Photography Lighting
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Lenses • Filters • Lighting • Camera Accessories
Light is necessary in photography. It affects the mood and style
of the picture and creates the image. This light may be natural
sunlight or supplemental, artificial light. You may choose to
photograph outdoors using natural light and shadows, or you may wish to
use daylight indoors with light coming through a window or doorway.
The other option is to use artificial light. These light sources
may be incandescent lights, fluorescent lights, vapor discharge lamps,
or even mixed lighting in indoor spaces. Even lighting itself, such
as lighting displays or city lights, may be the subject of a photograph!
Cameras shops are good sources for photographic lighting equipment and accessories such as flash units, studio lights, and reflectors. These lighting products are designed to work with cameras. While a standard built-in flash unit provides all-around light, commercial photographers often use continuous studio lighting that can be arranged in imaginative ways. Professional photographers need to precisely plan and arrange their lighting for shooting portraits, products, or on-location images. The way in which a photo subject is lit has an important effect on the texture and detail of the resulting photograph, while the lighting quality will affect the tone of the image.
An on-camera flash accessory is the most useful piece of supplemental
lighting equipment. Flash units are compact and easy to use.
They may be built into the camera body and pop up, be attached via a shoe
accessory on the camera, or be attached via a sync cable. Some shoe
units can swivel in order to control the lighting direction. Cable
attached flash units can be held away from the camera to provide more
flexible lighting control.
A reflector is also a handy investment. A white reflector can be used to fill shadows with light when shooting subjects in sunlight or when shooting portraits, still-life objects, and close-up photos. Using a reflector to block direct sunlight may diffuse the natural light more evenly and help a subject avoid squinting.
Camera shops typically offer a broad spectrum of professional lighting equipment. They provide continuous lighting and strobe lighting products as well as related studio lighting accessories. Some camera shops also offer light box lighting systems, which are primarily used for product photography such as jewelry or other small items. They provide shadow-free light wrapped around small objects, enabling photographers to obtain sharp, close-up images.
All of the major camera manufacturers offer external flash units, but you can find more information about third-party external flash units at SR Electronics. For more information about studio lighting, visit Chimera, FJ Westcott, Photo Flex, Photogenic, and Smith Victor. For more information about lighting reflectors, visit Sunbounce, Lastolite, and Larson. For more information about light boxes, visit MK Digital Direct.
While you may not need the extensive and expensive lighting equipment required by professionals, camera shops can also provide economical lighting solutions to help you light your perfect image.
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