| reciprocity law (exposure) | Exposure = intensity x time. when you cut either the intensity or the time (shutter speed) in half you have only to double the other to keep your meter happy, up and down the exposure scale, excep... |
| heat waves | Extreme heat eventually causes some surfaces to radiate "shimmering" waves that are emphasized by long lenses. they decrease definition but in-crease drama - as in lawrence of arabia, br... |
| shadow detail | Extremely dark areas (either in actual shadows or in unlit and underlit parts of the scene) in which some texture or detail has been captured. tip: careful exposure readings, a good eye, and exper... |
| multiple shadows | Few things expose the novice and the artifice of our craft faster than multiple shadows of a subject - unless they are motivated or done with a lot of style. |
| fill light, filler | Fill is used to lighten shadows and control contrast and lighting ratios. tip: avoid hard light fill and over-kill fill*. angle: usually close to the lens, on the side opposite the key. time allow... |
| tungsten film | Film balanced for 3,200k lamps and requiring color correction when shot with other sources unless color distortion is desired. |
| light-struck | Film that has been exposed to stray light prior to processing. see: film fog. also, this craft`s equivalent of stage-struck. |
| haze, ultraviolet, uv, skylight filters | Film, unlike the human eye, is sensitive to some uv which adds blue and reduces visibility on distant landscapes. these filters should not be confused with fog filters, which are supposed to add &... |
| fluorescent filters | Filters designed to compensate for weak red and excessive green wavelengths in typical fluorescent light sources. fld and flb filters can tame some of the more commonly used tube types. tip: for t... |
| strobe light (stills) | Flash used sequentially for edgerton-like effects; otherwise, as ben sobin, among others, reminds us, it should be called electronic flash. |
| reflectors (to redirect light) | Flat devices, mostly white, silver, or gold, that redirect the sun`s and other source`s rays. lighting with reflectors is like lighting with lights - except no cables. just cloud and wind worries.... |
| discontinuous spectrum | Fluorescent lights and, to varying degrees many discharge lamps, have spectrums with gaps or excessive amounts of some colors such as too much green or too little red. they emit light not suited f... |
| fog machine, fog maker | For the right scene, rolling fog is easily one of the most beautiful effects available. portable fog machines generally require electricity, dry-ice (for low-lying effects) and chemicals (non-toxi... |
| formula (of sorts) | For uncontrollable or 360-degree action in a room (weddings, for example) try mounting three broad lights high up, in two different corners, and on the opposite wall. favor motivated positions. re... |
| amp calculations | Formula: amps = watts ÷ volts. tip: when the no-nonsense electrician asks: "how many amps will you need at 120 volts?" just divide the maximum watts you expect to use by 100 (it... |
| light reading, meter reading | Gathering exposure and contrast information with a light meter requires a light reading; learning to use the meter effectively requires heavy reading. skillful meter use will tell you everything y... |
| window gel | Gels for color conversion (such as 5,500k to 3,200k) are available in wide rolls to cover windows. tip: if you see through them, wrinkles and reflections can be a problem. |
| color distortion, coloring light | Gels not only correct the color of light sources relative to one another or the film, they can also be used to distort light for dramatic or artistic purposes. thus far, no permit is required. vid... |
| guide number (flash) | Guide numbers proclaim the light output of electronic flash units more realistically than watt/seconds do, but still ignore such essentials as reflector design. the guide number divided by subject... |
| shutter speed | - Half of an exposure equation; the time that light is permitted to strike the light-sensitive surface within a camera. motion picture shutter speed is approxi-mately 1/50 of a second when the c...
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| sync, synchronization | Having things happen at precisely the same time: your electronic flash and shutter, or a desirable job and available time. |
| discharge lamp | - Hid (high intensity discharger) cid (compact indium discharge), csi (compact source iodide), xenon and most importantly for shooting purposes, hmi (hydrargyrum, medium arc-length iodide), are ...
лампа разрядная; |
| hmi, metal halogen | Hmi (hydrargyrum medium-arc-length plus iodide) lamps are at this time one of the best of the discharge lamps for shooting. they are daylight-balanced, 5,600-to-6,000k, with a 3,200k option, relat... |
| dominance | - If several sources are needed, one of them (or one direction of light) usually should dominate.
