One of the things we often talk about in photography is the "quality" of light. We've talked about this in the past in our
"Soft Light" assignment. This assignment will be similar, but instead of just looking for and taking advantage of "soft" light, I would like you to actively modify the light to create soft light on your subject. We'll do this through the use of a diffusion panel. Normally I would try to avoid assignments that would require you to go out and purchase new equipment; however, Dave Leiker (prairiedust) made this easier when he described his low-cost diffusion panel that he uses to photograph wildflowers and other small objects. Dave suggested using "clear textured plastic diffusion panels made to go over ceiling flourescent light fixtures" that "give a very pretty light, and can be found in most hardware stores for a few bucks."
You don't have to use this diffuser for the assignment, as a matter of fact I would encourage you to try your own solutions for diffusing the light. I would imagine that a piece of cheesecloth or other opaque material stretched over a homemade frame would make a great diffuser. Now that we are getting closer to Spring, I believe you might find such a diffuser very useful when photographing spring flowers.
As an aside, it is interesting to note that most photographers go through a similar progression when it comes to dealing with the light in their images. Initially, as beginners, we just snap away at whatever subject interests us, without paying too much attention to the quality of light. It's only when we get the prints back, or view our images on the computer, that we start to notice the "harsh" light in some of the images. We might not even recognize the "quality" of light at first, we're just frustrated that our images don't look pleasing, or that the detail is lost in harsh shadows or blown highlights. After a time we either begin to correlate the light conditions at the time we take the images with the final results, or more likely we read a photography tutorial that describes concepts like the "quality" of light, and we start to recognize those qualities in our images. Next, we'll start to actively examine the quality of light before we compose an image, and eventually learn to pass by those scenes where the light is harsh and seek out scenes where the light is soft and flattering. The next stage in our learning curve is to begin to actively modify the light on our scene in order to affect the quality of light on our subject. We can do this by adding fill flash or reflectors to fill in harsh shadows, by diffusing the light to make it softer, or by modifying the temperature (tint) of the light to make it more pleasing. Until you learn to modify the light to attain a pleasing image that you have "visualized" for the scene, you will be extremely limited to those rare times when the light is appropriate for the subject. Once you have learned to effectively modify the light, your opportunities for creating beautiful images will expand exponentially.
The assignment for the week of 29 March - 4 April 2010 is "Diffused Light." You should use a diffusion panel (which can be "homemade" or appropriate material adopted for this purpose) to modify the light on your subject so that is diffused, soft, and flattering to the subject. Please include information in the image description or comments about what type of diffuser you used, and how well it worked to soften the light on your subject.
Please upload your images to the "Diffused Light" in the Weekly Assignments category in the Gallery no-later-than midnight, Mountain Time (GMT - 07:00) Sunday, 4 April 2010. I will look forward to seeing your images.
Have fun!
Keith
