Reversing the inverse square law...an interesting read.

[Lani]

Came across this article (http://www.digital-photography-school.com/reversing-the-inverse-square-law), it is well worth a read, and probably a re-read or two...in my case!. :D
I thought it was pretty well written.

[Fantasyphoto]

Thanks Lani however the author dismisses photographers who choose to work with natural light as "being on a pedestal".

The basics and theory of lighting take a bit of time to get your head around but once you understand the fundamentals it applies to ALL forms of lighting.

Yes I prefer to work with natural light even to the point of it being a major consideration in my choice of house. (The real estate agents had no idea of what I was after)

Now getting back to the principles of lighting, my main studio room was almost 8 metres long with a centrally placed north facing window. This left me space to position my subject, position my backdrop, position my camera and very importantly position my fill reflector.

The distance of my subject from my light source (window) and the distance from my subject of the reflector were how I controlled the strength of light on each side and the position of the backdrop helped control the background exposure.

So I totally disagree with the author regarding his remarks on natural lighting as the fundamentals of lighting as it applies to photographers does not depend on the type of light used.

Apart from that the article is a good read for all photographers as photography is "all about the light".

[Lani]

hehe, I knew that would irk people...I love using natural light too, but I thought they explained the principles well.
I agree, light is light what ever the source, it's just flash is a tad more controllable than mother nature.

[Fantasyphoto]

........it's just flash is a tad more controllable than mother nature.

I wouldn't use the term "controllable" but perhaps more reliable, especially at night :lol:

For anyone interested in natural light portraiture I will be running a series of free workshops at the Sydney based Camerally event next March http://www.hawkesburycameraclub.com.au/pdf/camerally_press_release_1006.pdf and for the artificial light heathens I may also bring my strobist gear ;)

[Fantasyphoto]

Came across this article (http://www.digital-photography-school.com/reversing-the-inverse-square-law), it is well worth a read, and probably a re-read or two...in my case!. :D
I thought it was pretty well written.

Guys, despite my reservations regarding the attitude of this author towards natural light photographers, the content of this link is very good and accurate.

It is disturbing to me that there has been very little recognition for Lani's original post and the content of the link. I hope my digression was not the cause, if so I apologise.

[Lani]

I reckon it is the Thread title more than anything. lol ;)

[ameerat42]

Ah! All the olde talke. A nice summary for something that every photographer has to contend with. Thanks Lani. I saved the link. Am.

[Fantasyphoto]

I reckon it is the Thread title more than anything. lol ;)

A basic knowledge of the inverse square law should be part of every photographer’s armoury.

Perhaps change the thread title to "How to correctly light the female nude"? :lol:

[mjp]

I had read that link before, but with was good to reread. It is well written explaining the 2x steps for speed and iso or root(2) steps aperture and distance. I not sure if you are making to much out of the "available light" statement. (Maybe you know the author). It made me smile, as my wife prefers available light, while I'm trying to understand how to better use my flash. I took this statement just as a link to say, the flash also fit into the lighting scheme, with the follow equations.

[DonUnder]

The article is definitelt in interesting read (albeit very technical). Bookmarked for when I get around to actually buying a flash :o

[Tannin]

Sigh. It was just a rather stupid provocative remark, doubtless dropped in without much thought. No big deal. I do wonder just what orifice he's putting that pedestal up though - I mean when you consider several of the major genres, flash simply doesn't exist. (Ever tried lighting a panoramic landscape with your SB-900?) No matter - the rest of the article seems good.

Just one thing - the host site uses a Javascript pop-up. These are evil things at the best of times and although this particular one is probably harmless, you should never click on them or do stuff with them unless you have satisfied yourself that it is safe to do so. (I make my living cleaning viruses of peoples computers and teaching them how not to get reinfected.) Your best answer is to click TOOLS > QUICK PREFERENCES > EDIT SITE PREFERENCES > SCRIPTING and untick "enable javascript". This will prevent that site - and ONLY that site - running any Javascript crud on your computer. You can visit, read, do what you like, but they can't touch you. All other sites stay exactly as before.Oh, but you need to be running Opera - if you are still using a lesser browser, you'll have to figure some other method out.