In this video photographer Joel Edelman shares how he first began to ‘see’ light with a simple Egg.
Once you’ve viewed the video and have tried it for yourself – share you pictures and reflections on the exercise in comments below.
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29 Responses to “A Simple Exercise to help You Learn to See Light” - Add Yours
April 8th, 2012 at 7:27 am
This is a great exercise. I actually saw this in an old photography book a couple of years ago and gave it a try. Here’s a couple of the images:
http://blog.jeffejensenphotography.com/2010/03/eggs.html
April 8th, 2012 at 10:10 am
I call ‘Shopped egg’! Looks like too much post production HDR to me!
Great video and plays well with the Lambo vid.
April 8th, 2012 at 10:25 am
Seems like common sense, but this exercise does make it’s point.
A similar, not so good, example…sometimes you can’t change or wait out the light you have…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lendog64/6921929203/
April 8th, 2012 at 12:46 pm
I have tried this long back.
The shape of egg in light is mesmerizing and the shadows give effects
you can see the magic of light in this colors of nature picture
http://raghavendra-mobilephotography.blogspot.com/2012/01/colors-of-nature.html
April 8th, 2012 at 4:22 pm
Not a patch on this video but here is a picture of mine.
http://blogs.gonomad.com/traveltalesfromindia/2012/04/skywatch-friday-mundane-clothes-clip.html
April 8th, 2012 at 6:12 pm
Not an egg. But close enough. ;D
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nationsonn/7052904895/in/photostream
April 8th, 2012 at 7:31 pm
here’s another. I think the lighting makes this photo.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nationsonn/7048232617/in/photostream
April 8th, 2012 at 7:34 pm
As well as objects and people light is equally important for outdoors photography.
Every place, every time and every day the light is different and presents new challenges and opportunities.
I notice this in particular as I travel a lot and everywhere I go the light is different. You may think sunlight is sunlight but it is not. The sunlight in, for instance, in the Mediterranean is very different to the UK and different again to Africa.
The important lesson from this video is that of awareness of this.
The use of low light here but capturing a sunburst was challenge.
http://wildlifeencounters.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/African-Wild-Flowers-and-Trees/G0000LbJPJO_3rCA/I0000xAYsQ1jUJ_s
April 9th, 2012 at 12:09 am
Shooting eggs was an assignment in my beginner digital photography class as well – here was my submission:
http://flic.kr/p/6CrFor
April 9th, 2012 at 3:14 am
I love playing with light for added dynamics in photographs.
http://disney-photography-blog.blogspot.com/
April 9th, 2012 at 3:42 am
My only question is, how do you get the egg to stand up?
April 9th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Hmm. Makes SOME sense, but I think I’ll have to try it in person…
April 9th, 2012 at 3:09 pm
Great message and exercise. Please fix the audio.
April 10th, 2012 at 2:03 am
That was the first question I had too, Dan.
April 10th, 2012 at 3:16 pm
Break the bottom of the egg slightly to make it stand up, or put some salt under it to make it stand up. Seems like a cool exercise! I will try it.
April 13th, 2012 at 1:31 am
I find it interesting that one of the first things we drew in a beginning drawing class I took was an egg.
April 13th, 2012 at 3:39 am
This is an eggcelent video and his eggsample is great. I will try this eggercise soon. Eggsactly when I don’t know.
April 13th, 2012 at 7:38 am
great idea, I’ll use this exercise on my students!
April 13th, 2012 at 7:46 am
Our instructor made us light a ball, cube and cylinder. Same lesson!
April 13th, 2012 at 7:47 am
Our instructor had us light a ball, cube, and cylinder. Lesson is the same: See the light!
http://neophytephotographer.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/day-32-assignment/
April 13th, 2012 at 2:53 pm
Here are my “eggs”. I love the Spaceship Earth!
http://funmommie.blogspot.com/2012/04/easter-photos.html
April 14th, 2012 at 2:33 am
Very useful tutorial
Here’s my experiment:
April 14th, 2012 at 2:34 am
Very useful tutorial
Here’s my experiment:
http://flic.kr/p/bM6ftD
April 14th, 2012 at 4:31 am
broken video link – N/A – April 13, 2012
April 15th, 2012 at 10:21 am
Absolutely great demonstration of the principles of understanding light, I will certainly be taking this exercise to my video students
April 19th, 2012 at 6:48 pm
Thank you for this tutorial.
I consider myself to be a beginner and I think I will always be a beginner. I am also a newbie to DPS.
After 35 years, as a keen amature, considering photography to be a hobby, the light was turned on for me by this tutorial. I have eventually seen the light, not merely looking at it. I did not use an egg to do the exercise, I used a sculpture of a Rhino.
BOOM the light came on. I feel like a blonde (sorry Blondes) experiencing a bright moment.
We all know, photography is the art of painting with light, but do we really SEE the light? I may be overly excited, with good reason I believe. I no longer look at objects, I see a subject in every object I look at.
Now I really understand why some Photographers always take WOW pictures and the rest of us may take bright, sharp, correctly composed and exposed pictures, but the WOW’s are hundreds of pictures apart.
Am I crazy, getting so excited about so little, or is it perhaps the only leg photography stands on, LIGHT?
My hobby is now turning into a passion, and I hope, never to leave my camara at home again.
Thank you Joel, Darren and all passionate Photographers for sharing, what you know, with others like myself.
SEE the LIGHT!!!!!!!!!
April 19th, 2012 at 11:27 pm
Andre, I couldn’t have said it better. It is All About seeing the light, and being able to use the light too! Or making your own!
I’m challenged every day by this addiction I have.
April 23rd, 2012 at 9:00 am
Brilliant!! Glad to see someone else using the same view on light and shadow I do, Joe thank you for creating and sharing this video. Adds weight to the fuss I’ve had for years with some photographers about learning to see light through an artist’s eye and becoming aware of how it affect’s the subject.
January 4th, 2013 at 5:18 pm
This was a fabulous exercise for my second year high school students. What I had been trying to teach them for three months clicked with this lesson on the egg! THANK YOU for posting this.
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