The document discusses the basics of 3 point lighting used in portrait photography. It introduces the key light, fill light, and hair light as the three main lights that form the foundation of well-lit portraits. The key light is the primary light and establishes shadows. The fill light is used to lighten shadows and control contrast. The hair light illuminates hair and separates the subject from the background. Various lighting techniques for each light are also covered.

1.  http://www.lowel.com/edu/foundations_of_lighting.html
 http://www.lowel.com/edu/

2. 3 POI N T L I GH TI N G
Ph otograp h i c I m agi n g 1

3. I nter v i ew L i ghti ng
 The concepts cov er ed her e wi l l r eappear i n many other
l i ght i ng setups.
 Pay attenti on to how often these concepts r eappear .
 U si ng t he fol l owi ng i nter acti v e pl ayer , you can t ur n on each
l i ght i n the setup i ndi v i dual l y to see i ts effect. The 4 l i ghts:
K ey, F i l l , H ai r , & E dge, for m the basi cs of a wel l l i t por tr ai t.
Pay attenti on to the affects of each i n t he whol e pi ct ur e.

10. Concepts
 Cont r ast and l i ght angl es
 The nor th-l i ght wi ndow i n ol d photo
studi os and our moder n soft l i ghts
at tempt to emul ate thi s cl assi c l ook .

11. K E Y L I GH T
 K ey L i ght: The pr i mar y or domi nant sour ce of
l i ght i n a shot.
exampl e 

12. S oft K e y L i gh t
 K ey l i ght: v er y soft S i mpl e L i ght Setups
R i fa-l i te 88, 1000-
watt bul b, soft E gg F ul l l i ghti ng wi th
Cr ate to contr ol i ts S oft K ey R i fa 88,
spi l l . 
1000W Soft l i ght
 N oti ce the effect R i fa wi th F abr i c
cheek ; shadow l i ne E gg Cr ate
r unni ng down the
cheek .

13. H ard K e y L i gh t
 H ar d K ey L i ght exampl e:
 250-watt Pr o-l ight.
 Tr ansi ti on between the l i ght and dar k ar eas
mor e dr amati c.
 R embr andt l i ghti ng: mov e the k ey l ight unti l
you see a l ight tr i angul ar patch under the near
eye
 B oth soft and har d k ey l i ghts ar e appr oachi ng
the face fr om the far si de of the face, fr om the
camer a, the shor t si de.
 Thi s i s a v er y common and a safe pl ace to
star t. I t mi ght be so popul ar because i t has a
sl i mmi ng effect on the model .
F ull l ight ing wi th har d K ey
R embr andt v an R ijn, Por t r ait of a L ady wit h an
Ost r ich-F eat her F an, c. 1658/ 1660
Pr o-light , 250W F ocusing H ar d light

14. K e y L i gh t T e ch n i q u e s
Concepts:
B ad nose shadow  Star t: fi nd angl e and hei ght for your
R educed nose shadow K ey l i ght that pl aces shadow al ong the
H at chet l i ghti ng cr ease between the nose and the
cor ner of the mouth.
 N ext: tr y pl aci ng your l i ght so the
nose shadow i s near l y gone
 B r i ngi ng K ey l i ght 'face-on' i s
effecti v e for l i ghteni ng the shadows
fr om wr i nk l es
 H atchet l i ghti ng: her e t he shadow l i ne
r uns r i ght down the center of the face.
 Can be a dr amatic effect when pai r ed
wi th l i ttl e or no fi ll l i ghti ng or some
edge l ights.
• W e p a t in w hK y ig tk e a
h n rcic g it e l h, e p n
 U se l ar ger softer l i ght.
e e nte h d w ce ts rmte
y o h s a o it rae fo h
n s.
oe
• H r l h: e s r o e n s s a o
ad ig t aie t se oe h d w
• L r e sfl h: be d te oe h d w
ag r otig t ln s h n s s a o s
m r ata t ey
oe t civ l.
r

15. S i m p le L i gh t S e tu p s
 Someti mes one l i ght wi l l do the wor k of both K ey and F i l l .
 A second smal l l i ght fr om behi nd to add a l i tt l e shi ne to t he hai r adds a fi ni shi ng
touch.
 A djust i ng di stance between t he l i ght and your subject to exper i ment.
S ge ig t
in l l h
( m i- ig t 0
O n lh 5 0
Wwh
) it
u be a
m rl ,
l
p s io e t
oit n d o
fn t na K y
u cio s e
l h, w h
ig t it
e o g sf es
n u h ot s
n
t as a t s il
o l ca F l
o
l h.
ig t
S ge ig t
in l l h
rs l
eut

16. F i ll L i gh t
 F i l l l i ght: F i l l i s used to l i ghten shadows and contr ol contr ast
r ati os ( t he r ati o of amount of K ey to F i l l l i ght) .
 Combi ned wi th the K ey l i ght , F i l l l i ght hel ps defi ne t he mood
by l i ghti ng the shaded ar eas i n a r ange of i ntensi ti es.
 I t can v ar y fr om none, to a l ev el equal i ng the K ey l i ght.

