Focus On Lighting Photos Focus on the Fundamentals.pdf

light may lead to psychological
improvement among workers.)
Key Light: Also known as the
main light, the brightest light
used in making a photograph.
Kicker: A light that strikes the
subject from the rear, but also
slightly to the side.
LED: Light-emitting diodes
are extremely efficient lights,
producing a great deal of light
from very little electrical current.
<strong>On</strong>ce practical only for very
small lights such as calculator
displays, they are getting bigger,
and large groupings of them
are now common for larger
applications such as automobile
taillights. Some photographers
are now experimenting with very
large groupings for photographic
lights. Likely to become a
common photographic light
source in the foreseeable future.
Lens Hood: Also known as a
lens shade. It is used on the end
of a lens to block a light from
outside the field of view from
striking the lens to avoid camera
flare and, to a lesser extent, lens
flare.
Light Modifiers: Barn doors,
snoots, grids, bounce cards,
umbrellas, softboxes, gobos: any
of a variety of items that alter
or amend the light source. Can
diffuse the light or restrict it.
Light Stands: Metal stands
used to hold flash. Collapse
for easy transport. Come in a
variety of styles and sizes. For
purely photographic purposes,
the heavier, the better. Some
of these have dollies to make
them easy to roll around, and
crank mechanisms for raising
and lowering heavy lights. For
easy travel, the lighter the better.
Choose carefully, depending on
the features you need most. Most
of us compromise between the
heaviest and the lightest.
Line of Sight: Mainly concerned
with whether a remote flash can
“see” the light that triggers it.
Optical triggers, using either
visible light or infrared, generally
need to be visible to the camera
to flash reliably, but not always.
Sometimes the triggering light
can bounce around corners
and down hallways to put the
external flash in “line of sight” to
the triggering light without being
in line of sight with the camera.
We can also use a synch cord
between the light and the trigger
to put a small, barely visible
optical trigger in view of the
triggering light out of sight from
the camera. A radio-controlled
trigger offers maximum flexibility.
The radio signal can sometimes
travel right through barriers,
which are opaque to visible and
infrared light. “Line of sight”
doesn’t always correspond with
what our eyes can see.
Low Key: Images with dark
backgrounds. In portraiture,
the people wear dark-colored
clothing.
Main Light: Also known as
the key light. Almost always
the single brightest light in a
photograph.
Masking Tape: Everyone
knows about this thin, easy-totear
paper tape, but we need
to remind you that it is also an
important photographic tool.
Not very strong, but adequate
for many purposes, and less
expensive than either duct tape
or gaffer tape. Also not very
heat resistant and likely to leave
an ugly residue on very hot
lights. No inherent harm there,
but switch to gaffer tape if the
appearance of your equipment is
important to your clients.
Mylar: A thin, durable DuPont
plastic. Commonly used in tape,
metallic sheets, and many other
products. Photographers often
use it as a silver, sometimes gold,
Glossary 191