Everyday, we are exposed visually to objects through lighting either through natural lighting, or by artificial light. We can't live without light. So it only seems logical, that light plays a major role in the things we choose to enjoy.
Light and its reflection gives us the contrast needed in order to truly see the beauty in it. Like they say "there has to be opposition (or to your eyes, its contrast) in all things." That makes beauty so much more beautiful; positive so much more positive; because we can also see the opposites.
Black and white photography is an amazing example of contrast. High contrast to show off lighting technique, is likely to be found pleasing to the eye. On the other hand, dull, or things of low contrast lighting are often glanced over.
Ever wonder why magazine pages are shiny? The purpose is to reflect light. Its to attract your attention.
And why do people like cars and motorcycles? There's several reasons, but I'll just touch on one of the visual aspects. One of these has to do with lighting. Why pick one particular blue car over another blue car; assuming both perform equally and price is the same? At this point, the decision may be based on appearance. Light bounces off of the vehicles metal in an aesthetically pleasing way. The more contours and bulges the car has, the more uniquely the light is reflected. Of course this has its limits too! Take this truck for example: Where is the main source of lighting coming from? Directly above, as we can identify by the truck's shadow. Take a look at both Truck #1 and Truck #2 pictured below. Which is more appealing visually?
Truck #1
And...
Truck #2
Which is more appealing visually? Truck #2, right? Disregarding color completely, these trucks are close to identical. But why does the second look so much more appealing? The lighting for this picture is cast from directly above, same as the first: So what's the difference?
Well, for starters, this vehicle has a much brighter color, which does affect the ability for light to reflect. We also see that first vehicle (Truck #1) has what appears to be a matte paint finish. In short, matte finishes damper light reflection, thus lowering contrast as well, making Truck #1 look flat.
Second is the angle of the picture. Truck #2 has been positioned in such a way that the lighting is maximized, thus creating a huge amount of contrast between the white light and the truck's red paint. Thus we are able to see a higher contrast.
