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Inverse Square Law of Light Explanation from Karl Taylor

June 30, 2014 By Eric Reagan

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=373eg4BW-NM&w=700]

Karl Taylor is back with another solid video. This time he’s breaking down the sometimes difficult-to-comprehend concept of the inverse square law into more understandable terms.

The inverse square law in photographic lighting says, the intensity of light radiating from a source is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source. As a result, an object 2 meters away from a light source, receives only one-quarter the light as an object that is 1 meter away from the source.

Check out Karl’s video embedded above for a practical demonstration of this principle. And notice how Karl demonstrates it by shortening the ratio of distance between the two subjects and the light source.

Filed Under: Learn, Lighting Tagged With: inverse square law, Karl Taylor, Learn, Lighting

 

Comments

  1. William Beem says

    June 30, 2014 at 4:01 pm

    I’m waiting for an explanation from a photographer who realizes that the Inverse Square Law isn’t just about light, but electromagnetic radiation.

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