The direction of your light source is pivotal in determining where shadows will fall on both the subject and its surroundings, thereby influencing the appearance of texture and form. In a studio setting, where you have the flexibility to position your light source freely, the variations in lighting direction are virtually limitless.
When using fixed or existing light sources, you might need to move or rotate your subject, or carefully plan the timing to capture the desired direction of natural sunlight. The time of day significantly impacts your photograph’s quality. For instance, capturing a landscape with rolling fields and hedgerows at midday, when light is directly overhead, may result in a flat and dull image. However, shooting the same scene early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the sun is low, introduces directional light that creates highlights and shadows, enhancing texture and bringing out the details, such as each blade of grass.
Natural lighting typically comes from above, mimicking sunlight, which we perceive as the most natural. Lighting a subject from below can impart a macabre, dramatic, or menacing effect. For instance, compare the lighting effects in figures (C) and (H) of Figure 7.4. Frontal lighting from near the camera, as shown in (G), illuminates detail, minimizes texture, and flattens form by producing small shadows. Reflective surfaces facing the camera can reflect light back towards the lens, an effect commonly seen with direct flash from the camera.
Lighting from above or from the side emphasizes the texture on surfaces facing the camera and highlights the form of three-dimensional subjects. Backlighting, while creating a bold edge line and strong shape, often results in most subject details being lost in shadow, thereby flattening the form. These directional changes affect both hard and soft light sources, though the impact is more pronounced with hard light due to its sharply defined shadows.
