Light is the basic building block of all we perceive. Without light we cannot use our eyes. Without light, we have no way of seeing where we are going and no way to observe the world around us. We are unable to distinguish objects near or far, unable to locate a friend in a crowd, or unable to see whether we are headed for a cliff. Without light, we have serious problems. Just like the human eye, light is essential to a camera for it to function at full capacity. In fact, without light, Photography is useless.

Light will encounter a multitude of surfaces. Those surfaces will reflect light in such a way that it appears to us in a very specific manner. Those surfaces range from smooth to gritty, solid to almost a state of liquid. Perhaps it looks prickly, furry, or grainy. Regardless, we refer to these surfaces as "texture". And, becuse of how light "plays" with these surfaces, you can sort of tell how a surface or texture is going to feel long before you personally interact with it. 

Please view the Power Point on Lighting and Texture

For this study, the student will shoot a series of images (15 snapshots) that focus entirely on light and texture. It is not the goal to "take a picture" per se, but to build a catalog of different surfaces that may be used for design purposes by another class, the school, or by the photographer themselves. This study also involves the application of light and how it plays with those surfaces. Different color lights will create different effects when it comes in contact with a variety of materials. And, knowing how/when to use the "flash" function on a camera plays heavily with this study.

Lighting (50 points total):

• All photographs are to be shot in color (no Black/White - Monochromatic).
• All photographs are different scenes/objects/people/etc. (except for the Flash Enabled/Disabled category listed below)
• All images are to be have at least one adjustment layer (Curves) applied to them for visual enhancement. You can use more than one. But, you must have at least the Curves adjustment layer used. 

Categories : For each category, at least one of your photos must be a texture

• Diffused Lighting (5 images - Your files are to be named Diffused 1, Diffused 2, Diffused 3, etc.)
• Spot/Directional (5 images - Your files are to be named Spot-Direct 1, Spot-Direct 2, Spot-Direct 3, etc.)
• Backlighting (5 images - Your files are to be named BackLit 1, BackLit 2, BackLit 3, etc.)
• Flash enabled and disabled (these must be of the exact same photo using the tripod): 
  • (5 images with Flash enabled / 5 images with Flash Disabled - This is a study of before and after, one image with the flash and one without in order to compare the images for how the flash affects the image.) Name the images as (for example) "FLASH ENABLED - My Bedroom" and "FLASH DISABLED - My Bedroom" A TRIPOD MUST BE USED FOR THESE IMAGES UNLESS THE CAMERA IS SOMEHOW STATIONARY (ON THE FLOOR, ON A BOOK, PROPPED UP ON A CAN OF SOUP, ETC). BECAUSE THE WHOLE POINT IS THAT WE, AS AN OBSERVER, ARE ABLE TO COMPARE/CONTRAST THE IMAGES WITH FLASH USED AND FLASH UNUSED. 

Here is an example or an image that has not been edited, filtered, or adjusted. 

Here is the same image adjusted, filtered, and edited. One of the best tricks in the business is to convert your image to a Smart Object in the layers palette and then when you apply filters, they can be edited "after the fact," if you dont' like the end result. However, if you leave your image as just a regular layer, whatever filter you apply will be a permanent effect at the time you apply it.