The Fundamental Terms of Lighting in Photography

When you're first starting out with artificial lighting, the vast array of terms to describe and quantify the various parameters of light can be a bit overwhelming. This helpful video will introduce you to the most essential terms that will allow to effectively communicate how any light source behaves.

Coming to you from Mark Wallace of Adorama TV, this great video will introduce you to the fundamental language of lighting and how it's used in practice. I know that when I first started, trying to learn them abstracted from experimenting with an actual light source felt a bit like trying to speak French in Russian. Nonetheless, it's crucial to understand these terms so you can communicate how you want light to look. Once you're ready, this, in turn, will allow you to better choose the proper modifier for a specific shoot. Even if you prefer to shoot natural light, this terminology still applies, and it'll lend you a greater ability to understand how and why your final image looks the way it does and how to take control of that. As mentioned, I recommend grabbing a light and modifier and trying it out so you can see the effects in real time. Check out the video above for the full rundown. 

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Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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