Light Science and Magic, 3rd Edition

Table of contents

1. Front Cover
2. Half Title
3. Title Page
4. Copyright
5. Contents
6. Dedication
7. Introduction
8. Chapter 1: How to Learn Lighting
   1. What Are “The Principles”?
   2. Why Are the Principles Important?
   3. How Were the Example Subjects Chosen for This Book?
   4. Do I Need to Do These Exercises?
   5. What Kind of Camera Do I Need?
   6. Should I Shoot Film or Digital?
   7. What Lighting Equipment Do I Need?
   8. What Else Do I Need to Know to Use This Book?
   9. What Is the “Magic” Part of This Book?
9. Chapter 2: Light: The Raw Material of Photography
   1. What Is Light?
   2. How Photographers Describe Light
      1. Brightness
      2. Color
      3. Contrast
   3. Light versus Lighting
   4. How the Subject Affects the Lighting
      1. Transmission
      2. Direct and Diffuse Transmission
      3. Absorption
      4. Reflection
10. Chapter 3: The Management of Reflection and the Family of Angles
    1. Types of Reflection
    2. Diffuse Reflection
       1. The Inverse Square Law
    3. Direct Reflection
       1. Breaking the Inverse Square Law?
    4. The Family of Angles
    5. Polarize Direct Reflection
       1. Is It Polarized Reflection or Ordinary Direct Reflection?
       2. Turning Ordinary Direct Reflection into Polarized Reflection
    6. Applying the Theory
11. Chapter 4: Surface Appearances
    1. The Photographer as Editor
    2. Capitalizing on Diffuse Reflection
       1. The Angle of Light
       2. The Success and Failure of the General Rule
       3. The Distance of Light
       4. Doing the Impossible
       5. Using Diffuse Reflection and Shadow to Reveal Texture
    3. Capitalizing on Direct Reflection
    4. Competing Surfaces
       1. Try a Lens Polarizing Filter
       2. Use a Still Larger Light
       3. Use More Than One Light
       4. Use a Gobo
    5. Complex Surfaces
12. Chapter 5: Revealing Shape and Contour
    1. Depth Clues
    2. Perspective Distortion
       1. Distortion as a Clue to Depth
       2. Manipulating Distortion
    3. Tonal Variation
    4. The Size of the Light
       1. Large Lights versus Small Lights
       2. Distance from the Subject
    5. The Direction of the Light
       1. Light on Side
       2. Light above the Subject
       3. Fill Light
       4. Adding Depth to the Background
    6. How Much Tonal Variation Is Ideal?
       1. Photographing Buildings: Decreasing Tonal Variation
       2. Photographing Cylinders: Increasing Tonal Variation
       3. Remember Surface Detail
    7. The Glossy Box
       1. Use a Dark Background
       2. Eliminate Direct Reflection from the Box Top
       3. Eliminate Direct Reflection from the Box Sides
       4. Finish with Other Resources
    8. Use Direct Reflection?
13. Chapter 6: Metal
    1. Flat Metal
       1. Bright or Dark?
       2. Finding the Family of Angles
       3. Lighting the Metal
       4. Keeping the Metal Bright
       5. What Is a “Normal” Exposure for Metal?
       6. Keeping the Metal Dark
       7. The Elegant Compromise
       8. Controlling the Effective Size of the Light
       9. Keeping the Metal Square
    2. Metal Boxes
       1. A Light Background
       2. A Transparent Background
       3. A Glossy Background
    3. Round Metal
       1. Camouflage
       2. Keeping the Light off the Camera
       3. Using a Tent
    4. Other Resources
       1. Polarizing Filters
       2. Black Magic
       3. Dulling Spray
    5. Where Else Do These Techniques Apply?
14. Chapter 7: The Case of the Disappearing Glass
    1. The Principles
    2. The Problems
    3. The Solutions
    4. Two Attractive Opposites
       1. Bright-Field Lighting
       2. Dark-Field Lighting
    5. The Best of Both Worlds
    6. Some Finishing Touches
       1. Defining the Surface of Glassware
       2. Illuminating the Background
       3. Minimizing the Horizon
       4. Stopping Flare
       5. Eliminating Extraneous Reflections
    7. Complications from Nonglass Subjects
       1. Liquids in Glass
       2. Secondary Opaque Subjects
    8. Recognizing the Principal Subject
15. Chapter 8: An Arsenal of Lights
    1. The Single-Light Setup
       1. The Basic Setup
       2. Light Size
       3. Skin Texture
       4. Where to Put the Main Light
       5. Left Side? Right Side?
       6. Broad Lighting or Short Lighting
       7. Eyeglasses
    2. Additional Lights
       1. Fill Lights
       2. Background Lights
       3. Hair Lights
       4. Kickers
       5. Rim Lights
    3. Mood and Key
       1. Low-Key Lighting
       2. High-Key Lighting
       3. Staying in Key
    4. Dark Skin
    5. Available-Light Portraiture
       1. A Window as a Main Light
       2. The Sun as a Hair Light
       3. Combining Studio and Environmental Light
       4. Keeping the Light Appropriate
    6. Setting Rules?
16. Chapter 9: The Extremes
    1. The Characteristic Curve
       1. The Perfect “Curve”
       2. A Bad Camera
       3. Overexposure
       4. Underexposure
       5. A Real CCD
    2. Using Every Resource
    3. White-on-White
       1. Exposing White-on-White Scenes
       2. Lighting White-on-White Scenes
       3. Subject and Background
       4. Using an Opaque White Background
       5. Using a Translucent White Background
       6. Using a Mirror Background
       7. In Any Case, Keep the Background Small
    4. Black-on-Black
       1. Exposing Black-on-Black Scenes
       2. Lighting Black-on-Black Scenes
       3. Subject and Background
       4. Using an Opaque Black Background
       5. Using a Glossy Black Surface
       6. Keep the Subject away from the Background
    5. The Histogram
       1. Preventing Problems
       2. Overmanipulation
    6. Curves
    7. New Principles?
17. Chapter 10: Traveling Light
    1. Choosing the Right Strobe
    2. Getting the Exposure Right
       1. Letting the Strobe Determine the Exposure
       2. Using a Flash Meter
       3. Calculating the Exposure
       4. Calculating the Guide Number
       5. Using the Guide Number
    3. Getting More Light
       1. Focused Flash
       2. Multiple Strobes
       3. Multiple Flash
    4. Improving the Quality of Light
       1. Bounce Flash
       2. Feathering the Light
    5. Lights of Different Colors
       1. Why Is the Color of the Light Important?
       2. Nonstandard Light Sources
       3. Do the Colors Mix?
       4. The Remedies
    6. Lights of Different Duration
    7. Is Studio Lighting Possible on Location?
18. Index