| Also known as 'available light', ambient light can mean sunlight, but it may also mean any artificial light sources that are present in the scene, such as tungsten, fluorescent, sodium vapour or halogen. | | | | | | Ambient light at a location may exist at levels too low to be useful to the photographer, who may need to use 'flash' or 'hot lights' to light the scene. | | | | | | Ambient light often causes a 'colour cast' in the scene, due to its 'colour temperature'. For example, a tungsten light commonly found at home has an orange or 'warm' colour cast. | | | | | | Reflection can also influence the colour of ambient light, if for example there is something bright green next to an actor, the green light may reflect into the actors face, giving it a green tint. | | | | | Often the effects of ambient light are very subtle and need to be carefully controlled by the photographer. | |
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