Natural North Light Traditional Lighting Wet Plate

[Tin Can]

This topic may not be covered completely by 'artificial lighting'

How does Natural North Light Sunlight CRI and color temp vary by latitude and passage through various filters such as traditional window glass?


Historically many artists even before photography sought North Light, Rembrandt (http://www.parrotcolor.com/store/blog/?tag=north-light) for one. I have read of early photographers and studios building walls of glass on the North side, some with reflectors from other directions. Here is the only modern one I know of. Nostalgic Glass Wet Plate Studio (http://sharoncol.balkowitsch.com/wetplate.htm)


Does any artificial light match 'real' North Light?

Movie crews do use a lot of lighting, shining it inside rooms with massive artificial light from outside.

Are there artificial lamps that work as well as real light for Wet Plate?

I am aware of the $6000 ARRI SkyPanel S60-C LED Softlight. (https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1139004-REG/arri_l0_0007066_skypanel_s60_c_led_softlight.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A514&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIg9aepsHs5QIVsPfjBx3rQArjEAQYBCABEgK8m_D_BwE)

[Pere Casals]

Does any artificial light match 'real' North Light?

We know what is northern light: "Diffuse sky radiation": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffuse_sky_radiation

It is shooting in the shadow without skylight filter.

______

For wet plate, only blue and UV counts, I guess that skylight and direct sunlight have different UV shares, it also would be interesting to know how much UV the old lenses blocked.

[Bruce Watson]

Does any artificial light match 'real' North Light?

Not really, because real sunlight at the surface of the planet is a variable. It literally varies from minute to minute, day to day, and season to season. It's different from cloudy to clear, all that. And interestingly enough, it's different from low elevation to high elevation, which makes shooting color in the mountains... challenging?

That said, "daylight" is fairly well understood. The graphics arts communities have studied the heck out of it, because they have to. Can't do their work without understanding how it's going to be viewed. And from this understanding has come some standards.

Look up the D50 standard (http://info.gtilite.com/the-d50-daylight-myth/) (GTI can explain it way better than I can). Might be what you're looking for. IDK. But it's a place to start.

Oh, and a great proponent of "north light" was Frank Lloyd Wright. You might want to tour Taliesin if you can. The main studio is covered by north facing skylights. Has to be experienced. Really easy on the eyes; I could feel myself relaxing as I walked into the room. Very nice.

Another is De Beers (the diamond people). They grade the color of their diamonds by north light, or they used to. Guy I met who worked there for a while said they could only grade diamonds a few hour a day in the winter at that latitude. I imagine they've "fixed" this by now, but IDK.

[Tin Can]

Thanks Bruce, that is a very good link. I am studying it and beyond.

I have been to both Taliesin, it was long ago, several times, but failed to notice the light...I also found his Wisconsin grave hidden in grass across the road from Taliesin, since moved to the West location. No rest for the dead!

My interest lies with artificial North Light for my studio.

Your link helps immensely.



Not really, because real sunlight at the surface of the planet is a variable. It literally varies from minute to minute, day to day, and season to season. It's different from cloudy to clear, all that. And interestingly enough, it's different from low elevation to high elevation, which makes shooting color in the mountains... challenging?

That said, "daylight" is fairly well understood. The graphics arts communities have studied the heck out of it, because they have to. Can't do their work without understanding how it's going to be viewed. And from this understanding has come some standards.

Look up the D50 standard (http://info.gtilite.com/the-d50-daylight-myth/) (GTI can explain it way better than I can). Might be what you're looking for. IDK. But it's a place to start.

Oh, and a great proponent of "north light" was Frank Lloyd Wright. You might want to tour Taliesin if you can. The main studio is covered by north facing skylights. Has to be experienced. Really easy on the eyes; I could feel myself relaxing as I walked into the room. Very nice.

Another is De Beers (the diamond people). They grade the color of their diamonds by north light, or they used to. Guy I met who worked there for a while said they could only grade diamonds a few hour a day in the winter at that latitude. I imagine they've "fixed" this by now, but IDK.