We are surrounded by light every
moment of every day—light that
washes over the streets on a summer morning,
neon signs that beckon from stores and filling
stations, yellowish field lights that illuminate an
evening football game. Whether it’s headlights,
candlelight, moonlight, or incandescent light,
all visible light emanates from a part of the
electromagnetic spectrum that photographers
work with on a daily basis.
For the artist, photographer, cinematographer,
and lighting designer, light is everything. We are
profoundly affected by the color, position and
quality of a light source. Once we learn to master
lighting, it becomes a tool by which we tell our
stories. When we tell our stories well, we reach
people deeply. That is the power of light.
In this book, you will learn lighting principles
for photography, video, and art in general. This
includes how the angles and heights of your
light sources affect your pictures. For example,
a photograph lit by a source that is at a low angle
will have a completely different feel from one lit
by a high-angled source. You will learn to work
with light modifiers to change the quality of your