I'm changing things up again. Instead of giving you 5 things that I love, I'm going to be talking about one. If you didn't know, I'm a big fan of light. Even though I haven't always had a nice camera, I've always been drawn to light. I love seeing the way light plays off of the world around me and how it changes the way we perceive things.
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| This was taken from the 42nd floor of the Tokyo Municipal building. |
In the Fall semester of 2008, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Japan. One weekend, we were in the city and there was an impending storm. One of my friends insisted we look out over the city from the Tokyo Muni Building, so up we went. Looking out, this is what I saw (so far as I can remember, this is a full-size jpeg file straight from my camera, a Canon A530, no post processing at all).
Light can be a powerful tool in story telling. I love looking at that picture seeing the light pouring down between the clouds, highlighting different parts of the city. The clouds are piled ominously, but light is streaming through, cutting through the gloom.
Light can do amazing things in portrait photography, too. For example, Heather took this picture as part of a project for her Theology of Marriage and Family class.
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| 85% of domestic abuse cases are women. 1 in 4 women has been a victim of domestic abuse. |
This was loosely intended to serve as a PSA. Because of that, Heather wanted to mask the model's eyes, removing her identity. This could happen to anyone, and the odds are high that you know someone who is or was the victim of domestic abuse.
Imagine if that picture hadn't had the harsh lighting, a lot of the impact of this picture would have changed. The sense of this girl's anonymity would be gone, and the ability be sympathetic to people within this plight would be diminished.
I could go on and on, but I think you kinda get the point. Light is a powerful tool in photography, not just by drawing attention through illumination, but also in what is left in darkness. Next time you see a picture that you really like, stop and ask yourself, "What's going on with the lighting?" I find that a lot of the pictures that I like are distinguished by something unique about the lighting.
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