LIGHTING, Lighting, lighting

[Jay_Gladwell]

It's about lighting!

If I may make a suggestion, I would strongly encourage everyone to visit the following sites on a regular basis and study the lighting in the photographs. Beware! Some of the images have been heavily Photoshopped. Some are "panaramas" that are made of several exposures stitched together creating a lighting situation that is physically impossible (showing the sun on the left-hand side of the image while the house on the right is lit from behind the camera).

By taking the time to study real photographs by excellent photographers and by studying how light behaves in certain conditions and at certain times of the day on certain surfaces, your eye for lighting mattes while improve greatly.

The more you study the better your lighting skills will become. It will take time. Visiting two or three will not do it. It needs to become a life-time pursuit. This is just the first step!

Here are just two sites out of probably scores of good sites for photography. Do a web search and you'll find many, many more. These are two of the best that I have found.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/hosting/showmembers.php

http://www.photo.net/gallery/photocritique/filter

Hope this helps!

[nickmarshallvfx]

Thanks for the link Jay! I definitely want to improve my lighting skills, they really sell credibility in a matte, and take it from amateur to professional! Also, it might be worth posting that link in here to that cool lighting tutorial. I continue to find that very helpful.

Nick

[Jay_Gladwell]

Good idea, Nick. Here it is:

http://www.itchy-animation.co.uk/light.htm

[nickmarshallvfx]

Thats the one! Great resource that one! This thread should be stickied or something coz lighting trips so many people up!

Nick