The readings explain how lighting is important as a texture and as mood for photography. Light is generally associated with everything good, holy, and innocence while darkness is essentially bad. Much of the chapter deals with classic film Noir due to its original take on light. The use of light in noir creates stark contrasts where much of the shadow becomes important information to the viewers.
I never thought of light as a modern tool, the idea that sharp shadows can create a sense of modernism due to the type of light cast by a light bulb. Softer shadows on the other hand, can have a more natural feel to the photo.
I personally find it strange that some photographers go through so much trouble trying to manipulate the lighting of a photograph such as in Hot Shot Eastbound at laeger, West Virginia by O. Winston Link. I feel that trying to force so much control over an outdoor shot makes the photo feel odd and unnatural.
The practice section was rather informative. I’ve read a quick tutorial by Marcus Ranum on how he does his stock photographs and how he sets up his studio. The chapter filled in the gaps such as direction of light and how it can affect mood and the importance of side lighting.
I’ve noticed the difference of whites in different light settings but did not think about how drastically color can change as well in different settings.
If you haven’t seen Marcus’s tutorials, it’s basically the chapter in a nutshell.
http://mjranum-stock.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=tutorial#/d1yo7vk
