incident light

Incident light refers to the light energy that strikes a surface or object from an external source, such as sunlight or a lamp. It is the incoming illumination before it interacts with or is affected by the material. This concept is important in fields like optics and photography because it determines how we perceive color, brightness, and details. The properties of incident light, including its intensity, wavelength, and direction, influence phenomena like reflection, absorption, or transmission, shaping the appearance and behavior of objects under different lighting conditions.