Introduction and Understanding Light

Want to be master studio lighting? First, you need to understand light itself…

In this opening chapter of our Lighting Theory and Equipment course, you’ll discover the fundamentals of light, equipping yourself with the knowledge you need to start getting amazing results with your lights.

Through a series of easy-to-follow visual demonstrations, you’ll learn about the practicalities of light, exploring the different effects hard and soft light have on shadows, texture and three-dimensionality. You’ll also learn how to achieve precise control over reflections, shadows and highlights.

Karl’s explanation and demonstration of the inverse square law, as well as of the colour spectrum of light, will equip you with crucial knowledge that will set you up for success in the studio and beyond!

In this class:

  • Different light sources and their effects
  • Hard light vs soft light
  • Careful control of light and shadows
  • Using reflectors and negative fill
  • Revealing texture
  • Inverse square law
  • Colour spectrum of light

If you enjoy this class, check out A Deeper Understanding of the Inverse Square Law and Angles of Incidence and Reflection.

Questions? Please post them in the comments section below.

Comments

  1. steven arango

    I have enjoyed your class; it was engaging and easy to understand. Thank you
    New student, Hello from Australia

      1. Fascinating, informative and empowering! I learnt more in this lesson than all the videos and books I’ve read in my photographic journey up until now. Many thanks!

  5. Wow!!! Informazioni semplici e fondamentali per un uso cosciente e sensato della luce…..
    Continuerò ad apprendere e sperimentare sotto la tua grande esperienza . Grazie

  6. This video alone tells me I made a good decision signing up for this course. This is probably the best explanation of light I have ever seen.

  7. By far the best lesson on light in photography I could ever have hoped for. I was genuinely moved by the clarity of your presentation and your perfect pronunciation — I could understand every single word, as if you were speaking my native language. The concepts you explained were finally illuminated by the full spectrum of daylight. Thank you so much, Karl.

  8. Looks like all of Karl’s whole experience is bundled in one 55 mins video, very sincere, very nicely articulated , thanks to Karl and Team

    1. Hi and thank you, but the rabbit hole goes much deeper than this one video as I’m sure you’ll discover!

  9. When I was looking at signing up there was a free course offered on lighting.. where can I find it?

  10. T.razika

    Thank you Karl for this, very well explained. This lesson has filled in the knowledge gaps I had in the past.

  11. Hello sir, how are you?
    I’m planning to take photos of small toy-like products. I’m using a Nikon D850.
    Based on the list below, which equipment would you recommend to achieve professional and high-quality results?
    I would really appreciate your support.

    Godox SL100D Kompakt LED Video Işığı

    Godox SL150W III LED Video Işığı – 2’li Kit

    Godox FV150 – 2’li Kit – 150W LED Video Işığı ✅ (Tercih Edilen)

    Aputure Amaran 100d S Beyaz LED Video Işığı (Dikkate değer alternatif)

    Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art (standart ürün fotoğrafçılığı için ideal)

    Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art Lens (makro çekimler için)

    Nikon 105mm f/2.8G VR Micro (optik kalitesi yüksek, sabit odaklı makro lens)

  12. Thanks Karl. I’ve just watched this tutorial and I have to say it the best 50+ minutes on understanding lighting….you make it so clear and informative with practical examples that I’m sure will be invaluable to me as a beginner photographer who has been told by various good/pro photographers to ‘learn and understand lighting’. Thank you for your teaching style and investment in tutoring people. Chris

  13. This is so helpful thank you. The colour chart example you use – I understand the mid grey to set a neutral but I don’t really get how you do this? Is there a link to another tutorial that explains this please?

  15. I’m so glad I invested my money in Visual Education. I discover so much thanks to your quality of attention and care for the art and science of what you present.

  22. Thank Karl, Inverse Square law look like Thales Principle in Math that I used study in Primary School

  26. Heavensjewellphotos@gmail.com

    I am on loooove woth the mass amount of information in just this video alome!!! Im excited to get through all that is offered through ouz these courses and videos. My only frustration, and its a huge one for me, is having to start completly over fi dong the course aftwr loggi g in. There isnt a “you left off here” spot.
    I log in>courses>photography>lighting>lighting theory>video i want>

    I would have hoped i would have been able to log in and it have a lost of videos ive watched with check marks and wjere i am for the bext one.

    But worth the hassle becais there is so much gold in these videos!

    I hope im missing a step somewhere and there is in fact something like i described.

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