Expression of Mood Through Lighting

A High School Level Photography Lesson

Project Objective:

Students will practice lighting techniques to create symbolic portraits or fruit/vegetable photos using the rules of composition, elements and principles and simple backgrounds to convey two different moods/feelings.

Techniques:

Digital Photography composition techniques: Fill the frame, rule of thirds, lead lines, point of view, symmetry/pattern, background

Lighting techniques: Hard/soft lighting, directional lighting, split light, butterfly lighting, short lighting, broad lighting, under light, Rembrandt lighting, back lighting.

Digital Editing techniques: Cropping, brightness/contrast, color adjustments, image resolution, file type

Media:

Digital Camera or Cell Phone

Adobe Photoshop

Off camera lighting or window light

Drawing Materials / Sketch

Concept or Theme:

Students will explore mood/feeling in photography conveyed by lighting through discussion of portrait/studio lighting techniques and artistic uses of it in current media, practice lighting using the “Remember the Egg” technique and finally create a set of at least 20 photographs exploring different lighting types, as well as adjustment of background or subject to create two separate moods/feelings.  Using simple editing techniques, students will focus on the elements of color and contrast, as well as composition to create a diptych of two images that convey two different stories.

Source Material:

Artists to look at:

Edward Weston

Annie Leibovitz

Cindy Sherman

Chris Knight

Student Examples: