ABSTRACT
Before we start with the textbook diagrams, we need to cover some basic theory of what good lighting is all about.
Obviously, lighting is necessary to provide enough excitation for the camera’s charge-coupled device (CCD) to produce an image. And as we discussed in detail in Chapter 2, the contrast range needs to be compressed enough to provide some detail (engineers would say signal) in dark areas but not overexpose highlit areas. I suppose if you did no more than that, you’d be doing better than many! But this purely technical definition is pretty lacking in soul. And if that’s all you do with your lighting, your pictures will lack soul, too. They’ll be well exposed and the engineers will think they’re great. But it would be nice to accomplish a little more than that!
