Light: Activity 4

Activity 4

Blog Entry

• Find two examples of photographs, which make use of maximum depth of field, and two examples, which have very shallow depth of field.
• Describe how the photographer’s selective use of aperture affects the subject in each of the photographs you have chosen.

Maximum Depth of Field

Island - from Australianphotography.com. This image makes use of maximum depth of field. The photographer's use of aperture in this picture allows for everything in the image to appear sharp. I can't really tell what the subject of the picture is, so I'm going to guess that the decision to use max depth of field made it hard to detect the subject.

Canyon - by Jim Zuckerman. This is another photo that makes use of maximum depth of field. The aperture and ISO settings for this photo allowed for the photographer to be further away from the subject but still maintain perfect focus on everything within the picture. 

Very Shallow Depth of Field

Shallow Snake - by Piotr Naskrecki. This photo makes use of very shallow depth of field. The aperture is set so low that only the snakes head and a small part of the body near the head is in focus. The depth of field is so low that it is nearly impossible to tell what is in the background of the picture.

Foosball - by Gene Turner. This photo uses very shallow depth of field. The aperture setting makes everything before and after the subject seem blurred, thus putting more emphasis on the subject.

Light: Activity 3

Activity 3

• Find two images that have been shot into the light or included the light source. Explain how the photographer may have gone about taking a light meter reading for these photographs.

Light, Shadows, and Me - from Tackle2.eu. For this photo, the light meter reading probably revolved around the flame in the candle. The reason I think this is because the room is dark, and the only light in the room is the candle. 

ICE Light - by Jerry Ghionis. For this photo I believe the light reading revolved around the models face. I believe this because despite there being 2 light sources in the picture, only the face (1st light) is brighter than the dress (2nd light). 

Light: Activity 2

Activity 2

Blog Entry

• Find an example of a photograph where the subject has been lit by a single light source and an example where more than one light has been used. 

• Describe in each the quality and position of the brightest or main light and the effect this has on the subject. In the second example describe the quality and effect the additional light has.

Self Portrait - Will Kemp. This photo only has one light on the subject. The light comes from the right side and adds emphasis to the man's facial expression. The decision to keep the picture in black and white makes the light source more noticeable. Overall the light makes the subject look like he was just asked a question that he should know the answer to, but he doesn't so now he has to improvise by uttering "Umm..." for about a minute.

Figure 10.10 - David Briggs. This photo has multiple light sources shining onto the ball. The strongest light comes from the right side but there are also lights above the ball too. The lights add more color to the subject (The ball is originally just white) and  it adds more shadows to the image. 

Light: Activity 1

Activity 1
Blog Entry
Look through assorted photographic websites and find some examples of subjects lit by hard light and examples of subjects lit by soft light. Describe the effect the light has on the subject’ texture, form and detail, and the overall mood of the picture.

Notes

• Hard Lighting: Hard lighting can be used for portraiture. It requires numerous light sources to convey clearer, sharper, shaping and it requires perfect skin or else the blemishes (such as scars) will pop out more than usual. To show off texture, use side light.

Boudoir - from Tumblr.com. The Hard Lighting in this photo adds shadows around the right side of her face and back, while adding some more detail to her skin texture. Also, if one looks closely, hairs are visible on the woman's back and right cheek. The overall tone of the picture is affected by the light as well, to me this picture looks like it could serve as a promotional picture for a horror movie.

• Soft Lighting: Soft lighting does not show off texture. The larger the light source the softer the lighting. Achieving soft light often requires reflectors, diffusers soft boxes, and other equipment to expand the size of the light source.

  

  Window Light 2 - by Valerie Johnston. The Soft Lighting in this photo adds some slight highlights to certain areas of this child's face, most noticeably in the eyes. The texture of the image is only slightly changed, hairs are visible along the face due to the light. The overall mood of the image seems happy.