EVEN LIGHTING

This is an illustration from educational materials about page layout design. In this case, the grey rectangles are photos, and the designer is looking at the relative weights of the photos. Some layouts are more attractive than others, but it really depends on what photo is in the rectangle.

Even lighting over a surface is like the layout in the top left — everything has the same relative weight. It’s not bad, it has its uses. But for many photos it misses an opportunity to say something strongly. The layout next to this, top center, makes a bold statement with that top photo, and something less heavy, less strong is hanging from it. Again, look at this as a metaphor for the array of light and the shapes in your frame. The light illuminates unevenly in natural scenes, revealing some things and hiding others. Consider uneven lighting across the scene.

• Rubin’s Portfolio of Photography | Rubin’s Instagram (@droidmaker)

• Suzanne’s Instagram (@sfritzhanson)

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