Understanding and Controlling Light
Understanding and Controlling Light
AND CONTROLLING
LIGHT
A Short Guide
By Kent DuFault
CONTENTS
Understanding and Controlling Light >> P.03
What is Light? >> P.06
Light has a temperature >> P.10
Bending, Altering, Dispersing, and Squeezing
Light >> P.15
This is entry level light control >> P.18
Advanced Tools for Light Control >> P.21
Softbox >> P.23 Umbrellas >> P.27
Bounce Panel >> P.31
Flag >> P.36
Scrim >> P.40
Barndoors >> P.42
Snoot >> P.44
Black Wrap >> P.46
Gels >> P.48
Mixing Light Sources >> P.51
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UNDERSTANDING
AND
CONTROLLING LIGHT
UNDERSTANDING AND
CONTROLLING LIGHT
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UNDERSTANDING AND
CONTROLLING LIGHT
Photographers can spend many years, if not a lifetime, learning
how to control light. An entire multi-million dollar industry is
centered on producing stuff that will allow a photographer to
master light and make it do what he or she wants.
The purpose of this guide isnt to turn you into a lighting
expert. That just isnt possible: only practice and experience can
get you there.
Our goal is to give you some basic knowledge about-
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Light
How light works
The characteristics of light
An explanation of commercially made light modification
equipment
Examples of what that equipment does to the light
How you can make some of this equipment for yourself
WHAT IS LIGHT?
WHAT IS LIGHT?
Lets take a moment, and step back into our high school
science class. Most of us probably learned two facts about light:
facts that we may have forgotten: facts that are crucial to a
photographer as they learn to master the control of light.
Fact one- Light travels in waves. Thats why youll often hear
the reference to wavelength.
Here is a formal definition of lightVisible light (commonly referred to simply as light) is
electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye,
and is responsible for the sense of sight.[1] Visible light has
a wavelength in the range of about 380 nanometres (nm), or
380109 m, to about 740 nanometres between the invisible
infrared, with longer wavelengths and the invisible ultraviolet,
with shorter wavelengths.
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WHAT IS LIGHT?
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WHAT IS LIGHT?
Light waves work the same way!
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BENDING, ALTERING,
DISPERSING, AND
SQUEEZING LIGHT
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ADVANCED TOOLS
FOR LIGHT CONTROL
1. Softbox
2. Umbrella
3. Bounce Panel
4. Flag
5. Scrim
6. Barndoors
7. Snoot
8. Gels
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SOFTBOX
SOFTBOX
A soft box is a tool that provides soft, yet directional light.
Here is a commercially made professional softbox-
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SOFTBOX
A softbox is a device that you introduce your harsh direct light
into one end, and it disperses that light by bouncing it around
inside. When the light exits the other side of the box- it is soft.
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SOFTBOX
Many photographers see the softbox as the answer to all
lighting solutions. But that isnt always the case. You can
actually create a flat uninteresting photograph by making the
light too soft!
This is an example of softbox lighting that is overdone.
The photographer has removed all shadows, and specular
highlights, creating a flat uninteresting photograph.
This is an example of good softbox lighting. There is detail
everywhere, but the photograph has specular highlights and
visible shadows which maintain a three dimensional look.
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UMBRELLAS
UMBRELLAS
Umbrellas work much like a softbox in that a harsh light source
is introduced, the light is bounced around, and it exits with a
softer quality of light.
There are two types of umbrellas: the shoot through type, and
the bounce type.
Here is a commercially made shoot through umbrellaAs you can see, the light is directed toward the umbrella, and
the umbrella is pointed at the subject. This creates a softer light
by widening it and dispersing it.
This type of lighting, while softer than a direct flash, still maintains some of the stronger direct wavelengths. It is a good
choice when you want softer, yet distinct, lighting.
The disadvantage to this type of light modification is that it
isnt easy to prevent light from spilling all around your set.
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UMBRELLAS
This is a bounce umbrella light setup. The flash is directed
at the umbrella. The light waves hit the inner surface of the
umbrella, which is usually either a white fabric, or a metallic
fabric, and then the light bounces back in the direction of the
original light source. The white fabric umbrella creates a softer
light; the metallic version creates a slightly harsher light.
How can you tell the difference between a shoot through
umbrella, and a bounce umbrella? The outer portion of a
bounce umbrella will be covered in black so that no light passes
through!
The bounce umbrella adds a feature that the shoot through
variety doesnt have; it allows you to feather the light that
lands on your subject. This is helpful, if you want some light
hitting the subject, but you dont want light bouncing around
everywhere.
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UMBRELLAS
The bounce umbrella adds a feature that the shoot through
variety doesnt have; it allows you to feather the light that
lands on your subject. This is helpful, if you want some light
hitting the subject, but you dont want light bouncing around
everywhere.
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BOUNCE PANEL
BOUNCE PANEL
Besides, just using the swivel head on your portable flash, a
bounce panel is your easiest entry into light control. Theyre
easy to use, easy to move around, inexpensive to purchase from
a camera store, and, easy to make on your own.
Here are examples of two commercially available bounce
panels. Some panels have a fixed fabric; others allow changing
the fabric to change the quality of the bounced light. Some are
circular for the convenience of collapsing into a small package
for transport. However, we feel that the rectangular versions are
generally easier to use.
