Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Directional Lighting


The light hitting these two dancers from above has a very warm, calming tone. The top light direction creates long shadows underneath them, but also makes it so that parts of their bodies are in shadow as well. The shadows it creates on the underside of their backs, legs and arms are soft and highlight their outlines. The two figures’ upper bodies are highlighted by the warm light from above, including the facial features of the dancer on the right, illuminating their action. I think the high direction of the light source envelopes this image in a comforting, contemplative feeling with the pool of light it creates.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/16/arts/dance/nyc-this-weekend-dance.html

2 comments:

  1. I really like the light coming from above in this photo. I agree that the lighting creates an overall calming tone; however, I also think that the light helps frame the movement of the dancers. I like how the downlight focuses on them as the most important thing in the image, and it seems like they are almost swimming in this pool of light created. I like that this pool of light has soft edges, and I also like that the light in general is not that intense. I think these other aspects of the light make the downlight less isolating and better create a calm and ethereal feeling.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I completely agree that the softness of this light provides a calming tone to the photo, and I'm impressed that it does so while still effectively illuminating details like the dancers' faces. There is also an interesting contrast between the soft light and the fairly rigid poses the dancers are in.

    ReplyDelete