Lighting Evangelism

And God said, "Let there be light" and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:3, 1:4)

"Lighting is everything." You've probably heard that said on more than a few occasions. I've said it myself even if I don't fully endorse this notion; not completely.

Apparently, neither does God.

I suppose that's why God, after creating and separating light and darkness, went on (according to the bible) to create other stuff, stuff other than light, that is. You know, stuff like the firmament and dry land and vegetation and swarms of living creatures and, finally, people who (also according to the bible) were created in the image of God.

All of the other stuff is really good because, without all those other creations of God, there would be no one to snap pictures and, even if there were, nothing for them to snap pictures of! In other words, even if God created light and photographers and nothing else, what would God's photographers point their cameras at other than light and darkness? How bad would that suck?

Smart God that God.

At the risk of this becoming a bible lesson which, trust me, I have absolutely no business conducting, let's get back to that part where God said that light is good. Applying a simple extrapolation, it's not a stretch to believe that if God were a photo-art critic (as opposed to art critics being gods) I'm pretty sure God would also say that good lighting, make that really good photographic lighting, is also a good thing.

I'll go with God on this one. When it comes to photography, especially when it comes to pretty-girl-shooting photography,, lighting, i.e., really good lighting, is a good thing.

But it isn't everything.

Obviously, good lighting being a really good thing is a given, a no-brainer. Nothing particularly new, epiphanistic (is that a word?) or unique in that view. But let's not forget that, for an image to be a kick-ass image, the really good lighting needs to be illuminating a subject that generates as much or more interest as the effective and excellent use of light generates.

Assuming the subject of an image, by itself, generates the appropriate response with viewers, we can take that subject out of this equation and now focus on lighting. At this point, lighting IS everything.

While creating or manipulating light in really good ways might be easy for God (being God and all) it may not be as easy for some of us mere mortals.

When God's really good lighting occurs, for example, in the form of an exceptionally beautiful and dramatic sunset, even small children, with their limited understanding of visual aesthetics, can perceive that sunset as stunning and dazzling with lots of "Wow!" value. That's why it's so important for photographers to learn to create really good lighting, that is, to be God-like in their ability to create and manipulate light and to separate light and darkness shadow in effective and visually pleasing ways.

It's not enough to work with a drop-dead gorgeous model in a really cool, edgy, or beautiful environment. It's also about using that environment's available light, or creating your own light, in ways that will separate your pictures from many others.

I don't know about you, but I've seen many gorgeous sunsets in my lifetime and none of them were individually memorable no matter how showy they might have been. Unless, of course, some other memory or context or other factor was attached to that particularly wondrous sunset. You know, something personal or some event that stood out or maybe something as simple as a gorgeous, alluring model on a beach with that incredible sunset in the background. Especially when the shooter applied some other form of light to pleasingly illuminate, showcase, and compare the beauty of the sunset with the beauty and allure of the model.

I'll tell you what: If there's one New Years resolution we all, as photographers, should be making, it's to continue understanding, learning, and honing our skills with light as they apply to photography. If we do so with determination, I believe that, later on and as we look at the results, we will all, like God, be able to say it is good.

Monica, who is today's eye-candy at the top, from a few months or so ago. I used God's ambient light to capture Monica, along with some human-made lighting, i.e., three strobes, one in front modified with a large, white-lined umbrella and the other two, set behind her and to each each side, modified with small, shoot-thru, umbrellas.

(Disclaimer: All claims expressed in the bible are solely those of its author[s] and promoter[s] and do not necessarily reflect the views of this blog's author.)