Lesson video

Hi, everyone.

How you doing? Hope you're feeling good today.

My name's Ms. Afzal.

I'm feeling pretty good because today, we are going to be looking at a lesson all about photography.

We're gonna be refining our photographic style through experimentation, which is pretty exciting, and I'm wondering if it's something that you're already familiar with doing, perhaps using smartphones or other apps or software.

This lesson comes from the unit "Finding your voice: an introduction to the creative process." So let's get started.

Let's take a look at refining your photographic style through experimentation.

The outcome for our lesson today is I can experiment with lighting and post-production edits.

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

We have lighting, editing, and post-production.

So, what do these words mean? Lighting refers to the way light is used to illuminate a subject, affecting mood, depth, contrast, and overall composition of an image.

Editing is the process of modifying an image through adjustments to improve its composition, clarity, and overall impact.

And post-production, this is what happens afterwards.

This refers to the process of editing and refining images after they are taken to enhance their visual impact and storytelling.

I'm excited for us to get into exploring this, and we'll see these words come up in our lesson today.

So, our lesson, "Refining your photographic style through experimentation," has two parts to it.

First of all, we'll be experimenting with lighting, and next, we'll look at editing and refinement.

Let's begin, experimenting with lighting.

Lighting plays a crucial role in setting the mood and atmosphere of a photograph.

Different types of lighting can evoke different emotions and create various visual effects.

True or false? Lighting is not an important aspect of taking a photograph.

Pause here while you decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

And why is that the case? I'd like you to justify your answer.

Turn to someone nearby and give them an explanation for your answer.

Perhaps you came up with something like this: Lighting plays a crucial role in setting the mood and atmosphere of a photograph.

We're looking at lighting in this lesson, so let's actually take a look at some photograph which is experimenting with lighting.

Take a moment to take this image in.

How would you describe the use of light in this photograph? So pause here, take a good look at this photo, and share with someone nearby how you'd describe the use of light in this photograph.

I wonder what you came up with.

Maybe something like this: So we can see that there's low light.

This photo has been underexposed.

It's mysterious, moody, atmospheric.

In an image like this, we can see that shadows dominate, making images like this feel cinematic or ominous.

This kind of lighting is used in horror, noir, and fine art photography to add emotional depth.

I wonder if you've ever seen images like this, either in films or in photography, where the lighting is used in this way.

Take a look at this next image.

Again, focus on the lighting.

How has the photographer used light in this work? How does it impact the focus of the photograph? Pause the video, share your answers to these questions with someone nearby.

So we can see there's harsh direct light here.

So you could get harsh direct light from, like in this image, the midday sun or from strong artificial light, and this creates a dramatic, high-contrast, intense effect.

We can see this lighting creates strong shadows and highlights, emphasising texture and form.

So we can really see the form of this football player more through the shadow than from the actual image of the back of the player.

And this can add a sense of drama or tension.

For example, it's used in high-contrast street photography and, as we can see here, in sports photography.

I wonder if you can recollect ever having seen images that are using this kind of harsh direct light before.

On to our next example of lighting.

Take a look at this image and the lighting being used here.

How can lighting be used to tell a story or create a mood? Pause the video, share with someone nearby.

I wonder what you came up with.

We can see here the photographer is using artificial light.

Artificial light could be street lamps, as in this image, neon, LED, or studio lights.

This can create a futuristic effect, a cinematic effect, or something quite stylized.

You could use different coloured lighting for artificial lighting.

For example, neon blues and reds can create a surreal or futuristic aesthetic.

Studio lighting setups allow precise control over highlights and shadows, and we'll be looking more at those a little later in our lesson.

Artificial lights create dramatic focus, perhaps as part of a narrative.

I find that very intriguing, and there's so much we can do with that, just how the lighting can contribute to creating a story or narrative, ideas in our minds about what may happen.

And take a look at this image here.

Again, a very different kind of lighting being used in this image.

What are the challenges of working in different lighting conditions, do you think? Perhaps thinking about an image like this one, how this has been created.

Pause the video, share with someone nearby.

Thanks for sharing.

So we can see that this image has been created using soft, natural light.

