"Interactive" Lighting Tip

[PeterToronto]

Here's my most recent blog entry. I hope that you enjoy the read.

I find myself constantly looking at light. It's not uncommon for me to fixate more on light than on anything else these days. Soft golden evening light, harsh midday light, blue moonlight, and the yellow moody light that you often witness immediately prior to a storm all provide me with different photographic opportunities. I look at how light wraps around, bounces off, or creates contrast with people, places, and things. I would go so far as to say that my relationship with light is all consuming.

In order to avoid flat, dull, and uninspired images, look for interesting and "interactive" light. By interactive, I mean the interaction created by light between subject and shadow. Interactive light creates a dynamic atmosphere. In that interesting light, you will undoubtedly find interesting shadows. Shadows then become the primary subjects in and of themselves.

Whether it's the mystery that darkness provides, or the gestalt nature of our senses filling in the blanks caused by shadows, our eyes are drawn to the contrast and micro contrast of shadows. Shadows tend to enhance the look of most subjects, because they present those subjects in a context filled with mood and/or emotion. This is especially true when it comes to black & white photography. Tonality in black & white images is what leads to dynamic photos. The next time that you're out with your camera, look for that interactive light, because interactive light will lead you to interesting images.

If you found this helpful or interesting, there's more on my website.

Peace
Peter

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