Find a small stuffed animal to work with. Clean off a surface so that the only thing in the photo is the stuffed animal. Put down a piece of white poster board or if you don’t have a piece of poster board, look for something white such as a sheet or towel. A white background reflects light. Keep it simple.

Put your camera or camera phone on a tripod. That will leave your hands free to move the light around. Use the camera or cameraphone’s timer.

Use one light. Turn off the other lights. Holding the light more or less just out of the frame, move it around to get different effects. Keep the light as close to the subject as possible. Pay attention to the edge of the light. Where you place the edge of the light will allow you to control the tone of the background and what parts of your stuffed animal will stand out.

Try:

  • Front light
  • Side light
  • Top Light
  • Under lighting
  • Silhouette – point the light at a white background and leave some space between the subject and the background.

Post your results in a gallery with a description of your process.

Category: Lab: Week 5 – Lighting Direction