Lighting Principles and Techniques Flashcards
7 cards from real Photography practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Lighting Principles and Techniques flashcards as text
What is the primary difference between hard light and soft light in photography?
Answer: Hard light produces sharp-edged shadows; soft light produces gradual, diffused shadows
Hard light comes from small, distant sources and creates sharp shadow edges, while soft light from large or diffused sources produces gradual shadow transitions.
What does a light meter's 'incident' reading measure?
Answer: Light falling onto the subject from the source
An incident light meter measures the light falling on the subject by pointing the meter's dome toward the light source.
In portrait photography, what is the purpose of a 'kicker' light?
Answer: To add a rim of light along the subject's side or hair for separation from the background
A kicker light is placed behind and to the side of a subject to create a rim or edge light that separates them from the background.
What is 'Rayleigh scattering' and how does it affect photography?
Answer: It explains why shorter blue wavelengths scatter more in the atmosphere, creating blue skies and warm golden hour light
Rayleigh scattering causes shorter blue wavelengths to scatter more in the atmosphere, making the sky appear blue and leaving warmer red/orange tones during sunrise and sunset.
When using a ring flash for macro photography, what is a distinctive visual characteristic of the resulting images?
Answer: Nearly shadowless, flat lighting with a circular catchlight in reflective surfaces
A ring flash surrounds the lens and produces nearly shadowless, even illumination with a distinctive circular catchlight in eyes or reflective surfaces.
What is the 'Inverse Square Law' as applied to artificial studio lighting?
Answer: Light intensity decreases by the square of the distance — doubling distance reduces intensity to one quarter
The Inverse Square Law states that light intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance, so doubling the distance reduces light to one-quarter its original intensity.
Which lighting pattern places the main light at roughly 45 degrees to the side and 45 degrees above the subject, creating a small triangular highlight on the shadow-side cheek?
Answer: Rembrandt lighting
Rembrandt lighting is identified by the characteristic small triangle of light that appears on the shadow-side cheek, named after the Dutch painter who frequently used this effect.