Bounce panels work the same way as bouncing a flash off off
of a wall, or ceiling. The difference is that the bounce panel is
portable and moveable. A bounce panel allows you to place it
where you want, and change the quality of light by adjusting the
distance to the subject, the angle of the light hitting the panel,
and the color of the panel.
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BOUNCE PANEL
This is a fairly sophisticated example of a homemade bounce
panel.
Its so easy to make bounce panels! Go to a local art supply
store and ask them for foamcore. Many professionals use
foamcore in their studios. Its relatively inexpensive, pretty
durable, and can be purchased with white on both sides, or,
white on one side, black on the other, or, in different colors.
The downside to it is that it isnt collapsible for transport. Some
photographers will cut sections of foamcore that they then tape
together with duct tape. This way the panel starts out smaller
(easier to transport) but can then be unfolded to a larger size.
A handy accessory for any light modification equipment is
several decent light stands and a dozen or so spring clamps.
You can start out with one or two light stands and add to your
inventory as you grow. The spring clamps you can buy at any
home improvement store.
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BOUNCE PANEL
Spring clamps are very useful to attach your light modification
gear to light stands.
You can also make collapsible frames out of PVC pipe. Then
cut a heavy white fabric to the size of the frame.
Sew some elastic corners onto the fabric so it can slip over the
frame and will be held in place.
You can also just wrap the fabric around the frame and secure
it with spring clamps.
Its important to pull that fabric tight. If its loose, or sagging,
the intensity of light that is bounced back will be significantly
reduced.
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BOUNCE PANEL
A bounce panel can also be as simple as a piece of cardboard
painted white, or, cardboard covered with tinfoil that you glued
on.
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FLAG
FLAG
A flag is constructed the same way as a bounce panel, with one
major exception; a flag is covered with something flat-black.
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FLAG
The Result of Your Effort?
Those dense shadows you wanted!
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SCRIM
SCRIM
A scrim is also much like a bounce panel. The difference here
is that a bounce panel is opaque and a scrim is translucent. A
bounce panel bounces light and a scrim allows light to pass
through.
A scrim softens light by dispersing it, and a bounce panel
softens light by bending and dispersing it.
Scrims are often used when there is a light source that you cant
turn off (such as the sun) but you want to alter the quality of
that light. Theyre also a good choice when you want to soften
light just a little bit.
Here is a large commercial grade scrim being used to soften
harsh overhead daylight. A scrim breaks up the harsh
wavelength of direct light and allows a soft light to pass
through.
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SCRIM
This scrim is being held in place by an assistant. Scrims are a
nice because you can add them, and remove them, from the
lighting setup quickly.
If you decide to make your own scrim, the best way to do it is
with the PVC frame we discussed earlier.
Then, make a visit to a fabric store and ask for white, rip-stop,
nylon. This fabric makes a perfect scrim material.
You can also use nylon screening or other types of fabric. Use
your imagination!
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BARNDOORS
BARNDOORS
Barndoors work like mini flags. They attach to a light source
and are adjustable to control where light passes through to the
subject. They dont soften light; they simply squeeze it, and cut
it off.
Commercially made barndoorsthat attach to a light
Barndoors are often used in theatrical productions. They are
typically available for commercial hot light.
But you can find models made for flash, even portable flash.
In our opinion, unless youre getting very sophisticated in your
light control, snoots are easier to use.
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SNOOT
SNOOT
A snoot, works much like a set of barn doors, in that it squeezes
the light into a tighter dispersion pattern.
The difference is that where barndoors are adjustable, a snoot
is fixed. The benefit of a snoot is there is no light falloff, and
theyre easier to use with portable flash.
An example of snoot lighting
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BLACK WRAP
BLACK WRAP
Black wrap should be attainable at any professional
photographic equipment retailer.
Black wrap is a metallic, flat-black, material that is similar
to a heavy-duty tinfoil. It comes on a roll like tinfoil, and it is
relatively inexpensive.
Its bendable, pliable, fire resistant, and you can puncture holes
in it, or cut shapes, to manipulate the light as it passes through
it.
To make a snoot with black wrap simply tear off a section that
is large enough to wrap around the head of your light source
(forming a cone, or tunnel). You can then bend, or squeeze, the
black wrap to allow just the amount of light you desire to pass
through.
Snoots are an excellent tool for placing a tiny direct light onto
your subject with little to no light spill.
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GELS
GELS
We touched on gels earlier. There is a very important aspect of
light that you need to understand as relates to gelled lighting.
Imagine that you have a glass of clear water. You also have a
dropper filled with dark red food coloring.
When you drop the food coloring into the water, it begins to
disperse, when it has mixed completely with the water the red
color is almost gone. You have just a faint pink hue.
Now, lets put that into the context of gelled light. When you
put a gel on a light, and shine that light onto something in a
darkened room, the gelled light will be deep and intense.
However, if you turn on a white light, and let that light spill
onto the gelled light, its like dropping the food coloring
into the water. The white light will dilute the gelled light by
throwing all the colors of the spectrum back into the mix.
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GELS
So, here are the points you need to remember- dont let white
light hit your gelled light, and, multiple, colored, gelled light will
mix color when they intersect.
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IMAGE CREDITS:
FONTS:
Ovo
Montserrat
Rokkitt
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