Lesson video

Hi, I'm Ms. Blue, and I'm really excited to be learning with you today.

I hope you find our lesson as interesting as I do.

Let's get started.

The outcome of this lesson is I can review the range of ways photographers have been inspired by light and dark in photography.

Let's go over our keywords.

Silhouette, a dark shape or outline of something against a lighter background, showing only the outline with no internal detail.

Contrast, the difference between elements like light and dark or rough and smooth that makes parts of the design stand out.

Let's start with a photographer spotlight on light and dark.

How have light and dark been used in this work to create visual interest and meaning? Pause the video while you formulate a response.

There are many reasons why light and dark are popular themes in photography.

Light and dark are also explored through many techniques in photography.

Some of the themes and techniques that use light and dark are: high contrast to create impact, to communicate mood and atmosphere, symbolism, to create silhouettes, light installation.

Some photographers use light and dark to create mood, atmosphere and contrast.

This technique creates impactful photos that are eye-catching.

Using high contrast allows photographs to visually stand out.

What other ways can light and dark be used in photography? Perhaps look at this image as an inspiration.

Pause a video where you come up with some ideas.

Let's test your knowledge.

What is contrast used for? Is it A, to achieve flat shapes and patterns with block printing, B, to great impactful photos using light and dark, C, to draw with only outlines using charcoal or ink, or D, to mix bright colours together with rare pigments.

Pause the video while you come up with the correct answer.

If you said B, you would be correct.

Contrast is used to create impactful photos using light and dark.

Photographers featuring high contrast in their work include: Hiroshi Sugimoto is renowned for his minimalist long exposure black-and-white photographs which create striking contrasts.

Benji Reid uses dramatic lighting and shadows to confront identity and mental health, creating visually powerful narratives about vulnerability and strength.

Chris Killip creates gritty, high-contrast images capturing working class life, underscoring both challenge and dignity.

Light and dark can also symbolise different things across different cultures and art movements.

What do you think the light and dark in this photograph symbolises? Pause the video while you come up with your response.

<v ->Let's hear from Laura,</v> who says, "The light and dark here reflects Yin and Yang, a Chinese concept of balance." Jun adds, "It's about how opposite forces need each other to exist and remain in balance." Photographers exploring light and dark conceptually in their works include: Evgen Bavcar creates poetic imagery exploring nature and human existence through subtle graduations of light and dark.

Graciela Iturbide makes images rich in cultural symbolism using natural light and shadows to evoke the mystical and spiritual qualities of everyday life.

Pogus Caesar often explores racial identity and memory through strong contrasts in black-and-white photography.

The symbolism of light and dark can vary.

For example, in Lakota culture, black symbolises honour, respect and adulthood, and is linked to natural forces.

While white represents life and intellect.

In Hinduism, light signifies knowledge, truth and divine presence, and dark links to ignorance.

Do you know any other interpretations? Pause the video while you come up with some ideas.

Photographers use silhouettes to create strong contrast and explore ideas like identity, mystery and storytelling.

What does this silhouette make you think about? Pause the video while you decide.

Photographers making use of stylized forms and silhouettes in their work include: Mikael Owunna creates stylized portraits using light and dark motifs to explore identity, heritage and transformation.

Kirsty Mitchell makes fantastical, cinematic images exploring themes of loss and memory through dramatic contrasts.

Vivian Sassen uses shadow and light to create abstract, surreal compositions, often blending into geometric shapes.

Let's decide if this statement is true or false, photographers only use silhouettes to show detailed features and realistic textures.

Pause the video while you decide if this is true or false.

If you said false, you would be correct.

Why? Because silhouettes are normally not used to show fine details, but instead focus on strong shapes and contrasts.

This helps photographers highlight emotions, create mystery, and explore themes like identity and storytelling without relying on specific details.

Photographers can use light and dark as a medium by incorporating light sources, creating light installations, or by decreasing shutter speed to draw light and capture motion.

Think about this image.

Can you think of any other examples of a light installation? Pause the video while you decide.

Photographers using light and dark as a metaphor to explore other themes include: Jo Spence uses light and dark in photography as metaphors for life and death, confronting illness, mortality and social issues.

