Creative DSLR Photography

SECTION 1

Perception and the Image

The Essentials of Light

Light is the photographer’s paint. Any photograph starts as a blank canvas, so how you choose to apply light to it determines the visual attributes of a photograph. By manipulating light it is possible to reveal and hide objects, tones can be made lighter or darker, colors altered or replaced. Shadows can be softened, hardened or made to disappear, highlights lost or gained and shapes emphasized or flattened. Forget about the technological wizardry that is the modern day camera and think about light because, without it, the camera is about as useful as a car without an engine or, indeed, ...