- The characteristic of a gene form (allele) that leads to the trait which it controls ...
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| axial or axis lighting | Illumination from the lens axis using light reflected from a partially mirrored glass angled 45 degrees in front of the lens. used primarily for medical and scientific recording where access or sh... |
| far-side key | In relation to the camera, the main light is set on the far side of a model`s nose which leaves the camera-side of her face in partial shadow. far-side key*, ear-side key*, and on-the-nose key* ar... |
| beam pattern | Includes beam angle, beam shape, and any realistic or abstract patterns introduced into the beam. see: finesse. |
| umbrella (for subjects) | Instant shade for immobile subjects like growing flowers and perspiring ones, like camera crews in the desert. don`t forget a stand, clamp, and weight. |
| interpretive exposure | Intervention in the meter-diaphragm-shutter conspiracy in order to achieve a special look such as high-key, low-key and silhouette. |
| gaffer`s tape, gaffer tape | Introduced by ross lowel in 1959 to support lowel-lights on vertical surfaces. |
| light hand | Its use is recommended for most lighting, color choices, and effects. |
| flair, style | Knowing just when (and with whom) to use flare - among other talents. see: style. |
| wrap (light) | Large, close, soft sources tend to envelop small subjects with light that falls off gradually on the curves. |
| one-light, untimed workprint | Less expensive and usually preferable to a timed print in that your carefully underexposed scenes are more likely to stay that way. the best way to appraise your work is to keep the printing light... |
| inverse-square law, fall-off | Light from a point source falls-off inversely to the square of the distance. move the light from 10-feet-away to 20-feet-away and you have only 1/4 of the intensity; 40-feet, 1/16 th. reflectors a... |
| 18% assumption, middle grey, zone 5 | Light meters "expect" subjects and scenes to reflect 18% of the incident light. mostly they do. tip: what you do when they don`t will affect your image in more ways than one. see: gray c... |
| available light | - Light of almost any sort which exists and has not been introduced to record images. its use is sometimes fast, cheap, and even beautiful. tip: the more you understand lighting technique, the b...
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| transmitted light | Light that has passed through a transparent or translucent material. luz transmitida; |
| moving subjects (video/film) | Lighting moving subjects is one of the most challenging aspects of the craft, especially for still photographers breaking the motion barrier*. tips: if you can rehearse the action, do it before yo... |
| high key | Lighting that results in predominantly middle-gray to white tones. tip: use white or light sets, wardrobe, and makeup; also, soft flat light, back light, and possibly camera-lens diffusion. |
| symmetrical lighting | Lights placed at more or less equal heights and equal-but-opposite angles and set at equal intensities. because such lighting violates the principal of dominance, it looks unnatural, confusing, or... |
| quantity versus quality | Like so much in life, lighting is often compromised when you must, or imagine you must, go for the most instead of the best. also see: style. |
| degradation, image quality loss | Loss of image quality or definition for any number of reasons including intentional ones. quote: i don`t like forced development and flashing. because i do like a fairly rich negative with good bl... |
| color conversion, color correction | Matching the daylight or tungsten balance of the film and lights through filtration or, with video, white balance. color can also be corrected during printing. tip: neutralizing "off-color&qu... |
| sculptural lighting | Modeling with lights to emphasize planes and texture. consider using the term to describe a subject/background relationship in which the bright edge of the subject (key side) stands out against a ... |
| natural light | - Nature`s illumination: daylight, even on interiors. the term implies that the source is not artificial.
- Daytime light from the sun and sky, as opposed to light from artificial sourc...
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| terminal trauma | Not knowing when to stop adding "just one more light." |
| ear-side key | Occasionally the main source lights a model from the camera-side of her face, sometimes from behind her ear which will leave the front of her face in partial shadow. also see: far-side key;* and o... |
| fog filter | One of many special camera filters that introduce image diffusion, smearing of highlights, and light-ening of dark areas. the "fog," however, neither moves nor increases with distance. f... |
| c clamp | One of several ways to attach a light to a ladder, for example. |
| eyeglasses | - One of two serious threats to the new pro`s equanimity in portrait matters. the other: noses.
