Page 11 - Lighting the Unlightable Volume 1 #1

the difference will be 4. Period. If I am working outside, on a very bright,
sunny day, unless I am in an open field where it really wouldn’t matter, the
difference is also 4.
Remember: The difference of one F-stop is a two-fold difference. So, a
difference of 4 F-stops is a difference of 2 X 2 X 2 X 2, or 16 fold.

Why is this important?

Well, there are many reasons.
First, learning to light the space and not whatever you are photographing
will make your images better. Period. You won’t have those blown-out ar-

eas and you won’t lose so much detail in the shadows.
Second, the closer black and white are, the more detail, texture, color,
and greater the sense of space, your images will have, and the more emo-

tionally powerful your images will appear to be. Remember, photography
is about emotion, not logic. However, you have to get the technology right
if you expect to create emotionally powerful images.
Third, emotionally powerful images require as much attention to the
technical details as they do being in the moment. The days of emotionally
powerful images not needing to be technically sound are long over - un-

less, of course, you are in combat, a riot, or some other situation where
there is nothing you can do.
So, how did we figure this out? That, in itself, is a long story best saved

for another time.
Dynamic Range

of Color =

(White) - (Black)

60

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