The art and science of lighting are both equally important. Understanding how various surfaces absorb and reflect light, as well as how this affects the setup that will be required, is frequently where the scientific aspect comes into play. This wonderful video walks you through three different scenarios and explains the specific preparations you need to do for each one in order to light your subject appropriately.
When light is shone on reflective, transparent, or neutral surfaces, each of these types of surfaces responds in a unique way. As a result, it is essential to have a solid understanding of these properties in order to design lighting that is able to appropriately match each of these types of surfaces.
In this informative and useful instructional, Director and Cinematographer Matthew Rosen will teach you about the three different sorts of surfaces, as well as provide you with some basic recommendations for how to correctly light each of them.
Understanding the concepts of the incident and reflected light, as well as the concept of absorption, is ultimately what it comes down to. As soon as you have determined the kind of surface you are dealing with, it won’t be difficult to comprehend the fundamentals of how to light it.
You won’t learn the specifics of how to light for all of the shadows, highlights, contouring, etc., but this will provide you with a solid foundation that will enable you to interpret how the rays will interact with your particular subject and develop the lighting.