- Gafas, lentes, espejuelos
- A term commonly used to describe an ophthalmic fra...
gafas, anteojos, lentes; |
| flat (sets) | One section of a set traditionally made of canvas stretched over a wood frame. |
| dark backgrounds | One way to focus attention on the subject is to use a dark background, especially with backlit and translucent subjects. |
| dark adaptation | - Optical and chemical changes in the eye which, over a period of about 20 minutes, enable people to "see in the dark." it makes exposure judgments by eye doubly difficult when light l...
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| reflections | Out-of-control reflections can hurt your image; controlled ones can enrich it. tips: keep the subject in full sun, the reflecting surface, such as water, in shade. reflections on water are most pr... |
| overexposure, overexpose | Overexposed images have highlights without details. causes: faulty meters, readings, or interpretations, or the conviction that if a little light is good, a lot is better. intentional, controlled ... |
| burning up | Overly bright, washed-out parts of a scene or subject, often as a result of subjects moving too close to an intense source. see: moving subjects, graduated scrim, and floater for remedies. |
| two-dimensional translation | Part of developing a good eye involves anticipating what surprises await you when the three-dimensional world ends up on a flat screen, tube or print, minus one dimension. tips: view the scene wit... |
| polarizing filter (camera) | Polarizing camera filters can be set to reduce most non-metallic glare as well as to darken blue skies. most effective angle: 90 degrees to the source. light loss: a little over 2 stops. |
| polarizing filter (fixture) | Polarizing gels can cut glare, but will be damaged if used too close to high-wattage tungsten lamps. light loss: a little over 2 stops. |
| photo flood | Primarily 3,400k, short-life, incandescent, medium-screw-base lamps; good for extremely well-ventilated practicals. |
| electronic flash vs. hot lights (for stills) | Quote: in fast action work such as fashion, strobes offer an undeniable combination of advantages. . . . the primary logic of constant source lighting is the combination of control and superior vi... |
| plug ground pin (on a light) | Quote: your childhood education warns that you`ll probably burn in hell for cutting off that third prong. - tom sadowski [ln] |
| background light, set light | Reveals the character of the background and helps separate it from the subject. angle: toward the back-ground, usually from the side and high enough to avoid glare and subject or microphone shadow... |
| dot, target | Round devices used to shadow areas of the scene to control contrast or improve lighting. |
| scouting | Searching for a location. also, checking one out prior to shooting to determine equipment, noise, electrical and lighting needs, and problems. tip: saving money by not scouting can be expensive; a... предварительная разведка; |
| sharp (shadows) | Shadows that have a hard, clean edge. tip: the farther away subjects, snoots, and flags are from a light, and the closer they are to the background, the sharper their shadows will be. the edge of ... |
| copy art | Shooting and lighting relatively flat art - artfully, whenever possible. tips: lights must be set beyond the glare angle; small focusing lights or broads are usually preferable to soft lights; wit... |
| night-for-night | Shooting night scenes during real night. alternatives: day-for-night and dusk-for-night. |
| day-for-night | Since ours is the art of illusion, it doesn`t have to be night, it only has to look like it. tip: shoot late in the day with the sun, if any, as back light and use little fill; avoid the sky; unde... |
| transparencies | Slides or other images that are viewed by transmitted light or are projected. |
| speed (your lighting) | Slower than light. often lighting speed is the critical element in whether you capture the shot, the spirit of the performance or, despite even a dazzlingly successful image, the next job. |
| kicks, hot spots, specular reflections | Small, bright, light reflections that add sparkle (and, with a star filter, radiating lines of light). however, if too bright, they are likely to add flare. see: glare angle for control. use hard ... |
| snoot | Snoots are front-of-the-light "tubes" that project a circle of light on a subject or background. they also reduce spill. tip: to turn the circle into an ellipse, decrease the light-backg... |
| color-blind | Some films, copiers, and human eyes are not sensitive to portions of the visible spectrum. daltónico(a), daltoniano(a); |
| new pro | Someone who is more than a serious amateur but less than an experienced professional; someone attempting the transition from stills to video or film, or the reverse. |
| tlc, tender lighting care | Something every subject wants, most deserve, few get. |
