The inverse square law

In photography, the inverse square law is used to understand how the intensity of a light source changes as the distance from the source changes. This can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as determining the best lighting setup for a photograph or predicting how the exposure of an image will change as the distance between the camera and the light source changes.

For example, consider a photographer who is taking a portrait of a person using a single light source. If the light source is placed relatively close to the subject, the intensity of the light will be relatively high, which will result in a well-exposed image. However, as the distance between the light source and the subject increases, the intensity of the light will decrease according to the inverse square law. This means that the exposure of the image will also decrease, and the photographer will need to adjust the camera’s settings (such as the aperture or ISO) to compensate for the decrease in light intensity.

Overall, the inverse square law is an important concept for photographers to understand, as it can help them to predict how the intensity of a light source will change as the distance from the source changes, and to make the necessary adjustments to their camera settings to produce the desired effect in their photographs.