17. F i ll L i gh t
 Sev er al methods exi st for
adding F il l l ight to r educe the
shadows.
 I n the v iewer at the
beginni ng, we chose a R i fa-
l ite 44 soft li ght, wi th a 250-
watt bul b, wi th a soft E gg
Cr ate to contr ol the spil l.
 The amount of F il l that is
added depends on your taste
( or the pr efer ence of the
per son who hir ed you) .
 You can easi l y al ter the mood
of a shot by r aisi ng and
l ower i ng the i ntensi ty of the F lig t ln
ill h ao e
F il
l. R a 4 2 0 S fl h
if 4 , 5 W otig t

18. F i ll L i gh t T e ch n i q u e s
 L i ght pl acement posi tions near camer a  hide shadows behi nd subject
 When F il l i s dir ectl y ov er the camer a  adds to the K ey l ight's exposur e.
 N ear -the-camer a posi tion: when you want to both fil l shadows and stil l
mai ntai n a l i ttle model ing on the subject. You wil l need a l ess i ntense li ght
for the F il l side.
 A djust the di stance to l essen the intensi ty as well as by adding scr i ms or
neutr al density gels to the li ght. U si ng an umbr el l a or a softbox i s common.
 Onl y wr ong way to do F i ll is i f i t adds another set of v i si ble shadows.
 A l ways look closely at your shot to see i f your l ights ar e cr eati ng uni ntended
consequences.

19. F i ll L i gh t T e ch n i q u e s
 I mages A & B to the
l eft show di ffer i ng
l ev el s of F i l l l i ght. .
 I mage C shows a
cl oser v i ew wi th a
doubl e nose shadow.
C) L ower r at i o of K ey to F i l l
l i ght
A B C D) H i gher r at i o of K ey to F i l l
l i ght
E) Doubl e N ose S hadow

20. R e fle cte d F i ll L i gh t
 A nother met hod of pr ov i di ng F i l l i s
by bounci ng the K ey l i ght off of a
r efl ector .
 Specul ar r efl ect or
 I n t he exampl e shown, the soft K ey
l i ght i s bei ng r efl ected.
 U si ng a mat te whi te car d wi l l
pr ov i de a v er y soft r efl ected fi l l at
cl ose r ange.
S eua R f co b u c gS fK y
p c lr el tr o n in ot e
e
l h t ce t F l
ig to rae il
Coe pd til
ls u ea
N t: I h hy el t e o m , if o r
oe n ig l rf civ ro s y u
e
l hin is o f ty um h c n id r
ig t g to l , o ig t o s e a
a
tc n u c l dn g t e il T is
eh iq e al e aiv fl h is
e .
otnd n b h n in a akc t o
fe o e y a g g dr l h ro
p c o ba kfa c r o te ils e o
iee f lc o m oe n h flid t
p e e t ta l h fo p o id gto
rv n sry ig trm rv in o
m c fl x eim n w hd frn
u h il E p r e t it if e t
. e
a o ns fila dse y uc n
m u t o fl n e if o a
m n uae h efc t c a g te e l
a ip lt te f to h n e h fe
e

21. H ai r L i gh t
 H ai r l i ght: A l i ght fr om
behi nd the subject , often
weak er t han t he K ey or F i l l ,
ai med at the head &
shoul der s. ( A . K . A
back l i ght) .
 Cr eat es a sense of separ ati on
bet ween subject and
back gr ound, and adds
hi ghl i ghts & shi ne to hai r .
 Often wi dened to i ncl ude a
subject 's shoul der s.

22. H ai r L i gh t T e ch n i q u e s
 A dd fi nesse to the l i ghti ng to r ev eal the subject’s
for m by using l i ght fr om angles beyond what you
use for the F i l l : i . e. H ai r li ghts and E dge l ights.
 H ai r l i ghts: pl aced dir ectl y opposi te the camer a.
S mal l har d l ight: mak e smal l har d l i nes and
edges. L ar ger sour ces: pr ov i de an ev en, gentl e
wash.
 Thi nni ng hai r or bald heads: onl y want to add a
subtl e edge to the si de of the head and neck . U se
an E dge L i ght.
 S hiny heads: coul d hav e separ ate l ights for each
shoul der or put up a tr adi ti onal hair l ight and
bl ock , or flag, the par t of the l ight fal li ng on the
head.
 B e car eful to k eep any l i ght fr om shini ng i nto the
fr ont of the l ens, causing l ens fl ar e. Wav e your
hand in fr ont of the li ght and see i f a shadow fal l s H irig t ln
a l h ao e
on the camer a.
R a 4 2 0 S fl h
if 4 , 5 W otig t
 Wi th the adv ent of moder n camer as ther e is less
need for the r eall y heav y use of hai r l i ght.

23. H ai r L i gh t T e ch n i q u e s
 I n the 1970s the extr eme back li ght was the r age. F i nd a glamour
photo fr om the er a and it wi l l li k ely hav e a str ong back li ght bl asting
di r ectl y at the back of the head causing the l i on's mane hai r style i n
fashi on at the ti me to glow. I f thi s i s what you'r e after , just tr y to
k eep the l ight far enough back so i t doesn't star t your subject's hair on
fi r e.

