vantage) is necessary. The photographer must learn to control, manipulate,
and exploit light to provide mood and interest.
Understanding the lighting will enable you to create photographs that rise
above the norm. Think of moments when the effects of light in nature may
have inspired you—sun breaking through early morning fog, water droplets
glistening on a leaf, shadows stretching down a sidewalk. Use these memo-
ries to create images that will stir the viewer’s emotions. This is what makes
an exceptional photograph.What Light Is.
Light is a form of electromagnetic energy that travels in waves, like the rip-
ples on the surface a pond after someone has thrown a stone in it. Unlike
water waves, light waves don’t require a medium through which to travel. In
fact, light travels best in a vacuum; air actually slows it down. Like all forms
ofelectromagneticenergy,onewaytomeasurelightisinwavelengths,thedis-
tance between two corresponding points on successive waves. The wave-
lengths of visible light range from 400 to 700 nanometers, but the visible
spectrum is only a small part of the complete electromagnetic spectrum,
which includes radio, infrared, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays—waves
that are all differentiated by their unique wavelengths.
THE PHYSICS OF LIGHT 312-2.Light is the essence of photogra-
phy, creating the many moods we cap-
ture in our images.