Lighting in photography can make or break a photo. Today, I will talk about three main types of lighting which include front-lit, side-lit, and back-lit. Front-lit pictures often show the subject evenly lit up and can be easiest to see in pictures. Side-lit pictures can be more dramatic and also show emotion and texture. Back-lit pictures often will be silhouettes and make the subject appear very dark against a well lit background.
Front-lit Pictures
These two pictures are examples of front-lit images. The subject has equal lighting the whole way across and there is less emotion than from being lit from the side or behind.
Side-lit Pictures
These two pictures are lit from the side. The picture on the left is not quite as side lit because the light is mostly seen from the front, however, it isn’t fully lit up like it would be if it was a front-lit picture. I think that the subject is stronger because it has this kind of lighting because the details and texture of the bell are easier to see as well as the dust on the wooden slab it’s sitting on. The picture on the right is lit up by the window to the side of it. This allows the viewer to see the shininess of the pot while also being able to gauge it’s true color.
Back-lit pictures
These two pictures have the subjects backlit. The light is coming in from the windows behind them and creates a very moody silhouette for both pictures. Monochromatic color schemes can really emphasize this type of lighting and bring out the stark contrast of the shadows and the light behind them.
Shadows
These two pictures show examples of hard and soft shadows. In the picture on the left, the shadows are very easy to see with the different grays that cover the picture. The light from the bulbs and from the unseen window make the picture a little more harsh than the picture on the right. That picture has shadows melting into light on the plants pot. It has one more stark shadow on the book underneath the plant, but for the most part, the viewer barely can see the shadows and that makes it softer and more peaceful to look at.
Reflection
I think that the featured image has the best emotion because of the dramatic shadows it has. It’s back-lit and taken at an angle. It makes the world feel dystopian and unrealistic. But if the photo would be in color, the shadows wouldn’t be as dramatic and the picture would lose it’s feeling. Lighting can affect the tone by either making it harsh and provoking or by toning down the shadows, the picture can be peaceful and easy to look at. Something that surprised me with shooting shadows is how much a monochromatic scheme can emphasize shadows. Color often tones down the shadows so that the picture isn’t cluttered by them, but with black and white the shadows stand out even more.