UNIT 5 LAB QUESTIONS Lighting in Photography
The effective use of light in photography is a complex concept and an even more complex skill to master. In addition to the wide array of tools and techniques that exist when it comes to lighting in photography, a photographer also has to consider what type of lighting works best for the specific type of photograph they are taking or the photographic effect they are trying to achieve!
Whew! Are you feeling overwhelmed already?
Well, don't worry, the basic objective for this lab is to create something that will help you – and potentially, other photographers – feel less overwhelmed about understanding and using lighting in photography!
For this lab, you will be creating a sort of "Lighting in Photography Cheat Sheet" to help highlight the most essential and most basic facts, tips, and concepts regarding light and photography.
You will want to start by compiling and collecting the information that you plan to include in this 'Cheat Sheet' from the unit and from online research (that you will perform for this lab).
While you do have some autonomy in deciding what you want to include on your 'Cheat Sheet', and even more autonomy with how you will organize and format it, there are some requirements that you will need to follow:
• Definitions, explanations/tips for best practices (when applicable), and examples of each:
o Frontlighting, Backlighting, Sidelighting
o Existing light photography
o Natural lighting
o Studio lighting
 Continuous and flash lights
o Umbrellas and reflectors
• Provide an example of a photograph (found online) that you feel makes excellent use of lighting in general and include a brief explanation.
The above requirements are the minimum of what you need to include on your sheet – feel free to include more information, additional concepts, or more tips regarding lighting and photography.
Keep in mind that the goal of this lab is to create a quick reference sheet that provides useful and applicable information in a concise and easy-to-digest format. This means that lengthy paragraphs are not ideal, and you will likely want to opt for bullet points, lists, and any other visual tools that contribute to making your information more easily digestible.
You can create this 'Cheat Sheet' as a word processing document or as a slideshow presentation, whatever you feel will best support the information that you are trying to express. Please include a list of websites and resources that you used in your research, especially for any images that you include as examples. Refer to the rubric below for more information on how you will be graded.