Position, direction and quality of light for your photos on canvas

To "understand" the photographic light you must consider three main aspects, namely:

The position of the light source

The quality of light

The colour

First of all the location of the source, that is, where is the positioning of the flash at the moment of the flash (in relation to the subject to be photographed)? As I said a few lines above it is best to avoid placing the flash on top of the camera, because this placement forced (often by technical limitations) results in a flattening of the light and the decreased sense of perspective. Of course there are scenarios in which this positioning works, but it is always necessary to think about the position of light source based on the result we want to achieve.

Having said this, there are many ways to move the flash in relation to the camera in order to get magnificent photos to canvas. It is worthwhile experimenting on all the possible angles to master the technique of lighting.

Identify the direction of the light source because there might be various directional lights (like a lighthouse in the port, for example) and popular lights (the light of the sun during a cloudy day), that is, without a specific direction.

This could vary the end result dramatically; changing the whole aspect of the photos to canvas you had planned. The first (directional lights) light up a small portion of the subject at its own will, and produce a well defined shadow, while the second (diffuse light) light produces a more diffuse soft shadow and the contour of the subject.

Finally, the colour of the light, can subtly change the message you want to convey, the same picture made with a cold light (shades of white / blue) or warm (shades of yellow / amber) can be very different and a change in the white balance can be used to enrich or supplement what we want to express our images.

To understand how many and what differences may exist in terms of lighting just think about how the light changes within a single day, from dawn soft light pink to yellow intense and burning noon and concludes with a violet spectral to time of dusk. Or think of such distortions occur when a rainy day turns into a hot sunny day.

There are actually thousands of books that deal in full light in photography, and these are extremely important when applied for you photos to canvas. The subject is so vast that it cannot be exhausted in a few lines, but this is suffice to say that the knowledge of the light can really make a difference in your photos to canvas. If you intend to get the best quality picture you should arrange some good books on the matter.

To know more about our giclee prints, please visit my website: www.getcanvas.co.uk