Photography & Image Rights
01 / Light & Colour
Key question
How does light form an image?
Photography literally means drawing with light. The direction, hardness and colour of the light determine whether bread looks crusty, a face appears friendly, and a landscape feels expansive. Those who can read light need less gear.
Learning objective: You can identify, deliberately use, and shape light direction, light quality, and colour temperature using simple tools.
Photography means drawing with light.
1.1 / Direction of light
Where does the light come from?
The direction of the light determines where shadows fall and how three-dimensional a subject appears.
01
Frontal
Light from the front. Flat and bright, little shape. Good for documentation.
02
Lateral
Light from the side. Texture and form emerge, such as the crust of a loaf of bread.
03
Backlight
Backlighting. Glowing edges, atmosphere, silhouettes.
You can practise every direction at the window: position your subject facing it, side-on, and with their back to the window, then compare the results.
Side lighting reveals form.
1.2 / Light quality
Hard or soft.
Hard light comes from a small light source, such as the midday sun or a bare flash. It creates sharp shadows and strong contrast. Soft light comes from a large surface: an overcast sky, a large window, a diffuser. It wraps around the subject.
Light becomes soft when the source is large and close relative to the subject. A white sheet of paper or a piece of polystyrene opposite the window will brighten the shadows, completely without technology.
Large light source, soft light.
1.3 / Colour of light
Warm, neutral, cool.
Light has a colour temperature, measured in Kelvin. Candles and incandescent bulbs emit a warm, orange glow, daylight is neutral, while shade and overcast skies are cool and bluish. The camera compensates for this using white balance.
Mixed light, such as warm indoor lighting with cool window light, makes colours inconsistent. Stick to one light source or deliberately use the mix to create an atmosphere.
One light colour per image.
Exercise
One product in three lights
Task: Photograph a product from the Sonnmatt farm shop, such as a loaf of bread or a jar of honey, in three different lighting situations.
STEP 1
Photograph it from the front, from the side, and backlit at the same window.
STEP 2
Repeat the side lighting, once hard and once soft, for example using a curtain as a diffuser.
STEP 3
Brighten the shadows with a sheet of white paper and compare.
STEP 4
Choose the image that best displays the product and explain your choice.
Evaluation: Which light best showcases material and freshness, and why?