Assignment 1: Hard Light and Surface
Greetings Photographers,
Now that you have the basics
down of working with a "key light" and working with a "fill light",
let's discuss the different types of light. For this upcoming shoot, you
are going to explore the characteristics of hard light—harsh light—that
produces extreme highlights and extreme shadows.
Hard light goes hand in hand
with the term contrast, which is the varying degree of difference
between tonal variations. In other words, the tonal difference between a
highlight and a shadow. Hard light increases contrast and forms heavy
shadows with crisp lines. Hard light allows for the photographer to
capture texture in the subject in a profound way; accents such as
wrinkles, lines, and shapes are clearly seen under hard light.
For this next photo shoot, you are going to work with hard light while photographing objects with and without surface texture.
-The Curator (AKA your Instructor)
Assignment Overview
In this assignment, you will focus on lighting two different subjects (inanimate objects), under hard light with your studio light(s). In terms of light ratio, the goal is to produce images that reflect an 8:1 ratio. Your images should display the character of the surface of the object (texture).
Assignment Description
In this assignment, you will
continue to shoot using the manual setting on your DSLR and take
photographs of your subjects using one bare studio light and a reflector.
You will also continue to use your handheld light meter to measure the
light to determine your exposure. Be sure to allow yourself some time to
adjust your lighting setup in order to create the scenario you desire.
You should also factor in some additional time to select your top
images.
Once you have chosen two
objects to photograph for this assignment, one with deep surface texture
and the other with a smooth surface, you will take 20 pictures of the
first object inside your studio using an 8:1 light ratio. You will take an additional 20 pictures of the first object and the second object, also using an 8:1 light ratio. *Students are encouraged to choose two objects that "go together" in terms of content: apples/oranges, baseball/glove, etc.*
Continue to focus on
displaying various compositions, adjusting your focal length and point
of view. Be sure to continue to focus on the technical side of the
assignment as well: exposure, white balance, focusing, and lighting. You
are asked to not edit your photos prior to submitting them. By
avoiding a post-processing step, your instructor will be able to offer
feedback based off of what you were able to accomplish by using only
your camera.
*Students are encouraged to review the following articles
prior to shooting this assignment. Essentially, students are
photographing a "still life" (made from two objects); to prepare, please
read the following:
http://photography.tutsplus.com/tutorials/10-tips-to-get-started-with-still-life-photography--photo-8278
http://firstyearsfocusandfire.blogspot.com/2013/10/make-it-monday-still-life.html
Above all, students
are required to position the chosen objects 6 feet from the backdrop.
This will ensure that the key light falls only on the subjects & not
on the backdrop.
Step-by-Step Instructions
(Preparation for Photographing First Subject)
(Preparation for Photographing First Subject)
- Set your camera to the "Manual" setting and adjust your handheld light meter to the Incident mode.
- Set up your camera to capture "RAW" files.
- Choose one of your subjects to photograph first under one studio light.
- Position
your subject in your studio (any room) where you can easily control the
existing light. Make your studio as dark as possible in order to allow
for one studio light to be the main (key) light.
- Place
your subject at least 5–6 feet in front of a large plain backdrop. You
may want to use a cloth or paper backdrop, or you may want to place them
against a plain wall.
- Creating
some distance between your subject and the background (5–6 feet) will
help to ensure that background distractions are out of focus and that no
shadows appear on the background.
- Remove
any surrounding items that "get in the way" of your main subject
(object); ensure that your camera lens is looking only the object. In
other words, avoid any distracting elements within the frame.
- Without using any light modifiers, aim your studio light at your subject. This will be your key light for this shoot.
- It's
recommended that you place the light on either side of your subject,
allowing the light to illuminate it from the side. Practice moving the
key light closer or further away from the subject in order to create an 8:1 ratio.
- If you find that the 1 bare bulb is creating too much contrast for the 8:1 high key ratio, you can also add in a white reflector to help fill any really dark shadows.
- Students
are encouraged to review the "Light Ratio" portion of Week 3's module
to ensure that an 8:1 ratio is being seen in the images.
- Stand
back and take a wide-angle shot of your lighting scheme. Ensure that
the photograph clearly shows the distance from the backdrop to the
subject along with the distance of the light (and reflector) to the
subject. This image will be included in your contact sheet.
- Adjust your white balance pre-settings on your DSLR camera to match the temperature of light that is surrounding your subject.
- You may use either manual or auto focus for this assignment.
- Ensure that your intended focal point is in sharp focus.
- Establish your initial ISO for your indoor shots.
- Establish your initial exposure settings (shutter speed) for your indoor shots.
- You
may need to experiment with your exposure settings prior to "starting"
your assignment. If you find that your photograph is too dark or too
bright, adjust your shutter speed until you find a "happy medium."
- Use your handheld light meter on incident mode to determine the aperture setting.
- Enter in the ISO that you have chosen into your handheld light meter.
