Photojournalism

Light
 Introduction
• Light is a primary tool that enables us perceive the world and
communicate with it.
• Light from the sun warms the earth, drives global weather patterns, and
initiates the life sustaining process of photosynthesis, which enables green
plants to produce food to sustain humanity.
• While scientists explore the physical properties of light, artists are
interested in its aesthetic appreciation of the visual world.
 Light in Photography
• Photography is a Greek word which comes from photo and graphy. The
former means light, and the latter, drawing/writing.
• In essence, photography means drawing or writing with light. So light
makes photography tick.
• You, therefore, need a basic understanding of light, how to use it, and
what it can do to your subject and how it will invoke responses from your
readers/viewers.
 Light and Photography Cont’d
• Light is the visible part of electromagnetic spectrum of radiation, which travels at 299,792,458
metres (186,000 miles) per second.
• It is the sensation aroused by stimulation of the visual receptors.
• It is characterised by intensity, quality, direction, colour, contrast and hardness.
Intensity
 This refers to the brightness of light, which is a factor in exposure.
 It also influences your options for depth of field and motion control.
 This means in a low light situation, you must use slower shutter speed, or wider aperture or both.
 Conversely, bright light may require high shutter speed and small aperture.
 Light and Photography Cont’d
Quality of Light
 The quality of light ranges from hard to soft. Hard light comes from compact light source such
as the sun or car head lamp.
 But soft light comes from raw sources such as the sky.
Direction of Light
 The direction of light emphasises the shape of the subject.
 You can discover the direction of light by looking at the shadow, which always points away
from the light.
 For a good shot, let your subject face the sun, while you’re backing the sun.
 Light and Photography Cont’d
Colours of Light
 Light colours vary according to wavelengths. Violet has the highest frequencies and shortest
wavelengths.
 But red has the lowest frequencies and longest wavelengths.
 When spread apart by a prism, the colours of the visible spectrum appear, and they are
termed primary colours.
 They include violet, indigo, green, blue, yellow, orange and red.
 Studies show that people root for coloured pictures, especially when they tell a story.
Colours make photography tick.
 Light and Photography Cont’d
Hardness of Light
 Hardness or softness of light depends on two factors – the distance between the light source and
subject.
 The closer the light source and subject are to each other, the softer the light becomes.
 Hard light is focused, with brightness that casts harsh shadows and draws attention to a specific
part of a picture.
 In hard lighting, the transition between the light and shadows is very harsh and defined.
 But a soft light makes shadows that are barely visible.
 A sunny day is a good example of hard light; a cloudy day, soft light.
 Light and Photography Cont’d
Light Contrast
 This refers to the difference in luminance or colour that makes an object or its
representation in an image or display distinguishable.
 In visual perception of the real world, contrast is determined by the difference
in the colour and brightness of the object and other objects within the same
field of view.
 Contrast is used in page layout, especially in terms of text and pictures, to
draw readers’ attention to the page and possibly sell the paper..
 Light and Photography Cont’d
Functions of Light
 Light is needed to eliminate an object not needed in the camera, while using light to also get rid of
unnecessary object in the final print.
 We need light to reveal the texture, the form and the appearance of the object.
 The camera also needs light to capture an image.
 Every stage of the photographic process requires light – during exposure, development and printing.
 Light is also needed to see or view the final output of the photographic process.
 While light occupies a unique position in photography, many people, including photojournalists,
sometimes abuse it.
 Light and Photography Cont’d
Abuse of Light
Light abuse occurs when you:
 Expose photographic materials such as film or paper to an uncontrolled
light source.
 Use wrong aperture to under- or over-expose your film/subject.
 Use wrong light situation in the studio, and
 Use flash in the afternoon or when it’s not required.
 Light and Photography Cont’d
To avoid the listed light abuses, you need to:
 Determine the amount and intensity of light needed for your exposure.
 Determine the direction of light available. The photographer has to back the light, while
the object faces it.
 Understand too that your film, developer, camera and printing paper have something in
common with light.
 They’re expected to capture and present light when you expose any of them, especially
printing paper, to controlled light rays. So don’t expose them to uncontrolled light
sources to avoid damage.