In
photography and
cinematography,
available light or
ambient light refers to any source of light that is not explicitly supplied by the photographer for the purpose of taking photos. The term usually refers to sources of light that are already
available naturally (e.g. the sun, moon, lightning) or artificial light already being used (e.g. to light a room). It generally excludes
flashes, although arguably flash lighting provided by other photographers shooting simultaneously in the same space could be considered available light. Light sources that affect the scene and are included in the actual frame are called
practical light sources, or simply
practicals.