This assignment is about capturing interesting lighting conditions. You will photograph actions and motion happening in the environment around you. Like most photo assignments in this class, this assignment includes both a photo portion and a written portion to submit.
Points: 20
Due Date: Sunday, Sept. 27, at 11:59 p.m.
Grading: Successfully completing the requirements is worth 17 points. Work may earn an “A” for original thought and effort that demonstrates thorough engagement with the activity.
Submit: Five image files (.jpg or .png), text document
Photographers are all about looking for interesting light. So much so that various photography groups have used the word “lightstalker” to mean photographer. This assignment is all about finding and capturing interesting lighting situations. Looking for light requires looking at the world in a different way, because we typically think about photographing objects, not the light around them. Photographing light requires looking instead for light sources and the various ways light interacts with objects.
Using any camera, take enough photos that you have five excellent ones to submit. You will need to take many more than five so you can choose the best ones. Also think about composition and exposure. Smartphone cameras sometimes react in strange ways to unusual light. You may want to use an app that allows you try manual settings. Although it is generally more challenging to photograph in low light, this is a good way to isolate interesting lighting conditions.
You are not required to try all these ideas, but you should try and demonstrate a variety of techniques. You are welcome to use additional materials such as YouTube videos and guides you find online!
Times of day
Golden Hour – shortly after sunrise and shortly before sunset when sunlight has a warm gold/red color
Blue Hour – early morning and twilight when the sun is below the horizon
Flat light – overcast days when the sky is uniformly bright are great for even lighting
Light Angles
Chiaroscuro lighting – three dimensional lighting from the side, like near a window
Reflector lighting – use a bright surface like a piece of paper, white wall, etc. to bounce light back at the subject and fill in shadows
Light Behind your Subject
Silhouette – when the whole background is brighter than your subject, such as a person against a sunset or window
Rim lighting – when the light source is behind your subject, creating an edge or rim of light similar to an eclipse
Light Over Time
Long Exposure – using a tripod and a very long shutter speed to capture movement of light sources at night, such as traffic or stars moving
Answer these written questions in a text document, such as Word document:
- Write a 1-sentence caption describing each of the five photos.
- What was one idea or lighting condition that did not work out as well as you wanted?
- What is one idea you would try if you had more time or better gear?
To make it easier to submit, you can embed your photos into your text document for this assignment instead of including them as separate attachments.
Submit your Work
1. Blackboard
Find the assignment dropbox on Blackboard. Start a submission, and upload your written response and seven photographs. (The photos can be uploaded as separate attachments or included in your document.)
2. Class website
Upload your one favorite image to the course website from the Post Image form. It may take a minute or so for the image to upload if it’s a large file, and then it should appear in the gallery at the bottom of this page.
