Photographic Imaging3-Point lighting

ALL LIGHTS ON

ONLY THE KEY LIGHT ON

ONLY THE FILL LIGHT ON

ONLY THE HAIR LIGHT ON

ONLY THE EDGE LIGHT ON

FULL LIGHT SET UP

The original concepts of contrast and light angles were often influenced by the light coming in from a window

Our modern soft light is an attempt to emulate the classic north-light window look

HISTORY

KEY LIGHT

P

rimary or dominant source of light in a shot

O

ften suggests an out of frame source

T

he choice of fixture (hard or soft) and its position will help set the

mood of the shot

Soft Key LightC

reates the shadow line running down the cheek

Full lighting with Soft KeyRifa 88, 1000W

Soft light Rifa with fabric egg crate

Hard Key LightD

ramatic transition between light and dark areasR

embrandt Lighting- when key light is positioned so there is a light triangular patch under the near eye

Has a slimming effect on the subject

Rembrandt van Rijn, Portrait of a Lady with an Ostrich-Feather Fan, c. 1658/1660

Full lighting with hard keyPro-light, 250W

Focusing Hard light

Key Light TechniquesT

he nose shadow is easier to see with hard light but blends more attractively with larger soft sourceF

ind the angle and height for your Key light that places shadow along the crease between nose and corner of mouthP

lace light so nose shadow is nearly gone W

hen light is directly in front of the subject, the shadow line on cheek will disappearB

ringing the Key light 'face-on' reduces wrinkles (makeup also effective)• Slimming effect

Hatchet lighting- when shadow line runs down center of face

• Can be dramatic effect when paired with little or no fill lighting or some edge lights

Bad Nose Shadow Reduced Nose Shadow Hatchet Lighting

Simple Light SetupsO

ne light will do the work of both Key and Fill A

second small light from behind adds a little shine to hair and adds a finishing touch

A small hard source can be used to see where the shadows are

By adding an umbrella increases the relative size of the light source so softness increases

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

Fill Light

L

ightens shadows and controls contrast ratios (the ratio of amount of Key to Fill light)

C

ombined with the Key light, Fill light defines the mood by lighting the shaded areas in a

range of intensities

C

an vary from none, to a level equaling the Key light

Fill Light

Anytime you are treating the side left shaded by the Key light you are working on the Fill

You can most easily alter the mood of a shot by raising and lowering the intensity of the Fill

Rifa 44, 250W Soft lightFill light alone

Fill Light TechniquesT

he Fill adds to the key light when directly over the camera• Fills shadows and still maintains a little modeling on the subject• A less intense light on the fill side is needed

Ways to lessen light intensity

• Adjust key light distance • Add scrims or neutral density gels to the light

Fill light is usually a soft source- use an umbrella or a softbox

Fill shouldn’t add another set of visible shadows to the camera

- A looks more fully lit, while still maintaining the Key as the dominant light source. -Reduced Fill in image B increases dramatic effect.- C has a Fill light that is almost as strong as the Key, placed in a position so that the shadow the nose throws on the opposite side of the face, visible to the camera.

A B C

lower ratio of key to fill light

Higher ratio of key to fill light

Double nose shadow

Reflected Fill LightA

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.

Negative fill- used in highly reflected rooms

• done by hanging a dark cloth or piece of black foamcore on the fill side to prevent stray light from providing too much fill

Specular reflector bouncing soft key light to create fill

Hair LightA

light from behind the subject, often weaker than the Key or Fill, aimed at the head & shoulders

May also be called a backlight

Separates subject and background

Adds highlights & shine to hair

Hair Light TechniquesP

laced directly opposite camera

Creates highlights and gives shine to hair

Small hard lights will make small hard lines and edges

Larger sources provide an even, gentle wash

A strong back light blasted directly at the back of the head causes hair to glow

Don’t shine any in front of the lens, causing lens flare

For shiny heads use separate lights for each shoulder

Rifa 44, 250W Soft light

Hair Light Alone

Edge Light

L

ight from behind the subject

W

eaker than Key or Fill

C

reates an edge of definition between subject and background

F

orm of backlight normally used to define one dark object from another

Edge Light TechniquesC

reates subtle defining 'edges', and line-like highlightsD

elineate the edge of your subjectS

eparates subject's dark hair or jacket from a similarly dark background A

imed in the direction of the camera

L-light, 100WEdge Light Alone

Background LightU

sed for lighting background of set as a whole or specific areas

Lights objects in background of set significant to image

Separates subject and background

Possible to use multiple background lights

Background Light Techniques

For the setup used above, a mottled shadow pattern on the background was created by shining a hard light through a cookaloris (a random pattern cut into wood, foamcore, or black foil).

It was lit by a 250W focusable Pro-light, a hard source

By the time you've put up your Key, Fill, Hair and Edge lights you might have light bouncing off the walls and ceiling lighting up the background too much. You can try turning off any room lights, or by adding distance between the subject and the background. In combination with these is the ability to control the lights you've placed in the setting.

Setup with cookaloris patternPro-light, 250W

Since large broad sources tend to spill on the background consider using an Egg Crate on any softlights you use. Other lights should all have barndoors to direct light only where it's wanted. You can finesse more by specifically flagging spilled light from where you don't want it.

Setup with cookaloris patternPro-light, 250W

Slash Accent

Slash of light made by putting two barndoors close together on a hard light source

Focusing the light to flood will give a larger and more consistent output level to the slash

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 effect

C

oloring the slash with a gel is also common

Omni-light 500W focusable

Set up with slash accent

Highlight Accent

In this shot, a tiny L-light with 100 Watt lamp is directed to place a small pool of light on the flowers and the picture frame

The result looks like it have could come from track lighting or a recessed ceiling light, adding to the natural feel of the effect.

AccentL-light with 100W lamp

Highlights and object in the setting

Color background

In this shot, we added red gel to an Omni-light, focused wide enough to cover the background area of the shot

Omni-light 500W focusable

A popular technique used in media to give the background a more theatrical effect. It provides a contrast of color and feel between the environment and the subject.

barn doors were used on the fixture to trim any spill that may fall on the subject