Whether you're doing traditional or digital photography, lighting is of top importance.The brightness of a picture makes a difference in the looks and even the emotional feel. Bright lighting tends to lend a happier feel to your pictures, while shadows promote more of an air of mystery to the subject.
Traditional photography captured the light by impressions on chemicals, while digital photography uses pixels to capture light.The best light is natural, but sometimes there's not enough available for a good picture.Sometimes there isn't enough available light, and you need to use artificial lighting.
How Much Light Is There?
While you can see for yourself to some extent how much light is available, to get precise measurements you need a light meter.A light meter and a flash do different things.While a light meter doesn't brighten the picture, it tells you how much light is being reflected off the subject.
A handheld light meter will measure the light and was once a standard part of any serious photographer’s equipment.With today's digital cameras having a built-in light meter, hand held light meters aren't so important. You can look through the viewfinder and see how bright the picture will be.If there isn't enough available light for a good picture, the camera's built-in light meter will set off the automatic flash.
Histograms Instead of Light Meters
Also, with digital cameras, it’s not so important to have a light meter because most have a histogram.Histograms can be used in a similar fashion since a histogram shows how light or dark a picture is.
If you don’t have a histogram on your camera, or just don’t want to fuss with it, the simplest method is to take a picture and review it to see how it looks, and if it’s too dark or light, adjust by adding more light or lowering the amount of light.
With a little patience and practice, you’ll discover the perfect lighting for your picture.
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