14.2. Intensity

Intensity is the brightness of the light. Most cameras are designed to meter everything to a mid-toned grey, but of course that isn't always what's needed for a photograph. The exposure for an image is as much an artistic decision as it is a technical one. Is the goal to create a bright, cheerful mood? A dark, somber one?

Two particularly pronounced examples of light intensity are high key and low key lighting. The key light is the main light in a given photo.