The term photography is a Greek word meaning drawing with light. Light in photography refers to how the light source either natural or artificial source is positioned in relation to the subject. Understanding the position and quality of light in photography strongly affects the outcome of your photo but the concept of lighting in photography is a broad one especially for new photographers but some of the types of lighting would be looked into as you read on.
Types Of Lighting In Photography
It is important to note that they are two basic types of lighting in photography -Natural and Artificial Light.
Natural Light: Natural light is a direct source of light either from the sun or moon, any source of light without the aid of human intervention. When using natural light it’s important to understand the angle at which the sun is reflecting and how it will affect your composition.
Artificial light– Artificial light is a source of light with the aid of human intervention under which there are other types of lighting
Soft light: This kind of light is achieved by diffusing your artificial light so that the effect would be subtle on the subject which would result in less intense shadow and contrast. When shooting in the studio this can be achieved by using a reflector, softbox, etc.
Soft light is used mostly for portraiture, fashion editorial, and in some cases nature photography.
Hard light: Hard light is the opposite of soft light this kind of light source is pointed directly at your subject without the use of a diffuser, hence, the name hard light. Hard light results in high contrast, intensity, and shadow. Hard light can be achieved by using a direct light source without any diffuser.
Loop light: Loop light is special lighting used for portraits. It creates a loop-shaped shadow under the nose and cheek of the subject, hence, the name. Loop light is achieved when the light source is positioned slightly higher than the subject’s eye level at a 45-degree angle.
Backlight: As the name implies is when the light source is behind the subject with the subject in between the camera and light, this works well for silhouette and long shadow photography.
