@marthadimeo“If all the world’s a stage, I want better lighting.”
I couldn’t agree more with this humorous play on Shakespeare’s words. In our day-to-day life, most of us look far better under the flattering qualities of soft, warm, diffused light than under the glare of blue-cast LEDs.
The same is true in photography. Lighting can make or break a photograph. I would even go so far as to say that the concept and composition of an image can be superb, but if the lighting is suffering, the photograph will have missed the mark.
Case in Point
Here’s an example. The original ‘before’ version of this photograph is not particularly bad, but it does lack contrast, and certainly lent itself to improvement to both the lighting and color balance.
Lighting is About Emphasizing and Subordinating
My approach to retouching the photo is to envision how I would have handled the lighting had I been the photographer on the shoot. The first step in lighting design is to decide which elements should be emphasized and which elements should be made subordinate.
In re-shaping the lighting, I considered the message; the story being told in the photograph. I wanted to draw the viewer into the experience of getting a massage—to create visually the feeling of being pampered.
I moved the emphasis away from the front of the massage table by darkening it, and brought emphasis to the hands of the masseuse and the granular texture of the scrub by lightening it. Now, the viewer’s eye is directed towards the most important elements in the image.
In “re-lighting” the scene, I had to be sure the lighting looked natural and realistic for the environment. As with any retouching project, the corrections should be undetectable.
Lighting Challenges
There are umpteen reasons why a photograph may not have been properly lighted in the first place. The list includes but not limited to:
- Locations with less than ideal available light
- Space constraints that make it impossible to set-up supplementary lighting
- Time constraints
- Setting up lighting would be disruptive
In addition, not all location photographers travel with studio lighting. Many photographers depend solely on available light and/or on-camera flash. In most shooting situations—and especially in editorial photography—capturing something is better than getting nothing. The underlying criteria for a photographer on any assignment is to bring back something the client can work with—as in the case of the spa image.
The Takeaway
In most cases, lighting can be improved post-capture. With that said, if you are a photo editor, graphic designer, or art director, the takeaway is to remember you do not have to compromise your quality standards if photographs selected for a given project have lighting issues. It is possible to move images to where they need to be for superb reproduction and to more effectively communicate the intended message.
If you are a photographer, the takeaway is to know the initial capture is only the beginning of the process. Much can be done post-capture to improve lighting, color, tone, and contrast. When you can’t light it “on-set”, envision executing the changes in post-production.
Lighting Review
Do you have photographs with lighting issues? Upload them here for a free assessment.
Color & Light Portfolio
Be sure to visit the Color & Lighting portfolio gallery to see more examples of crafting chromatically rich and luminous images.
The Original Shakespeare Quote
All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
—William Shakespeare
©Martha DiMeo — Photos ©Respective Image Owners