Introduction to Digital Imaging - Lighting and how it affects an image

Lighting and how we use or manipulate it can dramatically affect the mood or feel of an image and ultimately how we read what we see in a photograph. This applies to both studio photography shoots and location. Studio lighting is easier to control in many ways as we can manipulate the light entirely and can even use coloured gels over the lights to affect our final image. Even our choice of how to light the background will have a profound effect on the final outcome and mood of what we see. High key and low key photography are as the names suggest, complete opposite effects to each other, having tried both in the studio, I find that I much prefer low key images. Low key photography is moody and dramatic which brings out detail or texture of the subject or person, capturing them in quite a harsh way. High key appears to me to be 'happy photography'; its use being greatly varied in portraits, commercial, fashion and other areas of imagery.

One of my own low key studio images

My own high key image taken in the studio

Location photography is ultimately more challenging as our shooting time is subject to the natural elements, consequently making use of good or bad weather and even the time of day becomes paramount to success. Artificial lighting can be utilised for location photography, however this is limited to the range of the lights used and is usually used for specific subjects i.e. fashion shoots, singular objects and portraits. My current project is trees in the urban environment and I am experiencing all the challenges associated with photographing outdoors. Lighting for areas such as landscape or cityscapes are purely at the mercy of the elements as I will try to portray with the following examples.

Matthew Paulson 2011

I appreciate the dark tones in this low key image as it brings out the detail of the impressive tree roots. I am left with a feeling of age and majesty, which, I think would have been lost in a high key image. My eye also sees the runner about to pass the tree and imagine that he is glad of the shade provided by the trees. I feel that the photographer wants us to pay attention to the trees in our environment rather than just pass them by. The monochrome appearance also enhances the dark tones and removes distractions that may have been present in colour.

Rob Cartwright 2012

This image is using also fairly low key lighting, making good use of the long shadows, which, is most probably evening. The use of silhouettes and dark tones leave an impression of cold in my mind. The trees are also bare which tells us it is winter. The area that is lit reveals a home that perhaps the person depicted is returning to.

Samuel Geer 2014

Samuel Geer 2014

Both of these images are fairly high key and have used good light to their advantage. This helps to portray the season in a similar way to the low key images and I feel it suits the suburban environment depicted. The deliberate regular urban planting is very evident and makes it look like a nice place to live, which, is most likely, an intentional result. Without the use of colour, the seasons in these images would be lost.



Conclusion/Evaluation
Light is a key element of photography and alongside all the other essential factors; it needs to be experimented with. I have personally found it to be quite a challenge getting the light right in my location images and indeed the studio. Although the studio is controllable it still requires different approaches with light sources, positions and strengths to get the final image how you wish it to be. Examining other photographer's work, especially what makes it successful has enabled me to better understand how to achieve a satisfactory result.

Bibliography


Adit, A. (2012). 35 Best Examples of Black and White Photography For Inspiration - See more at: http://www.designdune.com/inspiration/best-black-and-white-photography/#sthash.ce9hTsP8.dpuf. Available: http://www.designdune.com/inspiration/best-black-and-white-photography/. Last accessed 18th Mar 2014. 

Can’t See the Forest for the Trees? Accounting for the Urban Forest. Available: http://streets.mn/2014/02/21/cant-see-the-forest-for-the-trees-accounting-for-the-urban-forest/#lightbox/1/. Last accessed 18th Mar 2014.


Cartwright, R. (2012). Rob Cartwright Photography | 2011/12 Photoaday Challenge. Available: http://robcartwrightphotography.wordpress.com/page/23/. Last accessed 18th Mar 2014.
Geer, S. (2014).