Accessripple — light in photography
7
years of
light
A focused reference on light manipulation — how it bends, bounces, scatters and shapes everything you see in a photograph.
How the knowledge is built
Where this comes from
Primary testing before writing
Every technique gets shot in controlled conditions first. If the results are inconsistent across camera systems, the article says so rather than overstating reliability.
Scientific sources, properly credited
Claims about optics and light physics are cross-referenced against peer-reviewed publications. The journal page lists every source with author attribution.
What gets rejected
Gear-dependent tips that only work with one specific modifier, or advice that contradicts basic physics, get cut before publication.
Older pieces get reviewed, not just left
Anything more than two years old is checked annually. If the practical advice still holds, it stays. If context has shifted, it gets updated with a note.
On disagreement
Some conclusions here will conflict with common photography advice. Where that happens, the reasoning is shown explicitly — you can check it yourself.
By the numbers
What's actually here
A snapshot of what Accessripple covers — not a marketing claim, just a count of what's been published, reviewed and kept.
A good place to start
The one piece that shows what this site is
Hard Light vs Soft Light: What Actually Changes in Your Frame
Most photography guides treat this as a beginner topic. This piece goes further — into why the same modifier behaves differently at different distances, and what that means for shadow edge gradients.
It's the article that most accurately represents the level of detail you'll find across the rest of the archive.
Read this articleThe archive
Older doesn't mean outdated
Light physics doesn't change. Older pieces on diffusion, inverse square law and colour temperature are as accurate now as when they were published — the archive is organised to make the most durable material easy to find.
Fundamentals first
Start with the physics-grounded pieces on diffusion and light falloff. They're the foundation everything else builds on.
Technique over gear
The archive is organised by concept, not by product. A piece on bounce cards applies whether you're using a £12 reflector or a studio rig.
Peer-reviewed sources
Where a claim rests on optical science rather than personal experience, the source is linked. The journal page collects them all in one place.