Lighting for Digital Photography

Lighting for Digital Photography

From Snapshots to Great Shots

Syl Arena

Lighting for Digital Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Syl Arena

Peachpit Press

www.peachpit.com

To report errors, please send a note to [email protected]

Peachpit Press is a division of Pearson Education Copyright © 2013 by Syl

Arena All photography © Syl Arena except where noted Editor: Ted Waitt

Production Editor: Lisa Brazieal

Interior Design: Riezebos Holzbaur Design Group

Compositor: WolfsonDesign

Indexer: James Minkin

Proofreader: Stephanie Provines

Cover Design: Aren Straiger

Cover Image: Syl Arena

Cover Image Color Production Specialist: Marco Ugolini

Back Cover Author Photo: Vera Franceschi

Notice of Rights

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any

form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or

otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information

on getting permission reprints and excerpts, contact [email protected].

Notice of Liability

The information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis without warranty.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the

author nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect

to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the

instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware

products described in it.

Trademarks

All Canon products are trademarks or registered trademarks of Canon Inc. All

Nikon products are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nikon and/or Nikon

Corporation.

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their

products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this

book, and Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as

requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services

identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the

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No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or

other affiliation with this book.

ISBN-13 978-0-321-83275-7

ISBN-10 0-321-83275-2

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed and bound in the United States of America

Dedication

For Amy, the proverbial girl-across-the-street.

Acknowledgments

No book is written or photographed in a vacuum—especially this one. Thanks

are owed to many.

First, to Amy and our three lads, Tom, Vin, and Tony—heartfelt thanks for

accommodating my uncountable requests for you to serve as impromptu models,

grips, fixers, etc. You may not have felt like you had a choice every time I asked,

but you did.

Sincere thanks are also owed to my many friends at Maine Media Workshops.

Most of the second half of this book was written and shot during my extended

stay in Rockport. Thank you for providing a beautiful house in which to write, a

studio in which to shoot, and lobster dinner every Friday night. Without the

support of MMW, I likely would still be finishing Chapter 5.

Teaching is a privilege and an invaluable opportunity to learn from those I teach.

So, thanks are owed to the workshop programs that invited me to teach during

the past year—Maine Media, Santa Fe, and Gulf Photo Plus in Dubai—as well

as to the amazing team at B&H Photo, who let me teach in their NYC Event

Space every time I asked.

Thanks are also owed to every student I’ve met in a workshop, seminar, or

random meet-up, as well as to those who got in touch after watching me on

Kelby Training or listening to me on This Week in Photo. Your questions and

comments formed the foundation on which this book was written.

Finally, every word in this book was first read, considered, and sometimes

polished by my editor—Ted Waitt. Despite my affection for the sounds that

deadlines make as they go whizzing by, Ted patiently coaxed me along as the

vision for this book came into sharp focus. So thanks, Ted, for shepherding me

through the creation of Lighting for Digital Photography.

Syl Arena

Paso Robles, California

October, 2012

Contents

Chapter 1: The Five Characteristics of Light

Photography Begins with Looking at Light

Poring Over the Picture

Poring Over the Picture

Start Your Obsession with Light

DICCH—That’s a Curious Word

Direction

Intensity

Color

Contrast

Hardness

Lighting Lessons Are Everywhere

Chapter 1 Assignments

Chapter 2: Your Light-Capturing Machine

Using Camera Settings Smartly and Creatively

Poring Over the Picture

Poring Over the Picture

Whole-Stop Increments

Shutter Speed: Slicing Time Thick or Thin

Aperture: Controlling Depth of Field

ISO: Keeping Shutter and Aperture in a Desired Range

Equivalent Exposures—Tying Shutter, Aperture, and ISO Together

Camera Modes—Who Sets What

White Balance

RAW vs. JPEG

Post-Processing

Chapter 2 Assignments

Chapter 3: Using the Light Around You

Getting Started with Natural Light

Poring Over the Picture

Poring Over the Picture

Light: Natural, Artificial, Available, and Ambient

Deal with the Ambient Light First

The Daily Cycle of Sunlight

Shooting in Direct Sunlight

Skylight—Shooting in Open Shade

Deep Shade—Shooting Under Trees

Clouds—Nature’s Diffusion Panels

Windowlight

Chapter 3 Assignments

Chapter 4: Creating Your Own Light

Getting Started with Artificial Light

Poring Over the Picture

Poring Over the Picture

Shooting Under Home and Office Light

Photographic Lights: Continuous

Photographic Lights: Flash and Strobes

Flash Basics

Moving Your Flash Off-Camera

Chapter 4 Assignments

Chapter 5: Lighting for Tabletop and Macro Photography

Learn to Light by Starting with Objects

Poring Over the Picture

Poring Over the Picture

Quick Look—Shoots and Concepts

Getting Started with Lighting on a Small Scale

Make It Look Like Cloudy Weather

You Don’t Have to Light Everything

Define Shape with Rim Light

Embrace the Power of Backlight

Throw Light Everywhere

If It’s Shiny, Light What It Sees

Chapter 5 Assignments

Chapter 6: Lighting Fundamentals for Portraits

Getting Started with Portraits

Poring Over the Picture

Poring Over the Picture

Quick Look—Shoots and Concepts

Think About the Ambient First

Be Lazy, When You Can

Open Light

Big Equals Soft

Shutter and Flash Synergy

Finding Light in the Shadows

Dancing with the Sun

Accuracy Matters

Over Under for Beauty

Sync About It

Chapter 6 Assignments

Chapter 7: Advanced Lighting for Portraits

Adding Depth and Drama to Your Portraits

Poring Over the Picture

Poring Over the Picture

Quick Look—Shoots and Concepts

Concealing and Revealing

The Firing Line

Three Heads Are Better Than One

Syncing in Broad Daylight

Family, Friends, and Strangers

A Circus of Color

Creating Sunset

A Field of White

Chapter 7 Assignments

Appendix: The Gear I Use

Kit Recommendations

Camera Gear

Flash Gear

Strobe Gear

Index

1. The Five Characteristics of Light

Photography Begins with Looking at Light

Allow yourself to become obsessed with light. This is the best advice that I can

give any photographer. Many shooters are more concerned with learning buttons,

dials, and software than with learning to truly see light. Yet, if you become a

connoisseur of light, you’ll see opportunities for great shots that you did not see

before. You’ll also recognize when there’s no pizzazz to the light and, most

likely, you will not make so many disappointing images.

Photography is “writing with light.” So, let’s build our conversation about

lighting on five fundamental characteristics of light: Direction, Intensity, Color,

Contrast, and Hardness.

Poring over the Picture

Shooting in bright sun can be a challenge for your camera because of the

extreme range between highlight and shadow. In this shot, using a bit of fill flash

would have helped reveal details in the shadows. Still, I love this snapshot of my

son Tony at Crater Lake, Oregon. Remember, it is better to get a less-than￾perfect shot than to miss it because you were grabbing another piece of gear.