14-14 I E S LIGHTING HANDBOOK

Background brightness. A factor closely related to lighting is background

brightness. For ordinary subjects, the background should not be very
dark, very light, or too close behind the subject; neither should it be of
exactly the same brightness as important parts of the subject, because
such a condition would have the effect of merging the subject with the
background. The less detail and the fewer the distracting spots in the
background, the better.
Portrait Photography
The portrait photographer is concerned with photographing people
either singly or in groups. In a case of individuals or groups of two to
four he endeavors carefully to model the subjects with lights to make a
pleasing and natural likeness, possessing "roundness" and "depth." This
he does with the aid of shadows, highlights, and contrasts.
Photography of Lighting Installations
The making of pictures of interiors and exteriors using the regular,
permanently installed lighting does not require special photographic
materials or equipment. Larger cameras such as the 8-by 10-inch or
5-
by 7-inch view types are appropriate. Smaller cameras such as the 4
by 5 inch and 2\ by 3| inch sizes can be used, provided they possess ade-
quate adjustments. The small miniature camera usually is not suitable.
In any case, a good lens is needed. It should be coated to reduce flare and
improve shadow detail. Care is needed in assuring sharp focus and proper
exposure. The camera should be supported on a tripod. The pictures
should be made at a small lens aperture (such as//16) to obtain sharpness
everywhere in the picture. The exposure time should be determined with
an exposure meter. Film development and printing procedure should
follow the manufacturer's recommendations except in the case of subjects
in which there are a wide range of brightnesses such as interiors in which
luminaires are in the camera field. The technique for such cases is ex-
plained on page 14-18. Several possibilities and limitations of lighting
installation photographs are illustrated by Figs. 14-5 to 14-9.
FIG. 14-5. Photography to show reflected glare, a, and appropriate lighting, b.
Tbe subject is a scribed drawing on metal. A brightness measurement made with an
exposure meter held somewhat in front of the camera is as significant as any other
measurement for this type of subject. The important point in photographing a
reflected glare spot is that the picture be taken from the eye point of the worker.
Otherwise, the reflected image will appear in a different area of the work. The same
thing applies to photographing a correctly lighted area. If the camera viewpoint
differs radically from the observer's viewpoint, glare spots out of the normal fiel4
of
view may be included in the photograph.