How to Harness the 9 Types of Lighting to Improve Your Photos

Photo by Jim M. Goldstein

Photographer Jim M. Goldstein discusses 9 types of lighting and how to harness these to improve your photographs. In an article posted at the Digital Photography School website, Jim says right lighting can make or break an image, setting the stage for others to see it as a snapshot or a photograph.

“Just as finding and seeing a subject is challenging, so too is finding lighting conducive to taking dramatic photographs,” Jim writes. “The Golden Hour is always referenced as a great time to take photos, but its not the only time to take photos with dramatic lighting. Training your eye to see dramatic light and the different variations of it takes some self-training.”

In his post, Jim elaborates on side lighting, back lighting, rim lighting, ambient lighting, soft or diffuse light, hard light, spotlight, artificial lighting and the various combinations of lighting.

[Via: Digital Photography School]
Photo: Jim M. Goldstein

Published by Chris Malinao

Chris teaches Lightroom as workflow software to photography students at the FPPF, Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation. He also teaches smartphone photography.