Sometimes this is called golden hour when this lighting is available, which can give a warm, calm, romantic feel.

And it's only available at some instances, certain points in time, so sunrise or sunset are particularly seen as those golden hours.

This kind of soft, natural light generates warm tones and soft shadows and can create a dreamy, peaceful feel.

It's often used for portraiture and landscape photography to add depth and warmth.

Again, I wonder if you've seen any photographs, portraits or landscape, which use this soft, natural light.

Check for understanding.

Which photograph makes use of lighting that is most likely to change throughout the day? Take a look at these two images, pause, and share with someone nearby.

Well done if you selected the first image.

Yeah, we can see that there's that golden hour, soft, natural lighting being used in this photograph.

Heather Agyepong is a photographer who uses lighting as a powerful tool to explore identity, history, and emotion in her photography.

She employs high-contrast lighting to create drama and intensity, soft, diffused light for nostalgia and vulnerability, and backlighting or silhouettes to evoke mystery and symbolism.

Her lighting choices are deeply connected to the themes of visibility, representation, and historical narratives, shaping how viewers interpret her images.

So I love how there are so many different ways in which Heather Agyepong is using lighting in her work.

And now, perhaps a little inspired by that, let's move into your first task.

I would like you to take three versions of the same subject, adjusting the lighting each time.

So you could make use of torches, household lamps, or the different times of day.

So pause here while you consider what will be your subject and how you're going to adjust the lighting each time to take three different versions of the same subject.

Enjoy your task.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Okay, it's good to be back with you.

So, I wonder how you got on with that task, taking three versions of the same subject and adjusting the lighting each time.

There are many possible outcomes that you could have come up with, but maybe you did something like this.

Let's take a look at these three images.

So we have the same subject of a door but taken in three different kinds of lighting.

So in that first image, we have this dramatic lighting.

The second image, we're using natural light coming in through the open door there.

And in the third image, we've got some artificial light being used.

So three really quite different outcomes based upon three different kinds of lighting.

Now I'd like you to annotate your photographs for the next part of your task, describing how the lighting changed the mood, narrative, or focus.

So pause the video while you do this.

Okay, great to be back with you.

How did you get on with annotating your photographs, describing how the lighting changed the mood, narrative, or focus? And again, of course there are many possible outcomes, but perhaps you said something like this, let's take a look at this image here of the dramatic lighting: So, the dramatic lighting in this photograph creates a strong sense of mystery and tension.

The contrast between the deep shadows and the slither of light seeping through the door suggests something unknown or hidden beyond.

The darkness surrounding the door isolates it, adding to the intensity of the scene and emphasising the contrast between what is seen and what remains in shadow.

Pretty intriguing, I think.

Love that.

Here's the next version: So the natural daylight here streaming through the stained glass door creates a warm and uplifting atmosphere.

The vibrant colours of the glass are illuminated, casting soft reflections that add depth and energy to the image.

The way the light filters through highlights the details of the design, making it the focal point of the composition.

This lighting enhances the mood, evoking a sense of peace, hope, and beauty.

So really quite a different feel there.

And finally, here we have the artificial lighting, which, in this photograph, creates a neutral and straightforward atmosphere.

The door is clearly visible with a common light bulb reflected on it, making it feel ordinary and functional.

There is little emphasis on texture or depth, keeping the focus purely on the shape and presence of the door itself.

This lighting choice removes any strong mood or narrative, making the image feel static and everyday.

Great to see those three contrasting uses of lighting.

And now on to the next part of our lesson, editing and refinement.

This is where we really get into it.

Photographers use post-production adjustments and editing to refine their images, enhance their visual impact, and better communicate their artistic intent.

Post-production is an essential part of the photographic process, allowing for both subtle edits and dramatic transformations.

Post-production adjustments can refine highlights and shadows, exposure and contrast, white balance and colour grading, and cropping and composition.

And we'll look at each of these.

So in terms of highlights and shadows, someone to take a look at is Dawoud Bey.

His portraiture, especially in Harlem, USA, and "The Birmingham Project," is known for his carefully controlled lighting and post-production refinement.

He often softens highlights and subtly lifts shadows to bring out the expressive qualities of his subjects.

