bedgmon Loc: Burleson, Texas

I hear and read the term "flat light" often but really I don't understand what it looks like. Reading is not always seeing. Would someone post a quick tutorial set of the same pose...one that has a flat light vs. "good" light. Maybe my pea brain can understand the concept and see the difference. Does a zoom lens compress the light creating flat light?
Humbling asking for your expertise and thanking you in advance,

Phreedom Loc: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Flat lighting is diffuse or scattered and objects lack strong defining shadows. Think of a scene taken in a fog or a snow storm. Imagine the same scene in strong sunlight.
http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/15579/what-is-flat-light-and-how-to-counter-that

bedgmon Loc: Burleson, Texas

Thank you Phreedom. You are an awesome resourse! I especially liked the two bridge photos together giving me an inkling of understanding. I intend to go back to the site and study the photos again and the responses attached. If I may, I will try and see if I get the idea and would love your opinion? I don't want to be troublesome. Again, thank you for such a quick and valuable response. BE

GHK Loc: The Vale of Eden

Flat lighting implies that the light source is fairly directly behind the camera; it gives very few shadows which, in turn, means a lack of modelling.
Flat light tends to be dull and lacking in contrast ,and is often pretty well non-directional; not good for landscapes but it can have advantages with some types of subject.
GHK

bedgmon Loc: Burleson, Texas

Merci Beaucoup! I do not see the light as easily as many talented artists, but it makes learning about photography soooooo much fun and it is always a new day for me.
It seems that noonday sun is directly in line with the earth where shade would have no direct light. It just seems backward. I do love the golden hour's color saturation. Thank you. I want to keep in mind the advise of direct light behind the camera. :)

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

Hey bedgmon, you have received some great answers by some very knowledgeable people here, but I thought I would throw my two cents in too.

Flat lighting is best described when the light is directly behind the photographer or falling flat onto the subject you are photographing where a side light is one from the side. You can see the difference in the egg video linked below, but for now try this. Find a strong light source and aim it directly at your hand. Do you see a lot of definition? Are there a lot of shadows? What do you think of the quality of this light? Now take the same light source and move it somewhat to the side of your hand. Has the definition changed? Are there more ridges, valleys and shadows? Is the quality better or worse?

Each situation will call for a different quality of light. I hope these help.
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/natural-light-photography.htm
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/portrait-lighting.htm
and a favorite http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM7CcUrUD2g

GHK Loc: The Vale of Eden

[quote=St3v3M]Hey bedgmon, you have received some great answers by some very knowledgeable people here, but I thought I would throw my two cents in too.

Flat lighting is best described when the light is directly behind the photographer or falling flat onto the subject you are photographing where a side light is one from the side. You can see the difference in the egg video linked below, but for now try this. Find a strong light source and aim it directly at your hand. Do you see a lot of definition? Are there a lot of shadows? What do you think of the quality of this light? Now take the same light source and move it somewhat to the side of your hand. Has the definition changed? Are there more ridges, valleys and shadows? Is the quality better or worse?

This is a good addition to what has already been said - worth more than a couple of cents.

bedgmon Loc: Burleson, Texas

As usual Steve, you inspire me and this time to explore the light! I played with a flashlight first then I took many images of my old hands indoors with a flash (did not work so well) and then with window light, then outside to see what the 3:00 p.m. Texas sun would do. Now holding my camera and putting my hand out was a bit tricky to achieve for an old, round lady even with my nifty-fifty, but I did see the difference in shadows thanks to your suggestion of using a direct light to see the difference. That was a fabulous idea.
I then proceeded to take photos of an old wooden reading chair from my elementary school with the sun behind me, in front of me, from the side, in the shade, with an off camera flash, without a flash, even tried using and an old cheap reflector. You name it, I tried it! I will look closely in a few minutes to analyze them and cross your fingers that I can tell the difference. It was fun!
I did watch the egg and read the other two from Cambridge. I really like the interaction from Cambridge. I think the flashlight might have been my eye-opener. Thank you so very much for your expertise and your patience. Your are a true gift to this forum!

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

You honor me and look forward to your results!

Shuttergram Loc: Colorado

Yes, kind of like a mug shot or DMV ID.

bedgmon Loc: Burleson, Texas

Good analogy and it made me laugh. Great start to the morning. Thanks for posting.

anotherview Loc: California

Flat lighting lacks direction. Such lighting seems to have no distinct natural source. The subject will appear as if evenly lit from the position of the camera. As a result, the viewer will perceive little or no contrast in the lighting on the subject.

Low contrast may result from this flat lighting. Contrast means the difference between the shadow area and the bright area of an image.

Low contrast may also result from very diffuse lighting. This diffuse lighting exists, for example, due to an overcast sky. In effect, the whole sky area produces the lighting. The lighting under this condition appears to come from every direction, meaning the lighting comes from no distinct direction. The eye sees little contrast in the scene.

Continue your effort to learn this aspect of photography. Light in photography has three characteristics: Direction, quality, and intensity. In his book, “Direction & Quality of Light,” Neil van Niekerk discusses this subject in plain terms with plenty of examples. I can recommend this book for improving your knowledge and understanding of light.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Perfect! Fog and snow are perfect examples.

stan0301 Loc: Colorado

There are times--like when in a fog bank (rare) that the light is flat from every direction--generally what was said--the light is coming from the same direction you are looking at your subject from--is true--but--if, say, the only reason the light is flat is that you have a cloudy day--then if you move--or your subject turns ninety degrees the light is wonderful--also find a wall, a tree, or a gobo and use it to keep the flat light from reaching your subject from one side and you can have great soft light. In general figure out where your light is coming from and work about ninety degrees away from it. Learn to get clues by looking at tree trunks and building and "seeing" how the light is falling on them--when we have a cloudy day and I am doing a portrait session generally the first thing the sitter hears me say is "You are so lucky--we have really great light today". And, of course, real sunlight is pretty much your enemy--in real sunlight the shadows are seven times darker than the highlights--and photographic paper can only handle about three to one--so you will be faced with the choice of pure white highlights or absolute black shadows--not good--so when you have to shoot in direct sunlight turn your subjects back to the sun--and be really sure that you have a good enough lens shade that the sunlight doesn't strike your lens--very bad--and you will do fine.
Stan
Stan

bedgmon Loc: Burleson, Texas

Thank you. With each response, I am understanding a bit more. I am quite the reader and the experimenter so I will certainly read Niekerk. Of the three, I think I struggle with the quality of light. I will never be a great photographer but there is such a joy in this learning adventure so I again thank you for the gentle push in the right direction.