Lighting Basics: Capturing Dramatic Images

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Lighting Basics: Capturing Dramatic Images

One of the most common statements I hear from shooters is: I can’t get my images to look the way I want.

That statement can mean many things, but most of the time what I find it really means is the shooter was not able to tell her story or convey the mood she wanted to, and therefore the images were a let-down.

While there are a million and two factors that can go into getting your images to the place you want them to be, or to be able to tell a story, one of the main reasons shooters are not getting the images they want is due to their not understanding how to light their subjects, what lighting source to use and what modifiers to use to create the mood they are trying to achieve. Light is light, and no one light source is better than another. Every single light source, whether it’s from the sun, a strobe, LED or a bank of constant fluorescents, has different properties, pros and cons, and uses.

This month, I will look at some lighting basics used to create dramatic images.

 

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To read the full article, launch the digital version of the December 2014 magazine.

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