3 POINT LIGHTINGPhotographic Imaging 1

Interview Lighting• Using this interactive player

– turn on each light in the setup individually to see its effect– view the entire setup to see placement & choice of fixtures

4 lights: Key, Fill, Hair, Edge

form the basics of a well lit portrait

• Influenced by window light

• The north-light window in old photo studios and our modern soft lights attempt to emulate this classic look.

KEY LIGHT

• dominant source of light in a shot• sets the mood

Soft Key Light

Full lighting with Soft KeyRifa 88, 1000W Soft lightRifa with Fabric Egg Crate

Simple Light Setups

Hard Key Light

• More Dramatic

Full lighting with hard KeyRembrandt van Rijn, Portrait of a Lady with an Ostrich-Feather Fan, c. 1658/1660Pro-light, 250W Focusing Hard light

Key Light Techniques• keep an eye on the

shadow it creates from the nose.

• Bringing the Key light 'face-on' is effective for lightening the shadows from wrinkles

• Hatchet lighting. Here the shadow line runs right down the center of the face. It can be a dramatic effect when paired with little or no fill lighting or some edge lights.

Bad Nose Shadow

Reduced nose shadow

Hatchet lighting

Simple Light Setups

• Sometimes one light will do the work of both Key and Fill. A second small light from behind

• Don't forget to make the necessary changes in the height of your stand and possibly an exposure change to your camera as you adjust position of the lights

Single light (Omni-light 500 W) with umbrella, positioned to function as Key light, with enough softness to also act as Fill light.Single light result

Fill Light

• used to lighten shadows and control contrast ratios (the ratio of amount of Key to Fill light).

Fill light aloneRifa 44, 250W Soft light

• Fills in shadows

• Generally you can most easily alter the mood of a shot by raising and lowering the intensity of the Fill.

Fill Light Techniques• You will most often

need a less intense light for the Fill side.

• a Fill light is usually a soft source so using an umbrella or a softbox is common.

• Probably the only wrong way to do Fill is if it adds another set of visible shadows; visible to the camera that is (you only need to worry about what's in your frame).

A) Lower ratio of Key to Fill lightB) Higher ratio of Key to Fill lightC) Double Nose Shadow

Reflected Fill Light• Another method of providing Fill is by bouncing

the Key light off of a reflector. A specular reflector (the shiny hard side) will kick back nearly as much light as the Key light shining on it, in the same degree of hardness that strikes it.

•In the example shown, the soft Key light is being reflected. A stippled reflector surface will soften the reflected light more and give less chance of secondary shadows.

•Using a matte white card will provide a very soft reflected fill at close range. You may have natural fill already happening from light colored walls reflecting back to the subject. Indeed you might even plan such a situation.

•Note: In highly reflective rooms, if your lighting is too flat, you might consider a technique called negative fill. This is often done by hanging a dark cloth or piece of black foamcore on the fill side to prevent stray light from providing too much fill. Experiment with different amounts of fill and see if you can manipulate the effect to change the feel of the lighting.

Specular Reflector bouncing Soft Key light to create FillCloseup detail

Hair Light

• A light from behind the subject aimed at the head & shoulders

Hair Light Techniques

• Traditionally Hair lights are placed directly opposite the camera. It creates highlights and gives a nice shine to the hair

• be careful to keep any light from shining into the front of the lens, causing lens flare.

Hair light aloneRifa 44, 250W Soft light

Edge Light

• A light from behind the subject, often weaker than the Key or Fill to create an edge of definition between subject and background.

• you can add an 'edge' to visibly separate, or cut them away, from the background.

• If you have decided to use little or no fill an edge of some sort can enhance the dramatic effect.

• aimed in the direction of the camera, so be careful to keep any light from shining into the front of the lens, causing lens flare.

Edge Light Techniques

Edge light aloneL-light, 100W

Background Light

• Used for lighting the background of a set or for lighting objects in the background of the set that are significant to the image.

• How you deal with backgrounds depends on whether it is part of the story or just a neutral setting for your subject. However, the background is usually less bright than the subject.

Background Light Techniques

Setup with cookaloris patternPro-light, 250W

Background Light Options

Slash Accent•It is also common to 'treat' the background using a slash of light made by putting two barndoors close together on a hard light source.•You can mix the slash with general background fill, making it less prominent, or use the slash accent alone in a darker background to increase its effect

Setup with Slash AccentOmni-light 500W focusable

Background Light Options

Highlight Accent

•add a highlight to an object in the setting.•The result looks like it have could come from track lighting or a recessed ceiling light, adding to the natural feel of the effect.

Setup with Highlight AccentL-light with 100W lamp

Background Light Options

Color Background

•to give the background a more obviously treated / theatrical effect. It provides a contrast of color and feel between the environment and the subject.•Use barn doors on the fixture to trim any spill that may fall on the subject, as its color will make it very noticable.

Setup with Color backgroundOmni-light 500W focusable