The word “Photography” comes from the Greek roots phōtos (light), and graphé (drawing). It literally translates to “drawing in light.” Therefore, in order to capture successful photos, it’s crucial to understand light, how it works, and how it can affect your images.
In This Lesson
Types of Photography Lighting
- Lighting intensity: Hard vs. soft light
- Directional lighting
- Front lighting
- Side lighting
- Backlighting
- Rim lighting
- Lighting from above
[Click here to view and use the Google Slide Presentation “Types of Photography Lighting”]
Activity
Directional Lighting Scavenger Hunt
Just because your school might not have a huge repository of photography equipment doesn’t mean your students can’t start identifying elements of successful photos on their own. In this activity, students will look through newspapers and magazines to find examples of different types of directional photography lighting. They will then analyze the images to uncover the impact that lighting can have on a photo. Some assembly of this activity is required of the teacher.
[Click here to view and print the Google Doc handout “Directional Lighting Scavenger Hunt”]