Lesson video

Hello, my name is Ms. Batru.

I hope that you are all doing well.

I'm really looking forward to teaching and learning with you today.

Our learning outcome for this lesson is, I understand how lighting affects photographs and can experiment with using light creatively.

Our keywords for today are lighting, light source, and mood.

Let's explore each keyword in turn to to find out what they mean.

Okay, lighting, how light illuminates the subject of a photograph.

Light source, the source of light identified in a picture, including natural and artificial light.

Mood, the feeling or atmosphere a photo creates.

Okay, our lesson outline, Picture taking: lighting.

So let's start with our first learning cycle, natural versus artificial.

Okay, what are the similarities and differences between the lighting in these two photographs? Please pause for a moment here and make a note of your responses, and resume when you are ready.

Lighting is one of the most important elements in photography.

It has the power to transform a photograph, shaping its mood, tone, and clarity.

The way light falls can dramatically change how we see and understand it, helping us tell different stories through the photographs we take.

Changes in compositional principles and lighting can mean the same or similar subjects look different.

They tell different stories to the viewer.

Spend a moment here observing both of these photographs, or what kinds of stories can you create from these images in terms of lighting and composition? Make a note of your ideas.

Photography practise is often divided into studio and outdoors, and a major difference between these two strands is the light source.

In a studio, a photographer has more control over changes in lighting.

The light source is artificial light or lights.

So take a moment here to observe the image of a typical studio set up with the different lighting components.

Portrait photographers, who use studio lighting to control their images, whether that's to create dramatic shadows, eliminate shadows altogether, or give their subject greater clarity, include Cephus Williams, who used studio lighting in his Arndale series to carefully control shadows and highlights, creating intimate portraits that emphasise texture and character.

And Cindy Sherman, in Untitled #355 in the year 2000, used direct lighting to exaggerate makeup and costume details, creating a satirical, unsettling portrait that critiques beauty standards.

Maud Sulter uses strong lighting and formal compositions for In Terpsichore, from Zabat, to place a Black woman in the role of a classical muse, challenging historical exclusion.

Okay, let's have a check-in for understanding.

Which of the following uses studio or artificial light? Spend a few moments here observing each image before selecting your answer.

Let's pause here for a moment.

Okay, the answer is C.

When shooting outdoors, the sun provides a powerful light source.

It provides natural light.

This can be unreliable, however, as photographers shooting outdoors have less control over lighting and have to risk the elements and work with the changes.

Let's have a check-in for understanding with this statement, photographing outdoors provides a reliable and highly controllable source of light when conducting a photoshoot.

Is this true or false? Spend a moment here to think about your answer, and we will resume shortly.

The answer is false.

When shooting outdoors, a photographer has to consider weather conditions and cannot control the direction or strength of the sun.

Okay, let's continue with our first task.

Task A.

Number one, consider the pros and cons of natural and artificial light sources or indoor or outdoor shooting.

You could discuss or create lists for each, weighing up the advantages and disadvantages.

Just as illustrated in this table here, you could have one column for pros and column for cons.

So please pause the video here to complete this practical task, and resume when you are ready.

Let's look at potential outcomes.

So your task to consider the pros and cons of natural and artificial light sources or indoor or outdoor shooting.

There are many possible outcomes.

So Aisha says, "I think that the sun could give a really bright source of light, and I like the different ways the light can move and play on the subject." And Sofia says, "I like to create portraits in the studio so I can really control the lighting and convey the subject's story.

Okay, let's continue on our journey by focusing on the next learning cycle, which is the direction of light.

How would you describe the way this sculpture has been lit in this photograph? Which direction is the light source coming from? Pause here for a moment to answer these questions, and we'll resume shortly.

In photography, the direction of light plays a big role in how an image looks and feels.

Understanding how to use the direction of light helps photographers to create more powerful and creative images.

Okay, front lighting lights up the subject evenly, reducing shadows and giving a clear but flat look.

Shona Louise uses front lighting in some of her outdoor shoots to create clear, evenly lit portraits, allowing her subjects to be seen with honesty and clarity.

Backlighting comes from behind the subject and can create silhouettes or a glowing effect, adding mood and atmosphere.

Okay, let's take a moment here to check in for understanding.

What's the purpose of front lighting? Does it A, lights up the subject evenly, or B, comes from behind the subject, or C, lights up the subject unevenly? Take a moment here to pause and think about your answer.

Which one do you think it is? The answer is A, lights up the subject evenly.

Okay, let's continue to explore direction of light.

Okay, side lighting adds strong shadows and depth to one side, making the subject appear more dramatic and three-dimensional.

Celeste Pavlik uses side lighting to add depth and drama, highlighting texture and the emotional intensity of her subjects.

Can you see the impact of side lighting in the image? Top lighting, like sunlight at midday, casts shadows downward and can be quite harsh.

Mick Rock used top lighting in his iconic Queen photo to create a dramatic, theatrical effect to sculpt the band's faces with shadow and light.

Take a moment here to observe the image.

Can you see the direction of light coming from the top and casting shadows downwards? Okay, and now we're looking at under lighting, from below, and this creates spooky or unusual effects.

Take a moment here to observe this in the image on the screen.

