OK, so we all talk about learning from expert photographers - seeing what they've done, how they made the light fall on their subjects, how they arranged things just so to get the effect they're after.

What we don't tend to talk about to learning from experts in other fields - and that's where I found myself getting some inspiration from tonight - another (albeit related) field.

I was watching an episode of CSI:NY, and followed that with CSI:Miami - and what I noticed is that the folk who arrange the lighting (I'm sure there's a technical term for them, but I'm functionally illiterate in that range) and the filming/framing do an amazing job of it. Not only do they light each show differently - an episode of one can't be mistaken for an episode of another, even if you can't see any of the main characters - but they also make amazing use of camera position to highlight aspects of the show.

Take a look at the differences in lighting between the shows - they're all lit in different tones - CSI tends toward blue, CSI:Miami toward yellow, while CSI:NY seems slightly de-saturated. These may also be altered in post-production - which, these days, seems more likely.

Watch what they do to invoke moods. Dim lighting, normally from the side, invokes intimacy, discovery or revelation type moments are often brightly lit (as in, 'the harsh light of day'). When we're shooting, we can use the same techniques to get people feeling along the lines we're looking for.

Also take a look at their framing, particularly of head-shots, but also of group scenes. Watch the angles they're shooting from, sometimes literally giving an overview, other times almost retreating from a 'power' character from an inferior (lower down, shooting up) position.

I'm sure there are other shows (probably more dramas than sitcoms) that give great examples of this sort of thing as well - but CSI is the one I was watching tonight.

I tend to watch TV as relaxation, while I review the work of other photographers as education. As a result of tonight's watching, I'll now be making a game of it for myself - to pay attention of the aspects of the TV show that might just help me improve my photography...