Writing with Light Lesson #1

Although photography means, “writing with light,” light is often the most overlooked element of picture taking. Whether you have a small pocket camera or an SLR, most come equipped with a built-in on-camera flash. Voila! Light! But, is that all you need to know? You can’t simply “point-n-shoot,” and expect to get great results for a number of reasons. To understand why, you need to understand how light affects your final image.

To begin with, we all know the old rule of shooting outdoors means keeping the light at your back in order to light your subjects. Shooting with an on-camera flash essentially does the same thing and it works, but does it give the best results?

This type of light is called frontal lighting, and the end result is a flattened subject. There’s no roundness, and no dimension. The light is smooth and even on all surfaces. Is this a bad thing?

Consider this…the objective of writing with light is to make a 3-dimensional scene look 2-dimensional, and frontal lighting makes it one-dimensional. However a type of frontal lighting can sometimes be the most flattering for older people, women, in particular.

When light comes from the side, it rakes across the surface creating shadows and emphasizing texture. Women, generally speaking, don’t like lines and wrinkles emphasized. Moving an off-camera flash to a 45-degree angle and having your subject face it will give a more dimensional effect and still be flattering.

Using an on-camera flash requires special knowledge, skill, and experience. It isn’t applicable for every occasion, and knowing when and how to use it is a subject for future discussion.

Next time we’ll talk about how the distance of a light source affects your images. Until then…write with light, and create memories!

Jim and Lacey Norwood Wedding

Jim Norwood, Jr. and Lacey Wright were introduced in 2005 at the wedding of Jim's cousin, Caleb, who married Karen, Lacey's now best friend. They didn't really impress one another at the time and thought nothing of the introduction. Lacey was in college in Kentucky, and Jim had his life here. Then, in 2009 after Lacey moved home from college, they were reintroduced by Caleb and Karen, and it was love at "second sight," as they like to say. On January 17, 2009, they went on their first date, and on August 1, 2009, Jim proposed at a Sounds game in front of thousands of people. They have a commemorative baseball that says, "She said yes! August 1, 2009." On exactly the one year anniversary of their first date, Jim and Lacey said, "I do!" at Historic Riverwood Mansion. A bountiful buffet provided by Chef Penelope's Catering followed the ceremony, and guests ate, drank, and danced the afternoon away. It was a joyful celebration as these two beautiful fun loving people became one.