- Enter in the shutter speed that you have chosen for your exposure into your handheld light meter.
- Place
your handheld light meter under the chin of your subject; ensure that
the white bulb of your handheld light meter is facing the light source.
- Take a reading and use the given f-stop from the handheld light meter as your initial aperture reading.
- Take a photograph of you using your handheld light meter in the indoor setting in which you are photographing your subject. This image will be included in your contact sheet.
- Take
20 different photographs of your first subject with the initial exposure
settings that you determined in the "preparation" portion of this
assignment.
- If you find that your images are a little too dark or a little too bring, adjust the exposure by bracketing your shots!
- Ensure that each of your 20 images should be composed differently:
- Adjust your composition throughout the shoot by changing your point of view and adjusting the focal length on your lens.
- Place your subject in the center of the frame, on the left side of the frame and the right side of the frame.
- Shoot
from different angles varying the height and angle of the light and
reflector to experiment with the effect of hard lighting.
- Repeat the process by adding in the other object.
- Students are encouraged to add the other object into the still-life set up.
- Shoot another set of 20 images of both of your objects together.
- Adjust
your lighting scheme to suit these two objects; re-photograph your
lighting scheme and include this image in your contact sheet. Re-meter
the light with your handheld light meter; re-photograph the use of your
light meter under the change of light and include this image in your
contact sheet.
(Contact Sheet & Top Images)
- From the Adobe Lightroom Print module, format and print or "save as" an Adobe PDF contact sheets of this new work. All 40 images (plus two images of lighting schemes & two images of handheld light meters) should be included in your contact sheet, which should be created according to our Photography Department's standards.
- Students
are encouraged to refer to the post in our Questions for the Professor
section titled, "How to Create a Contact Sheet for PHOA113" for details.
- Save your file name as "AI_PHOA113_W3A1_Lastname_Firstname_Contact.pdf"
- Choose 3 top photographs from this new work.
- Base your choices on the light, exposure, and composition.
- You are encouraged to choose at least one image of deep texture and one of smooth surface.
- Your PPI for each of the top images should be 300ppi.
- Save these three images as JPEG files and label them as:
- "AI_PHOA113_W3A1_Lastname_Firstname_1.jpeg"
- "AI_PHOA113_W3A1_Lastname_Firstname_2.jpeg"
- "AI_PHOA113_W3A1_Lastname_Firstname_3.jpeg"
- Place all three images into a ZIP file and save file as "AI_PHOA113_W3A1_Lastname_Firstname_Top Images.zip."
- Write a 200-word essay discussing your work directly into the Discussion Area
(do not attach as a Word document). Write about the technical decisions
you made (metering, exposure, white balance, etc.) as well as the
creative decisions you made (light, subject matter, composition) to
express surface.
Deliverable Specifications: due by Week 3, Day 4 by Week 3, Day 5. (An extension has been given for the Easter Holiday.)
- Contact Sheet of 40 Images + Images of Handheld Light Meter and Lighting Scheme
- Includes 20 images shot with hard light of deeply textured object
- Includes 20 images shot with hard light and smooth surfaced object
- Includes 2 images with handheld meter in frame
- Includes several wide views of lighting set-up
- 9 images per page
- White background
- Includes file number, ISO, shutter speed, aperture
- 300ppi resolution
- ZIP File of Top 3 Images
- Full page JPEG format
- 300ppi resolution
- At least 1 image of deep texture and one of smooth surface
- 200-word Essay in Discussion Area
Assumptions:
- Metadata for all images is included
- Follows MLA writing guidelines for style, spelling, grammar, and citation of sources
Exclusions:
Post-production adjustments
Write a 100-word critique to 2 of your classmates and discuss their technical and creative decisions by Week 3, Day 5. Your post should be encouraging, ask questions, and/or challenge a topic.
Note: Your peer responses are due the same day as your assignment;
please be sure to check back in on your classmates to write your peer
responses.
| Assignment 1 Grading Criteria |
Maximum Points
|
| Created
40 new photographs of textured and smooth surface subjects: 20 frames
taken of each subject under hard light using one studio light (and
reflector) plus images documenting use of handheld light meter and
wide-angle shots of lighting scheme using effective technical lighting
choices, correct exposure, white balance, and focus. |
10
|
| Created
new photographs using a 8:1 light ratio with one studio light and a
white reflector as a fill source that communicate surface
characteristics. |
30
|
| The 3 top images successfully use hard light to emphasize texture and hard surface. |
20
|
| Provided a thoughtful, detailed discussion of your technical and creative work. |
5
|
| Provided
a thoughtful, detailed response to two peers in regards to their
technical and creative work; followed up on any comments/questions from
instructor. |
5
|
| Total: |
70
|
For assistance with any problems
you may have when completing this assignment—OR—to offer your
assistance to classmates, please use the Problems and Solutions Discussion area located through the left side navigation link.
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Respond link to post responses and materials that pertain to this assignment. Use the 