Lighting is everything (Page 4): You're on the right track. My approach is to use metering and placement of the highlights to determine exposure. It's much like exposure for black and...

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

You're on the right track. My approach is to use metering and placement of the highlights to determine exposure. It's much like exposure for black and white but using the highlights instead of the shadows, as I do when shooting film.
--Bob

Kozan wrote:

My idea of "right" exposure has changed over the years. I used to get Professional Photographer magazine and for the longest time the images on the cover seemed under exposed. If I shot the cover and checked the histogram, the exposure would be two to three stops underexposed.

The take away, for me, is that one should expose to the right on the histogram but print to suit the mood of the image. Does that make sense?

Hereford Loc: Palm Coast, FL

CHG_CANON wrote:

Is there something more to photography than megapixels?

What an incredible kill shot. Cracked me up.

Wuligal Loc: Slippery Rock, Pa.

It was Galen Rowel who said, "first you find the light, then put something in it".

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

Delta2 wrote:

Been listening for a year now.
Just signed on.
Right now I'm creating photographs with the viewpoint of "The Lighting is everything " and I was wondering if any of the pros had that stop upon their journeys?

Welcome Delta 2 and good luck. For me , Perspective is first followed by the lighting if I am lucky-enough to have the say in the matter.........usually I celebrate what I have and not what I didn't get and sometimes that fill-flash is a life saver but I always prefer the natural light if given the choice.

You will love this forum. There are so many wonderfully talented soles in attendance and they will help you with just about everything imaginable in this skill set.

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

Lighting, natural or added artificial, creates the mood and emotion of the image. The lighting draws the viewers' attention to certain aspects of the image. This includes areas in shadows/dark areas of the image.

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

Wuligal wrote:

It was Galen Rowel who said, "first you find the light, then put something in it".

Words to live by.

anotherview Loc: California

Adopting a hackneyed view such as "The Lighting is everything" (or, "It's all about the light") may misdirect the shooter. A more accurate statement, because mechanical, may prove more useful: "It's all about the expression of light."

I prefer this approach: Ideally, the play of light should flatter the main subject for best rendition. This connection puts light and subject in the right relation.

Delta2 wrote:

Been listening for a year now.
Just signed on.
Right now I'm creating photographs with the viewpoint of "The Lighting is everything " and I was wondering if any of the pros had that stop upon their journeys?

wham121736 Loc: Long Island, New York

Delta2 wrote:

Been listening for a year now.
Just signed on.
Right now I'm creating photographs with the viewpoint of "The Lighting is everything " and I was wondering if any of the pros had that stop upon their journeys?

While lighting in a sense is everything, it is also true that there is no bad light, just bad use of the available light.
Once you learn to use the light you have and get a proper exposure you have to consider composition, and how do they all work to express what you want the viewer to experience.

frangeo Loc: Texas

Delta2 wrote:

Been listening for a year now.
Just signed on.
Right now I'm creating photographs with the viewpoint of "The Lighting is everything " and I was wondering if any of the pros had that stop upon their journeys?

Photography is the recording of light. Taught to me by a Master Photographer years ago. Changed my photographic life tremendously.