- If you really master photographic lighting then you can take photos in a way, that the viewer can really “feel” the depicted material. Just as if he would reach with his hand into your photograph. The basis for mastering light in this way is a lesson that master Dean Collins tought us. A light source usually creates 5 zones of lighting on the subject that is lit by it. And if you are a viewer of a photograph, then each of this lighting zones in the photo tells a part of the story. The best thing is that you as a photographer have pretty much full control about this zones. So use it to paint with your light.