Yes.. but what type of light?
One reason light is such a complicated subject is that there are so many ways of describing it; so many different aspects to light. You might think “it’s just photons”. Yes, but you can usefully talk about the light’s:
- Direction
- Intensity
- Dynamic Range
- Hardness
- Colour intensity
- Polarization
And also, in a picture, about such things as:
- Colour contrast: harmonious vs. contrasting colours
- High-Key vs. Low-Key light
All these properties can vary, so all these are useful ways to describe light. “What is the light” should really talk about all six of the top ones… can you see the complexity yet? So we classify them together as “type”. This helps.. a bit. But it is an oversimplification.
In the coming months I will talk about these. For now, try to think in these terms and try to see how the property in questions changes your photos. As an experiment, you may want to do a high-low photo for each property.