3 POINT LIGHTINGPhotographic Imaging 1

Simple Light Setups

• Sometimes when power or time limitations are factors, one light will do the work of both Key and Fill. A second small light from behind to add a little shine to the hair adds a finishing touch. Experiment by adjusting the distance between the light and your subject to achieve the balance between your key light and the ambient light.

•In this example a 500-watt Omni-light with a nylon umbrella worked well for the single Key / Fill light and a 125-watt L-light is providing the shine on the hair and shoulders. 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. Perhaps your situation calls for a more or less powerful bulb or a different fixture. Get the feel of working with a small hard source (you can really see where those shadows are) and then perhaps add an umbrella and see that by increasing the relative size of the light source you increase its softness.

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

Interview Lighting

• MOST IMPORTANT LESSON

• Pay attention > Understand the concepts, both individually and in the way they work together

• Familiarize yourself with each light and its effect on the whole picture

KEY LIGHT

• Key Light: The primary or dominant source of light in a shot. • Hard Key Light: The transition between the light and dark

areas is more dramatic• Soft Key Light: The shadow line will run down the side of face

or object.

Hard Light Soft Light

Key Light Techniques

• Watch for shadows, especially on the nose.

• Shadows will disappear when your light is anywhere from directly in front of the subject, assuming they are facing slightly away from the lens, to directly over the camera.

• Bringing the Key light 'face-on' is effective for lightening the shadows from wrinkles. Used with makeup it is even more effective

• Another look is what is sometimes called 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 light

Bad Nose Shadow Reduced Nose Shadow Hatchet Lighting

Fill Light

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

• Reflected Fill Light: 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.

Fill Light Techniques

• When the Fill is directly over the camera it adds to the Key light's exposure so consider adjusting for it. You will most often need a less intense light for the Fill side.

• Adjusting the distance will lessen the intensity as well as adding scrims or neutral density gels to the light.

• While it could be most any kind of light, a Fill light is usually a soft source so using an umbrella or a softbox is common.

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

A B C

Hair Light

• Hair light defined: A light from behind the subject,

often weaker than the Key or Fill, aimed at the

head & shoulders. It may also called a

backlight.

Hair Light Techniques

• Hair lights add finesse to the lighting to reveal the subjects form by using light from angles beyond what you use for the Fill

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

• CHECK: Since all backlights are aimed in the direction of the camera be careful to keep any light from shining into the front of the lens, causing lens flare. Wave your hand in front of the light and see if a shadow falls on the camera.

Hair light aloneRifa 44, 250W Soft light

Edge Light

• Edge light defined: A light from behind the subject, often weaker than the Key or Fill, is placed to create an edge of

definition between subject and background.

Edge Light Techniques

• Edge lights create subtle defining 'edges', and line-like highlights, which can be added to your setup to delineate the edge of your subject. You may hear them referred to as kickers, liners or edge lights.

• If your subject's dark hair or jacket seems to blend into a similarly dark background you can add an 'edge' to visibly separate, or cut them away, from the background.

• To experiment with these effects start with small fixtures and keep an eye on the shadow from the subjects ear.

• Edge lights are also 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. Wave your hand in front of the light and see if a shadow falls on the camera.

Edge light aloneL-light, 100W

Background Light

• Background Light:Used for lighting the background of a

set, as a whole or specific areas. Or for lighting objects in the background of the set that are significant to the image.

• Color Background: background a more obviously treated /

theatrical effect. It provides a contrast of color and feel between the environment

and the subject.

Background Light Techniques

• How you deal with backgrounds depends on whether it is part of the story or just a neutral setting for your subject.

• 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. CHECK!

• 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