Focus On Lighting Photos Focus on the Fundamentals.pdf

almost always surpasses the
quality of fixing it later.
But what if the neutral gradient
doesn’t transition exactly where
we want it? What if we want the
darkness to go a little farther
or a little less into the scene?
Suppose we have to point the
camera higher or lower to get
that transition where we want it?
Suppose we want a more abrupt
or more gradual transition than
the filter offers? The result can
still be pretty good, but seldom
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<strong>Focus</strong> <strong>On</strong> <strong>Lighting</strong> <strong>Photos</strong>
as good as what we might do
with a controlled alpha channel
in image editing software, where
we can put the transition exactly
where we want it and make that
transition as gradual or as abrupt
as we want.
But that’s a topic for another
book. In a basic lighting book,
we will not overburden you with
technical detail. Still, we absolutely
must point you in the direction
you need to be facing when
you are ready to go there.
Don’t buy every
filter/gel. Just
know they’re
available. Buy as
needed.
The color of light can be gratifying
to play with and offers a fun
way to start thinking about light.
Still, often we can ignore it and
take whatever color we get. As
long as the daylight, the flash, or
the tungsten is reasonably close
to “normal,” we may not even
notice the color.
What we must always consider,
though, is highlight and shadow.
Let’s explore that subject next.