In this forum, thereis some discussion about lighting equipment, some discussions about the physics of light as per colour temperature and white balance, and the quantity of light as per exposure but little about the dynamics and aesthetics of light.

No doubt, the science of light is interesting, things like photons, wavelengths and spectral properties, but if you are an artistically inclined photograher there is much to discuss as to how some of the physical properties of light as to the quality, reflection, concentration, diffusion, and direction of light influence the aesthetics of our work.

Some folks associate "lighting" with controlled studio work as opposed to natural, existing, or available light. The fact is, however, if you have a good working knowledge of controlled studio-like lighting methods, you will more easily recognize and effectively utilize natural or exiting light. Inversely, if you have a knack for "SEEING" natural ligh, you will be better equipped to simulate various kinds of light in a studio environment.

In some people, "seeing" the aesthetics of light, havig an "eye" for light is an inborn talent like havig and "ear" for music, however, these traits need to be developed and can much be learned.

No matter what you shoot, landscapes, birds, wildlife, flowers, insects, sports, portraits, architecture, whatever, mostly you are attempting to render a three-dimension subject on a two-dimensional sheet of paper or a flat screen. The degree of success in that area is mainly dependent on lighting. You can have the sharpest lenses, the most advanced camera with incredibly high pixel counts, and the most sophisticated lighting gear, if the aesthetics of light are not factored into your work, your images will be flat, lacklustre, and lack modelling, depth, mood, and the illusion of dimensionality.

My question here is not only "what do you know about light and lighting"? but what do you want to know, learn, share, and discuss about this topic? I know that many of the specialized volunteer-managed sections are not very popular or highly trafficked on UHH, however, do any of you feel that a LIGHTING would be an asset or a popular resource.

I have noticed many questions about various kinds of lighting gear. There are discussions of price, features, and equipmet compatibility but hardly anything about aesthetics. Folk ask should I buy umbrellas, softboxes, beauty dishes, etc. If they knew specifically how they work, differ, and how they can be used most effectively, they would be in a better position to decide on the right gear for the job at hand.

I would appreciate y'all's feedback! EnLIGHTEN me!

In this forum, thereis some discussion about lighting equipment, some discussions about the physics of light as per colour temperature and white balance, and the quantity of light as per exposure but little about the dynamics and aesthetics of light.

No doubt, the science of light is interesting, things like photons, wavelengths and spectral properties, but if you are an artistically inclined photograher there is much to discuss as to how some of the physical properties of light as to the quality, reflection, concentration, diffusion, and direction of light influence the aesthetics of our work.

Some folks associate "lighting" with controlled studio work as opposed to natural, existing, or available light. The fact is, however, if you have a good working knowledge of controlled studio-like lighting methods, you will more easily recognize and effectively utilize natural or exiting light. Inversely, if you have a knack for "SEEING" natural ligh, you will be better equipped to simulate various kinds of light in a studio environment.

In some people, "seeing" the aesthetics of light, havig an "eye" for light is an inborn talent like havig and "ear" for music, however, these traits need to be developed and can much be learned.

No matter what you shoot, landscapes, birds, wildlife, flowers, insects, sports, portraits, architecture, whatever, mostly you are attempting to render a three-dimension subject on a two-dimensional sheet of paper or a flat screen. The degree of success in that area is mainly dependent on lighting. You can have the sharpest lenses, the most advanced camera with incredibly high pixel counts, and the most sophisticated lighting gear, if the aesthetics of light are not factored into your work, your images will be flat, lacklustre, and lack modelling, depth, mood, and the illusion of dimensionality.

My question here is not only "what do you know about light and lighting"? but what do you want to know, learn, share, and discuss about this topic? I know that many of the specialized volunteer-managed sections are not very popular or highly trafficked on UHH, however, do any of you feel that a LIGHTING would be an asset or a popular resource.

I have noticed many questions about various kinds of lighting gear. There are discussions of price, features, and equipmet compatibility but hardly anything about aesthetics. Folk ask should I buy umbrellas, softboxes, beauty dishes, etc. If they knew specifically how they work, differ, and how they can be used most effectively, they would be in a better position to decide on the right gear for the job at hand.

I would appreciate y'all's feedback! EnLIGHTEN me!

You are right! Modern cameras can take a lot of the toil and guesswork out of many aspects of photography. There are many built-in features in today's camera that can quantify light and manage exposure but there is no such mechanical, digital, electronic or computer-driven function that can automatically address the artistic aspects of lighting.

The simple usage of a 2 light system with one on the camera light and one remote light is a great method for many kinds of work, including impromptu portraiture. I have personally used that system since 1958 in shooting weddings, events, press coverages and more. Even without modifiers, the results are far superior to a single on-came flash. You can conto over ligh and shadow, rendition of texture, dimensionality, and even address the effect of the inverse square law as it affects single on-came flash usage. You can say goodbye to the overexposed foreground and black-hole backgrounds.

As you mentioned, it can be difficult to predict the exact resultat, especially in a hand-held quick shooting circumstance. Most Speedlight and even more advanced on-camer strobes do not have modelling lamps so you need to be able to be to guestimate the position of you (main) off came light. There is a solution to that issue.

If you have the patience to get into a bit of basic "studio lighting", that is the placement of lights at various angles to achieve the results you want. You can even practice with ordinary lig bulbs in simple reflectors. When you get the feel of the angle, height, distance, etc. you will be able to somewhat replicate it without the use of modelling lamps. Thereis also the matter of ratio, that is the relationship between one man and fill light that determines the contrast between light and shadow and thus, the mood. That too can be predetermined by variations in the power settings.

With that 2-light system, you can create dozens of lighting forms, effects and moods.

If I can get a section going, I will put together a few tutorials in this and other methods.

The areas I would like to establish a special section is not that some of these things come not to be addressedd in the main section or the portrait or commercial sections. It's just that I would like to isolate it for someof the cross-fire that sometimes occurs where fols bring in business matters and other distractions. It will take a bit of work and participation so I will like to keep on track.

If there is more interest, I will approach the admin. and try to develop a new section.

Lighting is one area where I am clearly deficient at times. I recently signed up for a Beginning Photography class at the local JC because the person who teaches it really teaches lighting, not beginning photography. It was educational in that respect. I am not much of a portrait photographer, photographing people is my least favourite subject, but I try to apply his teachings to nature and wildlife, I'm in a second class right now, and that has been very beneficial. He often simply uses flashlights to light up subjects along with a reflector/defuser. He recently gave the assignment to photograph rim light, which I know what it is but often forget to look for it in natural settings. As luck would have it I walked past my bird feeder and the light that morning was incredible, softly filtered by clouds with the sun tipping off the edge of the clouds to create rim light and I was able to get a couple of really nice rim light shots: the lighting made all the difference. I was more aware of the rim light because of his class. (I've included two shots since someone else has already included a shot). I would be interested in knowing more about lighting but not just for people.