Okay, let's do a check-in for understanding.

Top lighting, A, adds strong shadows and depth to one side, does it B, cast shadows downward, or C cast shadows upwards? What do you think top lighting means? Take a moment here to pause and think about your answer.

Okay, and the answer is B, top lighting casts shadows downward.

Let's continue with task B for our direction of light focus.

Number one, choose a subject and experiment with different types of directional lighting.

You could use any combination of artificial or natural lighting for your photographs.

They don't have to be portraits or faces.

Front lighting, backlighting, side lighting, top lighting, and under lighting.

Pause the video here and spend some time whilst you complete the practical task.

Resume when you are ready.

Okay, so we're tasked to choose a subject and experiment with different types of directional lighting.

There are many possible outcomes.

So Sofia says, "I backlit this leaf to get a glowing effect.

If the leaf did not allow the light through, it might have created a silhouette." Okay, let's have a look and see what Jacob says and the image that he's created.

"I played around with the effects of top lighting from the sun.

I like the shadows that are cast because of it." Okay.

Let's focus now on our third learning cycle, mood through light.

Okay, mood through light.

What mood does this photograph evoke and why? Spend a few moments here to think about this photograph, the composition and the lighting.

What kind of mood does it create and evoke in you? Okay, mood refers to the emotional atmosphere of a photograph.

It could feel peaceful, eerie, joyful, dramatic, romantic, or lonely.

Subject, composition, and lighting in a photograph can have a big impact on the mood.

Okay, let's have a check-in for understanding looking at mood through light.

Is the following statement, true or false? Mood refers to the technical approach used in a photograph.

Is this true or false? Pause here for a moment and think about your answer, and then we'll resume shortly.

Okay, answer is false.

Well, why might this be? Mood refers to the emotional atmosphere of a photograph, and not the technical.

The type, direction, colour, and intensity of light can all influence how a photo feels and the story it tells.

What emotion or atmosphere is being communicated here? Spend a moment to think about this question and make a note of your answer.

Resume when you are ready.

In early photography, artists relied entirely on light, shadow, contrast, and tone to create mood because colour film didn't exist or wasn't widely available.

Movements like Pictorialism and styles like film noir used soft lighting or strong contrasts to express emotions such as melancholy, fear, or intimacy.

Let's have a check in here for understanding with the following statement.

True or false? In early photography, artists relied entirely on colour film.

Is this true or false? Pause for a moment here and think about your answer, and we'll resume again shortly.

Okay, what did you think? The answer is false.

Well, why might this be? In early photography, artists relied entirely on light, shadow, contrast and tone to create mood because colour film didn't exist or wasn't widely available.

Okay, let's continue our journey.

Pictorialism was an early photographic movement largely rooted in Western artistic traditions.

Artists aim to elevate photography to the level of fine art, much like painting.

Photographers such as Julia Margaret Cameron and Sophie Harris-Taylor embraced soft focus, diffused natural light, and painterly compositions to convey deep emotion and atmosphere.

These artists often used window light and long exposures, which added a dreamlike quality to their portraits.

Artists from around the world were also engaging with light and mood in photography and visual art in powerful ways.

In India, Raja Deen Dayal, a pioneering 19th century court photographer, used carefully composed lighting in his portraits of Indian royals and elites to convey dignity, spirituality, and stillness.

In Japan, early Meiji-era photographers like Kusakabe Kimbei hand-colored their images with delicate light washes, blending photography and painting to depict daily life with mood and warmth.

Mood through lighting was explored globally.

Low-key lighting, famously seen in Western film noir, was also used by photographers across Africa, Asia, and Latin America to portray everyday struggles and shifting cultural identities.

In South Africa, Ernest Cole used shadow and light to powerful effect in his covert 1950s to '60s documentation of apartheid.

In Mexico, Manuel Alvarez Bravo created emotionally resonant images using shadows, side lighting, and symbolism to explore death, dignity, and Mexican identity, blending surrealism with cultural realism.

These practises demonstrate how lighting and mood were tools of storytelling, resistance, and pride, not just aesthetic choices.

Okay, let's continue our journey with task C from mood through light.

Number one, choose an emotion and photograph a scene or portrait using light to express it.

Experiment with black and white, colour, or both.

You could choose from the following or select your own, joy, fear, hope, and solitude.

Pause the video here to complete this practical task, and resume when you are ready.

Okay, let's look at some examples in response to this task.

You were tasked to choose an emotion and photograph a scene or portrait using light to express it.

So Aisha's response was, "I was inspired by photographers who use soft, diffused sunlight and domestic settings.

I used my bedroom window.

The mood is calm and serene." So pause here for a moment or two and have a look at this photograph to see how she's achieved this mood.

Okay, we've now arrived at our summary around picture taking with a focus on lighting.

Lighting is one of the most important elements in photography.

Photography can be in a studio or outdoors, and a major difference between these two strands is the light source.

The direction of light source plays a big role in how an image looks and feels.

Subject, composition, and lighting in a photograph can have a big impact on the mood.

In early photography, pre-color, artists relied on light, shadow, contrast, and tone.

I hope you've enjoyed this lesson today and this journey of exploring light.

Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you next time.

Take care, and bye for now.