Problems & Solutions - Week 3 - W3A2: Light Ratios & How to Meter for Them

Hi Class,

In your W3A1, you're asked to shoot a 1:8 light ratio.  In your W3A2, you're asked to shoot images that show a "1:2" light ratio and an "1:8" light ratio.  You're going to be creating these light ratios with one light + one of your lighting accessories (softbox, shoot through umbrella, or scrim). 

To help you understand what these two different ratios look like and what this actually means, I'd like you to take a look at this article from Digital Photography School:

• http://digital-photography-school.com/lighting-ratios-to-make-or-break-your-portrait/

From this article, you'll see that a 2:1 light ratio is clearly different from an 8:1: (Note: you may see ratios written as "2:1" or "1:2"; this means the same thing!)

In the video below, Tony Reale from DVTV explains the difference between light ratios.  He also explains different tools that you can use to control the different light ratios and gives a demo.  A big thing to take note of in Reale's video is when he discusses the Inverse Square Law, which we learned about during Week 1; you will be using this law to your advantage in your assignment.   Keep in mind: you will only be using one light (your modeling light function on your strobe light) plus an accessory to create soft light.

 

In the second video, you'll see Mark Wallace from AdoramaTV showing you how to use your handheld light meter to meter for your light ratios.