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Atmospheric   Perspective
Existing Light - 14209_136

Photography (Basic) - Introduction to photography and other graphic techniques
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photographed as lighter in color than they would be at a closer  distance. Color saturation–The scattering of light not only affects contrast and brightness but also color saturation. Color is defined by three qualities: hue (the actual wavelength), saturation (intensity or chroma), and brightness (reflective). A pure hue is fully saturated or undiluted. When a hue is desaturated or diluted, it is no longer pure but has gray intermingled with it. The actual colors of a distant scene appear to have less color saturation, because the light is scattered and also because of the overall presence of the desaturated (diluted) blue light of aerial haze. The original scene colors appear less saturated or pure when seen or photographed from a distance than from close-up; therefore, color saturation or desaturation allows the viewer  to  perceive  distance  in  a  color  photograph. Sharpness–Because  of  atmospheric  haze,  there  is a loss of image sharpness or definition in distant objects. This loss of sharpness is caused both by the lowering of contrast and the scattering of light. The loss of sharpness contributes to a sense of distance. This can be enhanced by setting the far limit of the lens depth of field just short of infinity. This procedure throws the most distant objects slightly out of focus. This combined with the other effects of aerial perspective intensities the sense of  distance. PHOTOGRAPHIC LIGHTING In  this  discussion  of  lighting,  the  basic  lighting techniques  used  by  photographers  are  presented. Lighting used primarily with a certain segment of photography, such as motion picture, TV, portrait, and studio, are discussed in the chapters relevant to that particular  subject. OUTDOOR LIGHTING As a photographer, you work with light to produce quality  pictures.  The  color,  direction,  quantity,  and quality of the light you use determines how your subjects appear. In the studio, with artificial light sources, you can precisely control these four effects; however, most of the pictures you make are taken outdoors. Daylight and sunlight are not a constant source,  because  they  change  hourly  and  with  the weather, season, location, and latitude. This changing daylight can alter the apparent shapes, colors, tones, and forms of a scene. The color of sunlight changes most rapidly at the extreme ends of the day. Strong color changes also occur during storms, haze, or mist and on blue wintery days. The direction of light changes as the sun moves across the sky. The shape and direction of shadows are altered, and the different directions of sunlight  greatly  affect  the  appearance  of  a  scene. The quality of sunlight depends on its strength and direction. Strong, direct sunlight is “hard” because it produces dark, well-defined shadows and brilliant highlights, with strong modeling of form. Sunlight is hardest on clear summer days at noon. Strong sunlight makes strong colors more brilliant, but weak colors pale. Sunlight is diffused by haze, mist, and pollution in the air. This diffused or reflected light is softer; it produces weak, soft shadows and dull highlights. Directionless, diffused sunlight is often called “flat” lighting because it produces fine detail but subdues or flattens form. Weak,   directionless   sunlight   provides   vibrant, well-saturated   colors. Frontlighting The old adage about keeping the sun at your back is a  good  place  to  continue  our  discussion  of  outdoor lighting. The type of lighting created when the sun is in back of the photographer is called frontlighting. This over-the-shoulder  lighting  was  probably  the  first photographic  advice  you  ever  received.  This  may  seem to be a universal recipe for good photography. But it is not. The case against over-the-shoulder lighting is it produces a flattened effect, doing nothing to bring out detail or provide an impression of depth. The human eye sees in three dimensions and can compensate for poor lighting.  A  photograph  is  only  two-dimensional; therefore, to give an impression of form, depth, and texture  to  the  subject,  you  should  ideally  have  the  light come from the side or at least at an angle. Side  Lighting As you gain experience with various types of outdoor lighting, you discover that interesting effects can  be  achieved  by  changing  the  angle  of  the  light  falling on your subject. As you turn your subject, change the camera viewpoint, or wait for the sun to move, the light falls more on one side, and more shadows are cast on the opposite side of the subject. For pictures in which rendering  texture  is  important,  side  lighting  is  ideal. Look at a brick wall, first in direct front sunlight and then in side lighting. Direct, front sunlight shows the pattern of the bricks and mortar in a flat, uninformative 5-27







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