Lighting is important for a good picture in any type of photography. Pictures with different amounts of light have greatly different looks, and even the emotional appeal is different.A brightly lit picture can seem more cheerful, for instance, while a dark picture sometimes has a gloomy feel to it.
Traditional photography captured the light by impressions on chemicals, while digital photography uses pixels to capture light.The best light is natural, but sometimes there's not enough available for a good picture.Artifical lighting provides illumination when there's not enough natural lighting.
How Much Light Is There?
While you can see for yourself to some extent how much light is available, to get precise measurements you need a light meter. Light meters are not the same thing as flashes.A light meter's job is to tell you how much light is being reflected off the subject of your picture, not to provide light.
A handheld light meter will measure the light and was once a standard part of any serious photographer’s equipment.Since most digital cameras now have built-in light meters, you can tell how bright the picture will be just by looking through the eyepiece.If it's too dark, the camera's built-in light meter will set off the automatic flash.
Histograms Instead of Light Meters
Also, with digital cameras, it’s not so important to have a light meter because most have a histogram.Histograms can be used in a similar fashion since a histogram shows how light or dark a picture is.
If you don’t have a histogram on your camera, or just don’t want to fuss with it, the simplest method is to take a picture and review it to see how it looks, and if it’s too dark or light, adjust by adding more light or lowering the amount of light.
With a little patience and practice, you’ll discover the perfect lighting for your picture.
Traditional photography captured the light by impressions on chemicals, while digital photography uses pixels to capture light.The best light is natural, but sometimes there's not enough available for a good picture.Artifical lighting provides illumination when there's not enough natural lighting.
How Much Light Is There?
While you can see for yourself to some extent how much light is available, to get precise measurements you need a light meter. Light meters are not the same thing as flashes.A light meter's job is to tell you how much light is being reflected off the subject of your picture, not to provide light.
A handheld light meter will measure the light and was once a standard part of any serious photographer’s equipment.Since most digital cameras now have built-in light meters, you can tell how bright the picture will be just by looking through the eyepiece.If it's too dark, the camera's built-in light meter will set off the automatic flash.
Histograms Instead of Light Meters
Also, with digital cameras, it’s not so important to have a light meter because most have a histogram.Histograms can be used in a similar fashion since a histogram shows how light or dark a picture is.
If you don’t have a histogram on your camera, or just don’t want to fuss with it, the simplest method is to take a picture and review it to see how it looks, and if it’s too dark or light, adjust by adding more light or lowering the amount of light.
With a little patience and practice, you’ll discover the perfect lighting for your picture.
