If you’re looking to expand your knowledge of light in photography, try shooting in the dark with a constant light source. Flash and speedlight can be tricky to adjust since you have to guess the power setting before taking a shot. Artificial light photography is a great way to gain a better understanding of light.
In this post, I’m offering some photography exercises to help you hone your creativity and learn more about light.
Table of Contents
How to do exercises with artificial light photography.
To do this exercise, I suggest you go out and take a flashlight or any torch and find some poorly lit areas. Once you find a subject that you would like to photograph, set your camera to a long exposure and, if you use a torch, start highlighting your subject in any way you would like.
The interesting part is that you can get a minimalistic shot where your subject will be illuminated by a single source of light in the room, while everything else remains in the shadows. This can be an excellent way to practice your photography skills and challenge yourself to create unique and compelling images.
To really push your creativity, try to shoot at least 20 different shots focusing only on this single source of light. Experiment with different angles, camera settings, and compositions to see what kind of results you can get and to find unique ways to use the same light source.
Aside from that, this could be your photography project that stands out from the rest due to its very distinct style and mysterious atmosphere. A project that can captivate the audience with its alluring visuals and deep symbolism. An atmosphere that creates a sense of mystery and intrigue, making viewers want to explore further. A style that stands out from the crowd, showing a unique perspective and a creative vision.
You can also do artificial light photography at home.
If you’re not feeling up to going out or your project requires you to shoot from the comfort of your home, you can use any source of light you can find. I like to challenge myself to shoot only with a projector light or with a couple of candles in the frame.
Experimenting with these different sources of light can be a great way to unlock new creative ideas. Other sources of light you can use at home include lamps, bike lights, and even your phone’s flashlight. You can even create interesting effects by using gels, which can be placed over the light source to give your image a unique look. With a bit of practice, you can create photos with a wide range of lighting styles.
Camera settings for artificial light photography
To capture long-exposure shots using a torch, you need to close your aperture and set the ISO to the minimum. Set a long exposure, but not so long that ambient light starts to appear. Without your torch, the frame should be completely black. Then, you can use the torch to highlight different parts of the frame, while keeping the rest in the dark.
To make this exercise work you need to do it regularly.
If you do artificial light photography even once, it will help you for sure. But doing it once per one or two weeks will give you a greater understanding of light over time. It will help you to do natural light photography too. I wish you a lot of fun trying out all of this.
Try out other photography exercises here:
Best photography exercise for creativity
Reflection Photography. Train Yourself To See Beyond
Diptychs in Photography. A Great Way To Train Your Creativity
Double Exposure Photography. A Great Way To Enrich Your Photos.
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