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Week 18: Using a fill light


Using 2 lights, even when you only have one

So far we've assumed you're dealing with a single source of light - the sun, a torch, a desklamp. But you will have more options if you have more than one source of light. The disadvantage of having a strong light coming from a single direction - hard shadows - can be overcome if you have a second light.

Photographers working in studios can set up as many lights as they want. They can angle them, turn them up or down, make them hard or soft. I'm assuming you're just working with natural daylight though, and maybe a flash.

You can get a lot of the benefits available to studio photographers with no need for new kit if you appreciate the fact that a second light source doesn't have to be an entirely new light - it can simply be the original light source, but reflected.

In this email I'll explain how to use a reflector as a second light source to create a fill light which will soften hard shadows.

 
 

What is a fill light?

If you have one particularly strong light source (the midday sun for example), it will throw correspondingly strong shadows. This results in what's called a high dynamic range ("HDR") in your photograph - you have a very bright side of your image on the side of the sun, and a very dark opposite side.

In this example the sunlight is coming from the left:

 

The solution is to reduce the dynamic range (on your subject at least) by brightening the shadows. You do this by shining a second light source into them. The technical term for this is "fill light", but as I explained above, it doesn't have to be an actual light. You can get this effect just by reflecting the sunlight back into the shadows:

In this image the light was simply reflected back into the flower by using a piece of white 5mm foamcore:

 

The HDR problem is caused because your camera's sensor has a dynamic range which is smaller than the eye's. It can't fit both the darks and the brights in the same image. The result is that you lose all the information at one end of the dynamic range, and end up with blocky black shadows, or blown out highlights. By using a fill light, you reduce the dynamic range of the whole image.

THIS WEEK'S PROJECT: Using a fill light

Just take 2 photos:

First photo: in a place where you have strong directional light (bright sunlight, or very close to a desk lamp), take a photo and take note of the strong shadows.

Second photo: repeat the first photo, but with a white reflector opposite the light source, to soften the shadows.

Bonus photos: try holding the reflector closer and further away. Try using aluminium foil, or a mirror as a reflector. Notice what happens to the shadows in each case.

Share your images in the Facebook group, in the 11 January homework thread.


We have a catch-up week next week and then the fun really starts the week after, with the Creativity module. It's a great, relaxed 4-week segment to look forward to.

Emma

Before you go...

We raised £300 ($400) for Charity Water through the Amazon affiliate links in my 2 posts, Which Camera To Buy?, and Best Presents for Photographers. I'm leaving the links up permanently, so all future affiliate income will be donated straight to Charity Water.

Do you have special needs for your camera kit? I'm updating my "Which camera to buy" post to take into account physical restrictions people may have. If something prevents you from using the cameras that are always recommended, would you mind filling in this very short questionnaire (1 question) so I can pool all the ideas to share? It will be anonymous unless you want to leave your name: Accessible camera kit questionnaire


 
 
 
 
 
Emma Davies Photography, Marigold, East Bracklesham Drive, Bracklesham Bay, Chichester, PO20 8JW, United Kingdom

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