Brooke Shaden uses moody, low-key lighting and shadow to create haunting narratives which delve into fantasy.

Zanele Muhoili employs light and dark to emphasise identity, resilience and visibility amid societal challenges.

Select two or three photographers now or specific photographs and compare them.

Consider these questions.

In what ways are the photographs visually similar or different? Think about subject, composition, lighting, focus, exposure, colour, and style.

What themes, symbols or ideas do the photographs explore? Are there any connections between them? Which techniques, processes or creative choices in these photographs inspire you and how might you see them in your own work? Pause the video while you work on this task.

You may have said something like Alex, "Graciela Iturbide uses light and dark to explore identity with a documentary and poetic tone, whereas Vivian Sassen's work uses light and dark to fragment and obscure the human form and environment." Aisha says, "Both Jo Spence and Chris Killip use stark black-and-white photography with strong contrasts of light and dark to explore social realities.

Spence focuses on personal illness, while Killip documents working-class life." Here's another interpretation of the task.

This person has selected Hiroshi Sugimoto and Evgen Bavcar.

They've said on the left that Hiroshi focuses on the architectural spaces and geometry, evokes timelessness and the infinite, long exposures and high contrasts.

Whereas Evgen Bavcar uses human figures as a central focus, explores the interplay between nature and humanity, subtle graduations of light and shadow.

In common they both exploit black-and-white photography and use contemplative, minimalist images.

Now let's have a look at photographic deconstruction on light and dark.

Photographers use various techniques to communication their work: things like composition, focus, lighting and exposure, the element of art, line, tone, colour, pattern, shape, form, and texture, digital photo manipulation tools or other camera techniques, imagery and subject.

We can deconstruct these techniques to understand the work more deeply.

Let's test your knowledge.

Using light and dark in photography means all images must be black-and-white.

Pause the video while you decide if this statement is true or false.

If you said false, you would be correct.

Why? Because while black-and-white photographs are common when exploring light and dark as they help to show contrast clearly, photographers also use many other techniques like lighting, exposure, line, shape, texture, subject, and composition to share ideas.

How are photography techniques used in this work? Pause the video while you come up with some ideas.

For one, there is high contrast between light and dark, which balances the image.

It's difficult to read some areas of reflection and shadow, giving a surreal, abstract quality.

Sweeping lines and geometric shapes can be found in the buildings.

The silhouette of the figure adds narrative.

Isolating the building and a figure suggests the theme might be on relationships, people and places.

The comparison has been considered, framing the reflections, windows and shadows well.

When light changes to dark in an image, it can create either a hard or soft edge.

How do you think this affects the mood or focus of this photograph? Pause the video while you formulate some ideas.

Hard and soft edges help show focus and depth in photographs.

Think about how sharp and clear this image is.

Look at the hard edges.

While here, there are softer edges, it's blurry or gradually shifting.

Lets test your knowledge.

Which of the following most accurately explains the difference between a hard edge and a soft edge? Is A, hard and soft edges are the same but use different materials, B, hard edges are made of warm colours and soft edges cool, or C, hard edges are sharp while soft edges are blended, or D, hard edges are used in backgrounds while soft edges in the front only.

Pause the video while you choose the correct answer.

If you said C, you would be correct.

Hard edges are sharp while soft edges are blended.

What is the effect of this use of hard and soft edges? Pause the video while you come up with some ideas.

Andeep says, "Using hard and soft edges in this design shows how light interacts with different objects and forms. The soft shadow creates atmosphere, while the hard edges divides the composition." What is the effect of the use of hard and soft edges in this work? Pause the video here to decide while you work on some ideas.

Aisha says, "The hard edges of light and shadow help to define the scene with depth and distance.

The reflected light in the floors are diffused and it becomes less clearly defined.

It makes the scene appear more dream-like." Now select one photograph and describe it.

Describe: what you can see in the photograph, composition, focus, lighting and exposure, the elements of art, line, tone, colour, pattern, shape, form, texture, digital photo manipulation tools or other camera techniques, imagery and subject.

How the photographer used these techniques to communicate with the audience.

