Just as outdoor lighting presents a number of challenges for capturing picture perfect images, indoor lighting also demands adaptability and creativity from photographers. For instance, there are basic scenarios that photographers will regularly find themselves in while shooting indoors, such as near windows, inside hotel rooms, or under overhangs, that call for a mastery of using directional light.

Directional diffused lightingphotography

Remember that as long as the reflector is pointing at your subjects, it’s going to be extremely bright and hard to look at. Give your subjects good breaks in between shots otherwise they’re probably going to walk away very damaged eyes and a new tan.

Diffused lightinginterior design

‘Cast’ is defined by the way light and shadows are hitting a surface. Seasons and physical location are the primary determinants of what type of light direction you will be able to use. As long as the sun is giving us a direction of light, it’s very easy to work with; the problem occurs when the sun is directly overhead, casting dark shadows and strong highlights. Therefore, the worse the light direction the more modification we generally need.

Diffused lightingfixtures

With just a simple Wescott 5-in-1 Reflector, we’ll show you how to utilize the direction of your light to work to your advantage to create flattering portraits. This is an excerpt from our Photography 101 workshop available in the SLR Lounge Store. Stream the entire workshop and learn the foundation of photography as an SLR Lounge Premium member.

As far as I know, if I choose to use gray code to reconstruct a 3D model, I have to implement specific patterns that were encode in power 2(2^x, x = 0 ~ 10).

Diffused lightingphotography

Interpreting light starts by understanding its attributes: quality, color, direction, and luminosity. Of these factors, light direction distinguishes the overall theme of an image, as shadows and highlights cast onto the subject based on the light’s direction can either emphasize or reduce imperfections.

but I thought the gray code should follow specific sequence and patterns, my friends suggestion will create several image that is not symmetry.

Diffused lightingexamples

One common concern for shooting indoors involves mixed lighting, or blending natural and ambient light, as ambient light sources usually cast a different light temperature than daylight (3200K vs. 5500K for natural light). We normally try to avoid mixed lighting. However, it is okay to mix natural and ambient light if the ambient light doesn’t affect the main or natural light that is falling on the subject. In fact, mixed lighting can be used to benefit images in some scenarios when it separates the subjects from the background.

Directional lighting

this is scaled by nearest neighbor to avoid subpixel grayscale colors which are harder to detect. This will waste less pixels but it can lower the precision of 3D scan !!!

Generally, when we’re shooting with direct lighting, we want to wait for the ‘Golden Hours’ (sunrise & sunset) during the day when the sun is at it’s lowest point on the horizon, creating a giant softbox that’s reflecting onto your subject. However, if mid-day sun is all you have, here are three different types of modifications you can try with a reflector:

Diffusedlight Ceiling

Bestdirectional diffused lighting

Harsh mid-day lighting causes the strongest cast of shadows, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is not flattering with the help of modification. Facing your subjects directly into the sun fills the face with light and creates strong shadows around the eyes but no dimension on the contours of the face.

Learn more about how to control, modify, and direct your light by watching Lighting 101, your A-Z guide the foundation of light shaping. Stream this workshop and so much more as a SLR Lounge Premium member!

Light direction still exists even when the sun is blocked by trees or clouds. While placing your subjects in the shade does help you avoid harsh direct lighting, there is still a direction that favors the brightest light source. Keep in mind that light from the sky acts as a fill, reflecting off surfaces to add light into the shadows.

I was thinking that if my projector can't perfectly projects high resolution patterns, can I just let it projects the patterns with low resolution, for instance, from 2^0 to 2^6?

What if my DLP projector only support resolution up to 800 x 480? It projects Moire pattern when the gray code pattern resolution becomes too high(I tried). What should I do?

Simply turn and study the direction of light wherever you are and to see how it falls onto your hand. Although you may look like a crazy person for a couple of seconds, it is a useful trick to avoid shifting your subjects or letting them bake in the sun for too long.

You can use objects around you, like dirt, grass, or white walls to reflect light. Search for surfaces that reflect more neutral tones to serve as natural reflective surfaces that you can use as fill.