Light and Shade

Good light, bad light, stark light, low light, fill light, and starlight – what is it about light that makes for good, or bad, photos?

The answer to this, if there is one, lies in the enormous combination of various interactions between, the scene, subject, time of day, camera capabilities and film/sensor sensitivity to light.
This is a follow up from our first article, "A Good Eye," and our purpose today is to explore some of the simple and basic issues related to "Light and Shade," rather than explore in-depth the infinite intricacies of such a topic.

In the context of this note, Light and Shade refers to the graduations within a scene between bright parts of the picture and dark parts of the picture. Whilst “Contrast” is a key element of this, here we are more interested in the interplay between light and shade rather than the tonal range. It is this interplay of light and shade, which adds a dynamic feel to the scene; through the creation of shapes, development of textures, and the enhancement or muting of colours.

Shapes
Shadows and beams of light can create interesting points of focus within a photo. For example this picture of shadows on the wall of Monte Fort in Macau, where the shapes are the core point of interest.

Looking at this image more deeply, if we also take in the patina of the wall, it soon becomes apparent that the person on the right has 'bunny ears' and the person on the left looks like an ancient Chinese hero. Thus the image is not just an interesting effect it also introduces a bit of accidental humour which would not have been apparent if we'd just photographed the three people directly.

Texture
From the above image we can see how light and shade can interact with textures to create either deliberate or accidental effects. Another interesting use of light and shade is where mirror images create unusual but vaguely recognizable images as well as develop tension between various textures in an image, such as this one of a pavilion on the edge of a lake in Changsha.

Here we see a mirrored reflection in the lake surface creating a strong image of an unusually shaped guitar. In addition, the smooth texture-less nature of the water counterpoints the broccoli-like texture of the trees.

By looking at the bottom right hand corner of the picture we can see that the day was heavily overcast. As a result I chose to do this in black and white, as the natural colours were muted into a bland, pale green mush.

Colour
The interplay between light and shade also has the effect of enhancing or muting colours. This can affect our choice of image appearance/processing, should we work with colour, or with process to black and white, as seen in the last image.

In this next image, the beams of this mosque at Er Min Ta in Xinjiang, when bathed with strong light develop a rich warm colour, despite it being quite dark within the building. In addition, the faint beams of light add a sense of depth and hint of reverence within this sacred prayer space.

By being aware of the interplay between light and shade it is possible to bring added depth, interest and feeling to our photos, and exposing for such conditions, brings new challenges. Such challenges are the ones we will look at in more detail when we explore “Colour and Contrast”.

That's all for now. We all strive to improve the shots we take. There are many factors we can focus on, or ignore, I hope this note gives you some new ideas to explore. In the mean time,

here’s looking at you… through the LENZ.

__________
Submitted by Tsc Tempest, DCA