In digital photography, what does 'blown light' refer to?

'Blown light' in digital photography refers to areas in an image where the brightness is so intense that the details are lost and those areas appear as pure white. This phenomenon typically occurs when a camera sensor is exposed to light that exceeds its dynamic range, which means the sensor cannot capture the necessary detail in extremely bright areas. Photographers often try to avoid blown highlights in their images because it results in a loss of information that cannot be recovered in post-processing. Understanding this concept is crucial for achieving well-balanced exposures and retaining detail across the tonal spectrum in photographs. In contrast, the other choices refer to various lighting effects but do not accurately describe the issue of loss of detail associated with 'blown light.'