Using Lights and Other Film-Based Terminology

Using Lights

Photography is all about light. Our photographs are recorded light. How we control the available light and add additional light when needed is basis for all photography. There are numerous controls and methods for controlling light available to today's photographer.

How do the following techniques that have already been covered depend on the use light?

• Aperture – is a hole or an opening through which light travels. The aperture depends on how parallel the admitted rays are, which is resulting in a sharp focus at the image plane. If the aperture is narrow this is resulting in a sharp focus at the image plane and if the aperture is wide this then results in an image that is sharp around what the lens is most focusing on and blurred otherwise.
• Shutter Speed–this is one of the several methods used to control the amount of light recorded by the camera’s digital sensor or film. The total exposure is proportional to this exposure time, or duration of light reaching the film or image sensor.
• Exposure – this is the total amount of light allowed to fall on the photographic film or image sensor during the process of taking the photographs.

Lighting Equipment

Sometimes in order to get the perfect shot, a photographer needs a helping hand in creating the correct lighting.

Reflector	A reflector is an improvised or particular reflective surface used to redirect light towards a given subject or scene.
Fill Flash	This gives a better portrait of the image that is being taken; fill flash gives you a much clear look at the image with no shade shown in the image.
Sun light	To get the best photograph it is best to take the picture early in the morning or late afternoon, this is when the sun is low in the sky. If you are photographing in the sunlight then try to position yourself so that the sun hits the subject from the side, this will be giving the image a more of a creative look.

 

Other film-based terminology

Research the terms below and define what they are and what purpose that they have in photography.

Filters	Is a camera accessory consisting of a visual filter that can be inserted in the visual path. This can be a glass or plastic disk with a metal or plastic ring frame. Filters absorb part of the light available, require longer exposure and sometimes are used to make only a small change to images. The filters help colour correction, contrast enhancement, colour subtraction and clear and ultraviolent photography.
Film Stock	This is a photographic film on which filmmaking of motion pictures are shot and reproduced. This was performed using paper roll film that was fragile this had to be handled with care, during its time film stock improved slowly which eventually turned from black and white images to coloured images being printed out.
Film Speed	This is the measure of a photographic film’s sensitivity to light, depending on the speed setting you have selected the camera to go in the more the light effect will change. If the speed is lower this requires more exposure to light to produce the same image density as a more sensitive film.