What are some ways to experiment with light?

[Treymac]

Hey guys. In my photography course we are supposed to experiment with light. I've taken some photos of candle light on my cat, street lights, and window light. But nothing is standing out as something really interesting done with light. Does anybody have any interesting ideas of what I could do with light in photos? Thanks.

 

[StreetShark]

Hey guys. In my photography course we are supposed to experiment with light. I've taken some photos of candle light on my cat, street lights, and window light. But nothing is standing out as something really interesting done with light. Does anybody have any interesting ideas of what I could do with light in photos? Thanks.

Try a long exposure of a street at night.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Everything you do with light in a photo is interesting.
But are you talking about experimenting with light sources? Reflectors? Lighting effects? The separation of light into it's component colours using a prism? Interference effects? Reflections? Polarisation? Calculating it's speed in a vacuum? Measuring the energy level in a specific photon?
Could you be more specific as to what you are being asked to do?

 

[Don Simon]

Does anybody have any interesting ideas of what I could do with light in photos? Thanks.

Try see what you can do without light in photography - not a lot

 

[teachflute]

I had a similar assignment in a photography course. I took a single red rose in a bud vase (yes, cliche, I know) and photographed it with as many different light sources possible. Because I used the same subject, I really could focus on light and the effects it had on my subject.

 

[Mike_E]

Go outside and take the same shot of whatever every 30 minutes. From Just before dawn till it gets dark again. You might want to take one every 5 min for the time right around sunrise and sunset.

 

[Garbz]

Try pointing your camera at the light and depressing the shutter.

Photography is about controling light. Your question is vague enough to cover waiting till 6:02pm for the perfect light over Sydney Harbour, to using a reflector and a photo flash to light a subject which is back light by the sun in portraiture, to taking pictures of stars at night.

 

[Treymac]

Hey. Our assinment was very vague, here is what is says "Make a series of images by experimenting with various types of light." It's very vague so it's basically just to make interesting photos with light.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Hey. Our assinment was very vague, here is what is says "Make a series of images by experimenting with various types of light." It's very vague so it's basically just to make interesting photos with light.

There are only four types of light in photography:
Direct Hard; Direct Soft; Reflected Hard; Reflected Soft.

Get going.

 

[canto_xii]

Try subjects that are backlit/sidelit/frontlit and also, if you have an external flash, try setting up a long exposure on a tripod for several seconds and firing your flash a few times on and around your subject. This is sometimes referred to as "painting with light".

 

[bytch_mynickname]

Painting with light is fun but sometimes it can be hard to get it just right so that you can tell it was painted with light versus a regular exposure.

I tried and tried for an effect of taking a paintbrush and using a flashlight in total darkness to make it look like I was literally "painting" with light on a white posterboard. I failed, I could not get the effect I was looking to get. I suspect it would be easier with the right type of flashlight. Luckily it wasn't an assignment or anything, just my own experimenting. One day, I will get what I was trying to achieve.

 

[RKW3]

What I did::

Real early in the morning the sun shines right through my window. So I woke up early, got my dog in a dark chair, and the sun's light coming through the window lit him perfectly. The picture came out very nice, and the light in it was very noticeable.

 

[Treymac]

Thanks guys. A lot of great tips to help me out.