping the Metal Bright 112
What is a "Normal" Exposure for Metal? 115
Keeping the Metal Dark 115
The Elegant Compromise 119
Controlling the Effective Size of the Light 121
Keeping the Metal Square 125
Use a View Camera or Perspective Control Lens 126
Aim the Camera through a Hole in the Light Source 127
Photograph the Metal at an Angle 128
Retouch the Reflection 128
Metal Boxes 128
A Light Background 130
A Transparent Background 131
A Glossy Background 133
Round Metal 135
Camouflage 136
Keeping the Light off the Camera 137
Using a Tent 137
Other Resources 140
Polarizing Filters 140
Black Magic 140
Dulling Spray 141
Where Else Do these Techniques Apply? 141
7 The Case of the Disappearing Glass 143
Principles 143
Problems 143
Solutions 144
Two Attractive Opposites 145
Bright-Field Lighting 145
Choose the Background 147
Position the Light 147
Position the Camera 147
Position the Subject and Focus the Camera 147
Shoot the Picture 147
Dark-Field Lighting 150
Set Up a Large Light Source 151
Set Up a Dark Background Smaller than the Light Source 152
Position the Camera 152
Position the Subject and Focus the Camera 153
Shoot the Picture 153
The Best of Both Worlds 154
Some Finishing Touches 155
Defining the Surface of Glassware 155
Illuminating the Background 158
Minimizing the Horizon 159
Stopping Flare 162
Eliminating Extraneous Reflections 163
Complications from Nonglass Subjects 164
Liquids in Glass 164
Liquids as a Lens 164
Keeping True Color 166
Secondary Opaque Subjects 168
Recognizing the Principal Subject 171
8 Making Portraits 173
The Single-Light Portrait Set-up 173
The Basic Set-up 175
Light Size 175
Skin Texture 177
Where to Put the Main Light 178
The Key Triangle 179
Key Triangle Too Large: Main Light Too Near the Camera 180
Key Triangle Too Low: Main Light Too High 181
Key Triangle Too Narrow: Main Light Too Far to Side 182
Left Side? Right Side? 183
Broad Lighting or Short Lighting? 183
Eyeglasses 185
Additional Lights 186
Fill Lights 187
Reflector Cards as Fill Lights 189
Background Lights 191
Hair Lights 192
Kickers 195
Rim Lights 197
Mood and Key 199
Low-Key Lighting 199
High-Key Lighting 200
Staying in Key 202
Dark Skin 203
The Unfocused Spot 205
More than One Person 207
Using Colored Gels 210
9 The Extremes 215
The Characteristic Curve 215
The Perfect "Curve" 216
A "Bad" Camera 218
Overexposure 220
Underexposure 221
Using Every Resource 225
White-on-White 225
Exposing White-on-White Scenes 226
Lighting White-on-White Scenes 228
Subject and Background 228
Using an Opaque White Background 229
Light the Subject from Above 230
Use a Gobo above the Subject 230
Add Dimension 232
Using a Translucent White Background 233
Using a Mirror Background 236
In Any Case, Keep the Background Small 238
Black-on-Black 238
Exposing Black-on-Black Scenes 239
Lighting Black-on-Black Scenes 239
Subject and Background 240
Using an Opaque Black Background 242
Using a Glossy Black Surface 244
Keeping the Subject away from the Background 245
Histograms 246
Preventing Problems 248
Overmanipulation 250
Curves 251
New Principles 252
10 Working on Location 255
The Lights We Use 255
Heavy-Duty Portable Strobes 256
"Hot-Shoe" Flashes 256
LED Panels 257
Getting the Exposure Right 258
Letting Your Flash Do the Figuring 259
Using a Meter 259
Meters and LEDs 259
Getting More Light 260
Multiple, or "Ganged," Flashes 260
Battery Packs 261
Flash Extenders 262
Getting Better-Quality Light 262
The Problems 262
Take It Off 263
Bouncing from Hard to Soft 264
The Omni-Bounce-a Big Help for a Little Money 265
"Raccoon Eyes" 266
Feathering Your Light 269
Forcing the Shadow 270
Lights of Different Colors 271
Why Is the Color of the Light Important? 271
Tungsten 271
Daylight 272
Nonstandard Light Sources 272
Do the Colors Mix? 274
The Remedies 276
Correcting Mixed Colors 276
Correcting Unmixed Colors 276
Filtering Daylight 278
Correcting Errors in Reproduction 278
Lights of Different Duration 278
Different Approaches 280
Other Useful Gear 287
11 Setting Up Your First Studio 291
Lights: an Early Issue 291
Getting Your Lights Right 293
What Kinds of Lights? 293
Flash 294
Continuous Lights 295
How Many Lights? 297
Light Stands 298
Booms 299
Light Modifiers-Which Do I Need? 299
Diffusers 299
Reflectors 300
Snoots, Grids, and Barn Doors 300
Gobos and Flags 301
Backgrounds 303
Computers and Associated Gear 304
Miscellaneous Equipment 304
What Sort of Space? 305
Appendix: Reliable Suppliers 311
Index 313
