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How important is light to photography?
Light is almost everything! This observation should not be surprising, as what is photography other than the capture and recording of photons? Likewise, experimentation with light is perhaps the most important practice for aspiring photographers in any field.
I developed the following experimental series for the BugShot insect photography workshop to demonstrate how light source, intensity, and direction impact the character of the resulting image. In my own photography, I do a great deal of 3 and 6, and am starting to do more 4.