Assignment 4

Make a portrait of one of your group members. Select a quality of light to communicate an aspect of your subject's personality.  Make a second portrait that is opposite from the first.

Using one 1600 light, we decided on two qualities of light with Hana -  soft and direct light.

This soft diffused light portrait of Hana was achieved by setting the light high at a 45 degree angle and placed off to the side of the photographer.  We tried several diffusion filters but settled on the Rosco White Diffusion filters as it gave the softest most uniform light.  This soft light portrait of Hana uniformly lit projects friendliness and comfort.  The law of light most at work here is the inverse square law.  With the help of the diffuser, light spreads out as it travels over a distance resulting in a softer, diffused light. 

In stark comparison to the first image where all of Hana's face was lit, the use of side lighting here placed at the same level as her face and just off camera left projects an edgier portrait of Hana.  Harsher shadows and contrasting lines seen down the middle of her face highlight a light and dark side of the subject.  The heavier use of make-up adds personality and meaning to the image.  The law of light most evident here would be that light travels in a straight line, reflecting off her face and dropping off on the opposite side. 

Assignment 3

In one photograph, using one light source, clearly demonstrate the 3 laws of light:

• Light travels in a straight line
• Angle of Incidence = the Angle of Reflection
• Inverse Square Law

Assignment 2

Assignment 2: Inverse Square Law

Each group will produce ONE set of images. Each person will post their group’s final images on their own blog.
Part 1: Use 3 4x5 cards: black, gray, and white. Clamp each card onto a light stand and place the cards so that they are just slightly overlapping. Using just one light source, make all three cards appear to be the same gray value. (You can move the cards and the light source until it works). Record the distance from the light source to each card.
Part 2: Post two photographs:
1. The resulting image with all three cards and the distances you recorded from the light source to each card.
AND
2. A photo of your setup in the studio.
Then, explain how you used your understanding of the Inverse Square Law to find the solution.

From light source: Black - 2', Gray - 4'6", White - 12'

Assignment 2 studio set-up

We marked down measurements on the floor and used the 1600 watt light source.  It took a few tries to get the black card to read the same gray value as the other two but we arrived at the following distances with using camera settings:  ISO 1000, shutter 1/50, F3.5

Light source - 1600

Black card at 2 ft 

Grey card in middle at 4 ft 6 inches

White card in back at 12 ft from light source