Lighting
Controlling lighting
In photography, artificial lightingNot from a natural source like sunlight such as flash or spotlights can give more control over the end result.
How a subject is lit can have a dramatic effect on the final image. This can depend on:
- how strong the light is
- whether it is direct or indirect light
- whether the light comes from above, below, in front, side-on or from behind
- the colour of the light
Most cameras have a light meter in them to help decide on the exposure settings needed for the conditions. However, underexposureExposure to not much light, creating a darker image or overexposureThe result of too much light hitting the film or sensor can also achieve a desired effect.
ISO settings
In analogue photography ISO refers to how sensitive the film in the camera is to light. The same scale is now used in digital photography to describe the light sensitivity of the chip.
A higher ISO makes the chip or film more sensitive, so a photograph can be taken with less light. At higher ISO settings an image is more likely to be affected by digital noise or grain - this can be used intentionally.
An ISO of 200 is the average daylight setting.