Harnessing the Power of Light: Five Basic Rules
© Byll Williams
Light. It is arguably the single most important element for setting the mood or tone of any photograph. But beyond that, light plays an integral part of how our minds interpret what we see. In this high-energy, fun-filled seminar we will break down light to just a few basic components and learn to harness the power of “how” lights sets the mood and not just “why”— simply by mastering five basic rules and how they interact.
We’ll begin by examining the affects of light and lighting on the subconscious mind. Our goal is to bring out what we subliminally know about light and lighting but may not have tapped into its power consciously (akin to someone who loves music but goes through life never knowing if he or she could sing). Then we interpret lighting as a very basic math problem with a very clear answer. The purpose is to simplify the technical challenges of lighting by presenting it as a quantifiable problem. After the lecture, students will have the opportunity to spend part of the day applying these newly learned principles to a hands-on shooting demonstration.
Applicable to amateur and professional photographers alike, students will, upon the end of the course, have the ability to turn words or moods into a lighting blueprint and understand how to light any situation, anytime, anywhere. Please bring an open mind, a sense of humor, and a big pad of paper!
Byll Williams (www.byllwilliams.com) is a commercial and advertisement photographer with more than 15 years of experience. He has close to 100 large-scale national advertising campaigns to his credit including Dell, Compaq, Sony, Playstation, Xbox, Toyota, Nissan, Disney and many others. He has lectured at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA, and has a self-proclaimed semi-maniacal eye for attention to realistic lighting, sets, and the implementation of Photoshop. Byll currently resides in Santa Monica with his wife and their two dogs, Betty and Bob.
