- the sky is more blue-violet
- shadows are darker and bluer relative to the sun
As clouds appear
- shadows become grayer
With haze/smog
- shadows appear relatively closer to the tonal value of the sunlight
Types of light
-direct sunlight
-shadows are darker and bluer relative to the sun
-with more clouds the shadows become greyer
-with smog or haze shadows appear relatively closer to the tonal value of the sunlight
-overcast light
-ideal for complicated outdoor scenes
-allows to paint forms in their true colors without dramatic contrasts of light and shade
-colors appear brighter and purer than in direct sunlight
-overcast light doesn’t change throughout the day so it is a stable light source
-north light (windows) come close but still have directional lighting
-window light
-assuming the light is not shining directly the light will be bluish
-on a sunny day often a second source of light caused by bouncing light upward into window from ground outside (green or orange depending on ground)
-room lit by north light will bluish cast but note the ceiling has green or orange cast reflected from ground outside
-shadows are soft and warm
-candlelight and firelight
-halo of warm orange color
-smoke scatters the light leaving no deep darks in the vicinity of the light sources
-photographs of night scenes make darks appear profoundly black
-glowing appearance with soft edges
-brightness of any point-source illumination diminishes rapidly with distance
-definition of fall-off
-inverse square law- effect of a light shining on a surface weakens at a rate comparable to the square of the distance between source and surface (show example)
-indoor electric light
-more of a orange light
-3 qualities of indoor electric lights (brightness, hardness or softness, color cast)
-relative brightness depends on wattage, type of lamp, distance of subject to the light and how bright the lights are
-hard light comes from a sharp, small point. The sun or spotlight is a hard light source.
-hard light is more directional and dramatic
-casts crisper shadows
-brings out more surface texture and highlights
-soft light emanates from wider area, like fluorescent panels
-soft light is flattering and reassuring
-better for task lighting because it reduces the confusion of cast shadows
-tonal transitions from light to shade are more gradual, compared to hard light
-color cast is the dominant wavelength of a light source
-hard to judge by looking at the light source
-regular incandescent lights are strongest in orange and red, weak in blue
-why red colors look good and blue colors look dead
-standard warm white and cool white fluorescents emphasize yellow-green
-light has yellow green cast
-streetlights and night
-moonlight appears grey or blue
-sodium lamp (orange light) gives off narrow set of wavelengths, sickly look
-mercury light (cool light) has a wider spectral output, drains the warmth out of flesh tones
-luminescence
-when hot or flaming objects give off light it is called incandescence
-when something gives off a cool light it is luminescence
-can come from living and non-living things
-bioluminescence
-organisms that produce light live, mostly in the ocean (squid, jellyfish, bacteria, algae)
-land animals emitting light (fireflies, millipedes, centipedes)
-some mushrooms that grow on rotting wood emit dim light called foxfire
-fluorescence
-light produced by object that converts electromagnetic energy, ultraviolet radiation, into a visible wavelength
- amber and calcite will give off colorful light when lit by ultraviolet light
-luminescent colors often gradate from one hue to another
-blue-green colors are most common in the ocean because those wavelengths travel the farthest through water
-paint a luminescent scene first in darker tones then add the glowing effects last