24. E d ge L i gh t
 E dge l i ght: A l i ght fr om behi nd the subject, often weak er t han
the K ey or F i l l
 Pl aced t o cr eate an edge of defi ni t i on between subject and
back gr ound.
 S i mi l ar i n pr act i ce t o H ai r l i ght, i t i s al so a for m of back l i ght
nor mal l y used to defi ne one dar k object fr om another ,
 E xampl e: a dar k jack et fr om a si mi l ar l y dar k back gr ound.

25. E d ge L i gh t T e ch n i q u e s
 E dge l i ghts cr eate subtle defi ni ng 'edges’ which
can be added to your setup to del i neate the edge
of your subject. A . K . A . k i ck er s, l i ner s or edge
l ights.
 U sed to v i si bly separ ate the subject fr om the
back gr ound. I f you hav e deci ded to use l i ttl e or
no fi ll an edge of some sor t can enhance the
dr amati c effect.
 Star t wi th small fi xtur es and k eep an eye on the
shadow fr om the subjects ear . Tr y har d sour ces
at di ffer ent di stances and angles. Tr y usi ng a
smal l l i ght wi th an umbr el l a or wi th a di ffusi on
gel .
 E dge l i ghts ar e also aimed i n the dir ecti on of the E g l h ao e
d e ig t ln
camer a, so be car eful to k eep any l i ght fr om Ll h, 1 0
- ig t 0 W
shi ning i nto the fr ont of the l ens, causi ng l ens
fl ar e. Wav e your hand in fr ont of the li ght and
see i f a shadow fal l s on the camer a.

26. E d ge L i gh t E x am p le s

27. B ack grou n d L i gh t
 B ack gr ound L i ght: U sed for l i ghti ng the back gr ound of a set, as
a whol e or speci fi c ar eas; or for l i ghti ng object s i n the
back gr ound of the set that ar e si gni fi cant to t he i mage.
 I t al so cont r i butes to cr eati ng separ ati on between subject and
back gr ound.

28. B ack grou n d L i gh t

T e ch n i q u e s
H ow you deal wi th back gr ounds
depends on whether i t i s par t of the
stor y or just a neutr al sett i ng for your
subject
 F or setup used i n V i ewer , we cr eated a
mottl ed shadow patter n on t he
back gr ound by shi ni ng a har d l i ght
thr ough a cook al or i s ( a r andom
patter n cut i nto wood, foamcor e, or
bl ack foi l ) .
 You t r y tur ni ng off any r oom l i ghts, or
add di stance bet ween the subject and
the back gr ound. I n combi nati on wi t h
these i s t he abi l i ty to contr ol the l i ghts
you'v e pl aced i n the sett i ng.
 Consi der usi ng an E gg Cr ate on any
soft l i ghts. Ot her l i ght s shoul d al l hav e Setup wi th cook al or i s
bar ndoor s to di r ect l i ght onl y wher e
i t's wanted. You can fi nesse mor e by patter n
speci fi cal l y fl aggi ng spi l l ed l i ght fr om Pr o-l i ght, 250W
wher e you don't want i t.

29. B ack grou n d L i gh t Op ti on s
 Sl ash A ccent
 U se a sl ash of l i ght by putti ng two
bar ndoor s cl ose together on a har d
l i ght sour ce.
 The i mage to the l eft shows a sl ash
cr eated by a focusabl e Omni -l i ght.
 You can mi x the sl ash wi th gener al
back gr ound fi l l , mak i ng i t l ess
pr omi nent , or use the sl ash accent
al one i n a dar k er back gr ound to
i ncr ease i ts effect.
 Col or i ng the sl ash wi th a gel i s al so a
common appr oach.
S tpw hSa hA c n
eu it ls ce t
O n lh 50
m i- ig t 0 W
fc sbe
ou a l

30. B ack grou n d L i gh t Op ti on s
 H i ghl ight A ccent
 M or e pr acti cal appr oach: add a
hi ghl i ght to an object i n the setti ng.
 I n thi s shot: the har d li ght char acter
of the l amp cr eated a shar p shadow.
 The r esult look s l i k e i t hav e coul d
come fr om tr ack li ghting or a
r ecessed ceil i ng l ight, addi ng to the
natur al feel of the effect.
S tpw hH hig t
eu it ig l h
A cn Ll h w h1 0
ce t- ig t it 0 W
lm
a p

31. B ack grou n d L i gh t Op ti on s
 Col or B ack gr ound
 Gi v es the back gr ound a
mor e obv i ousl y tr eated /
theatr i cal effect. I t
pr ov i des a contr ast of col or
and feel bet ween the
env i r onment and the
subject .
 I n thi s shot, we added r ed
gel to an Omni -l i ght ,
focused wi de enough to
cov er the back gr ound ar ea
of the shot.
S tpw hC lr
eu it oo
 U se bar n door s on the b c go n
a k ru d
fi xtur e t o tr i m any spi l l O n lh 50
m i- ig t 0 W
that may fal l on the subject. fc sbe
ou a l