Light and Shade

We normally assume the light to break in directly and/or diagonally from above. In rare cases it can break in also laterally. These cases are "natural lighting situations".

Therefore most of us will see in the accompanying picture three balls surrounded by four deepenings and in the next picture four balls and three deepenings. In fact both pictures are the same, the second one is only turned for 180°.

Sceneries, in which the light is coming from the bottom, seem to be unreal . In movies and theatre this effect is often used to produce “unreal” or frightening situations and moods. In fact this kind of lightening is disturbing and irritating. It is so irritating, that it is even difficult to recognize a well known face which is lightened from the bottom.

Figures:

Most of us will see three floating balls and four deepenings.

 

 

Here most people see three deepenings and four floating balls . It is the same picture but turned for 180°. The reason, that we interpret the same picture in two different kinds is, that we assume the light coming from above

 

It is difficult to give general statements about light and shade, the light situations are to complex to generalize. Therefore take the following notes with caution.

Generally bright surfaces seem to be higher and nearer, darker ones seem to lie deeper and more fare away. The reason for this is, that we experience high positioned surfaces being lightened directly and deeper surfaces being shaded..

For objects being far away and lying in the background the effect turns around. Light ones with week contrasts seem to be farer away than dark objects with stronger contrasts.

This effect is basing on our experience, that humidity and dust particles in the air filter colours and blur the contrasts in the objects and that adventitious light makes the background lighter. This effect is called “colour-“ or “airperspective”.