You might record this as an idea shower around an image of the photo, write a paragraph, or create an audio or film recording of your ideas.

Pause the video while you work on this task.

You may have said something like this.

This photograph is an abstract photograph, which has been created by using a long exposure to record the movement of light and colour.

High contrast makes the light seem more luminous in the dark.

They've used a warm to cool colour palette.

Lines of light sweep horizontally across the composition.

The photographer has not stabilised the camera, putting it out-of-focus, possibly through intentional jittery movements to experiment.

Here's another example.

In this photograph, there are a few soft edges of light and shadow, and hard edges are used to create an impactful image.

Strong contrast between the sky and architectural forms. The windows and buildings are in focus, making them clearly defined.

The composition balances space with subject.

Exposure settings create a neutral tone and spacious sky.

Now let's have a look at personal connection in photography on light and dark.

How can looking at a photographer's work help us to develop our own work? You can see how looking at this artwork has informed this student's outcome.

Aisha says, "Photos that explore light and dark through similar themes can develop my ideas more than just similar techniques or imagery." Sofia says, "I can look at techniques used to show light and dark and try to apply them to my theme." Alex says, "Similar use of light or dark imagery can inspire, even if the concept is different." Now let's fill the gap.

We can look at other photographer's work to gain inspiration through techniques, blank and themes, helping to develop and enrich their own creative ideas.

Pause the video while you fill in the correct word into the space.

If you said imagery, you could be correct.

You can look at other photographer's work to gain inspiration through techniques, imagery and themes, helping to develop and enrich their own creative ideas.

We can establish a personal connection to a photo by interpreting how the use of light and dark can signify deeper meanings or a theme.

We can often find connections to our own work through deconstructing both the themes and techniques used in the photo.

How do you think light and dark is used in this work to communicate a deeper meaning? Do you think everyone would come up with these same meanings? Pause the video here where you come up with your response.

Lucas says, "This work inspires my theme of time and place, visually showing how silhouettes can add narrative to scenes." Sam says, "My theme is religions and faiths.

I'll use the ideas of using high contrast to place emphasis on key features." Izzy says, "I wanted to look at identity and will capture places that are familiar in my home and community." Can you think of any other theme interpretations? Pause the video here while you work on this.

Now, let's decide if this statement is true or false.

We all interpret and understand photographs in the same way because how they inspire us is uniform.

Pause the video while you decide if this statement is true or false.

If you said false, you would be correct.

Why? Because everyone brings their own experiences, feelings and ideas when looking at images, so we all interpret them differently.

That's what makes art powerful; it can mean something unique to each person.

The next task is to select one photograph and consider your personal connection.

Think about what themes, symbols or ideas this photo explores.

Are there any symbols, imagery or connections that help create a narrative or show meaning? Which techniques, processes or creative decisions in this photo inspire you and how might you use them in your own work? You might record this as an idea shower around an image of the photo, write a paragraph, or create an audio or film recording of your ideas.

Pause the video here while you work on this task.

You may have said, "On the theme of identity and narrative.

The central image in this work is of a figure's reflection.

The use of high contrast and silhouettes creates a vision striking composition.

This suggests the idea of an immersive world or a narrative that the character is a part of.

For my work, I'll create portraits and figures of my family and friends to create contrast through silhouettes, landscapes and reflections to capture aspects of their identity and combine them with descriptive narratives.

On the theme of isolation and connection.

This work uses a train station scene to photograph the interplay of light and dark, reflections and shadows.

Hard edges divide the composition, creating a geometric environment.

Despite the complexity of visual information, there are no figures, making it seem quiet and disconnected from life.

I will create designs which contrast people and places through light and dark.

I want to create a sense of distance and separation, so will exaggerate these qualities." To summarise, photographers can use light and dark to create mood, atmosphere and contrast in photography.

We can find symbolic meanings of light and dark across different cultures and art and design movements.

Photographers can experiment with using light and shadow to define form, space and focus in their own photographs with things like silhouettes and light installations.

When light changes to dark in a photograph, it can create either a hard or soft edge, which can alter the way light and dark affect the mood of the work.

Thank you so much for listening and paying attention in this lesson.

See you next time.