Well worth checking out.

Highlights are when we adjust the brightest parts of an image to prevent overexposure or enhance details in illuminated areas.

And shadows, when we work with shadows, we are lifting the dark areas to reveal hidden details or indeed deepening them for a moody effect.

Pause the video while you decide which photograph makes use of deep shadows.

Yep, you got it.

It's the one on the left.

Can see those long, deep shadows.

Let's explore exposure and contrast.

Zanele Muholi, a South African visual activist and photographer, is known for their striking black and white portraitures, particularly in the "Somnyama Ngonyama" series.

They use extreme contrast editing to darken skin tones, emphasising the subject's power and presence.

This digital enhancement is used to challenge historical representations of people of colour and reclaims Black identity through photography.

Another artist very well worth checking out.

Exposure is brightening or darkening an image to correct underexposed, too dark, or overexposed, too bright, photos.

Contrast is increasing the difference between light and dark areas to make images more dynamic, or indeed reducing the contrast for a softer, muted effect.

Which of these photographs makes use of increased contrast? Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you selected the photo on the right.

Yes, absolutely, we can see how the contrast has been taken up on this image.

White balance and colour grading.

Rinko Kawauchi, known for her dreamlike, poetic photography, uses subtle colour grading and soft focus effects to create a delicate, almost otherworldly aesthetic.

She often enhances light and pastel tones, slightly reducing contrast to create a sense of tranquillity and emotional resonance.

White balance is correcting the colour temperature to ensure natural-looking whites or creatively shifting warm/cool tones to influence mood.

And colour grading is adjusting tones to create a cinematic effect.

Warm tones for nostalgia, cool tones for detachment, or desaturated colours for a timeless look.

Pause here while you decide which photograph makes use of soft, warm tones.

Well done if you selected the image on the left.

Absolutely, this has the softer, warmer tones in it.

Cropping and composition.

Dayanita Singh often works in black and white and explores themes of memory, archives, and storytelling.

Her work frequently involves editing to crop and reframe images to emphasise particular details, change context, or create new relationships between photographs.

She often presents her images in book formats or modular exhibitions, where cropping and sequencing play a vital role in shaping meaning.

So intriguing.

Cropping is reframing an image to improve composition, remove distractions, or apply compositional rules.

For example, the rule of thirds or leading lines.

Straightening is correcting tilted horizons or misaligned subjects for a cleaner composition.

Pause the video while you decide which of these photographs makes use of cropping to focus the viewer's gaze.

Well done if you selected the image on the right, which we can see has been cropped so we are focusing in on the wave, on the vehicle.

Post-production adjustments and edits can also add or reduce texture and clarity, apply filters and artistic effects, combine and juxtapose different images to create effects, retouch and repair.

And now it's time for your final task.

I would like you to choose one of your previously taken photographs and edit it.

Using editing software or apps, use one or a combination of post-production adjustments to either enhance existing mood, e.

g.

making a dramatic photo even more intense, transform the mood, for example, shifting a neutral lit image to feel more atmospheric and dramatic.

Save both the original and edited versions for comparison.

So, I hope you enjoy this task, and I'll see you when you're finished editing your photograph.

All right, it's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with editing your photograph? There are many possible outcomes, but perhaps you did something like this.

Maybe you softened the highlights and shadows, decreased the contrast and created a calmer and softer effect.

Maybe you emphasised the warm tones for an ethereal and mysterious narrative.

Hmm, really, really interesting.

We can see such a contrast there between those two images.

Well done for refining, exploring, experimenting.

In our lesson today, "Refining your photographic style through experimentation," we have covered the following.

Lighting plays a crucial role in setting the mood and atmosphere of a photograph.

Photographers use post-production adjustments and editing to refine their images, enhance their visual impact, and better communicate their artistic intent.

Well done, everyone, for joining in with this lesson.

Was fantastic exploring lighting with you and the way that it can make such a difference to photograph.

And also, I loved how you got involved with that post-production, refining and editing your images.

And maybe you can check out some of those artists that we mentioned as well.

There are so many wonderful photographers that can inspire us with our experimentation.

Wishing you well, see you at another lesson soon.