light
Light source
Ambient light is the existing available light present in any environment. Ambient light can be
subdivided into four major categories:
~ Daylight
~ Tungsten
~ Fluorescent
~ Firelight.
Daylight - A mixture of sunlight and skylight. Sunlight is the dominant or main light. It is warm in
color and creates highlights and shadows. Skylight is the secondary light. It is cool in color and
fi lls the entire scene with soft diffused light. Without the action of skylight, shadows would be black
and detail would not be visible.
Tungsten - A common type of electric light such as household bulbs/globes and photographic
lamps. A tungsten element heats up and emits light. Tungsten light produces very warm tones
when the white balance is set to daylight. Make sure you adjust the white balance to the dominant
light source or capture in the RAW format and set the white balance in post production.
Fluorescent - Fluorescent light produces a strong green cast (not apparent to the human vision)
if captured using a daylight white balance. If used as a primary light source the results are often
unacceptable due to the broad fl at light from above. Underexposure is again experienced when
using this light source and the cast can be diffi cult to correct. Fluorescent light fl ickers and causes
uneven exposure with focal plane shutters. To avoid this shutter speeds slower than 1/30 second
should be considered.
Firelight - Light from naked fl ames can be very low in intensity. With very long exposures it can
be used to create atmosphere and mood with its rich red tones.
Orien Harvey