Photographic Lighting for Advanced Shooters

Lighting is an integral piece of the composition of any photo. In this course, we'll cover lighting in photography from A to Z – from working with natural light to studio lighting. If you are brand new to working with light, this course is for you!

Lighting is arguably the most important factor in what makes a good photograph. Additionally, each kind of light is different and is used in different settings. We'll discuss what kinds of light there are and how each are used, especially with different kinds of equipment and techniques.

This course is chock full of helpful resources within the lesson videos, including links to helpful third-party websites, diagrams, hands-on examples, and a final quiz.

Below is the full course index:

Section 1: Introduction – Learning from the Start

• Introduction and Welcome (3:59)
• What is Light? (9:11)
• Angles of Light (9:20)
• Understanding Polarizers (4:30)
• White Balance (4:02)
• Shooting During Golden Hour (1:34)
• Light’s Behavior Underwater (1:34)
• The Quality of Light (1:14)

Section 2: Working with Light

• Observing Light (4:54)
• Types of Light (6:34)
• Light Meters and Incident vs. Reflected Lighting (9:05)
• The Box Exercise (5:30)
• The Planar Lighting Technique Part 1 (8:25)
• The Planar Lighting Technique Part 2 (6:32)
• The Planar Lighting Technique Part 3-1 (5:42)
• The Planar Lighting Technique Part 3-2 (6:08)
• Studio Tour (2:49)
• Studio Lighting Gear (9:23)
• Setting Up Strobe Triggers (5:34)

Section 3: Getting Creative with Light

• Studio Lighting Crash Course (8:09)
• Four-Way Studio Lighting (3:45)
• Lighting Ratios (3:02)
• High Key Lighting Crash Course (12:32)
• One-Strobe High Key (2:06)
• Light Modifiers (7:15)
• Short and Broad Lighting (7:18)
• Shooting “As the Eyes See” (5:20) Shadow Play (3:18)
• Complete Shade (3:08)

Section 4: Unique Lighting Challenges

• Shooting Groups (9:40)
• Shooting Subjects with Eyeglasses (3:52)
• Product Lighting Crash Course (6:03)
• Shooting Reflective Objects (7:10)
• Field Example: Shooting a Jewelry Box (4:42)
• Shooting Dark, Smooth, and Round Objects (9:48)
• Shooting Glass on a White Background (3:47)

Conclusion

• The Final Quiz (9:55)
• Wrap Up and Conclusion (1:32)

At a comfortable pace, the course should take about one week to complete, though it can certainly be done in less or greater time, depending on your learning style.

You should be familiar with some basic terminology regarding light, such as "lens," "aperture," and "shutter," though these terms will be explained in the course.

Be aware, however, that this course is not for beginning photographers. Please see the Intended Audience and Course Requirements for more information.

Ultimately, it's our end goal to prepare you to be able to masterfully use lighting in both a technical, practical, and artistic sense. If you've been waiting to learn about advanced use of light in photography, we look forward to seeing you in this course.