3 Point Lighting

We had a seminar on this a few weeks back which although I found extremely uninteresting; has enlightened me on the importance of this technique and that it is standard procedure in film and photography, something which I never knew. Still although I have had a bit more practice with lighting now, I am still uncertain of when the lighting is correct for the appropriate shot.

Key/Main Light:

This is the main light. It is usually the strongest and has the most influence on the look of the scene. It is placed to one side of the camera/subject so that this side is well lit and the other side has some shadow.

Fill Light:

This is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side of the key light. It is used to fill the shadows created by the key. The fill will usually be softer and less bright than the key. To acheive this, you could move the light further away or use some spun. You might also want to set the fill light to more of a flood than the key.

Back Light:

The back light is placed behind the subject and lights it from the rear. Rather than providing direct lighting (like the key and fill), its purpose is to provide definition and subtle highlights around the subject's outlines. This helps separate the subject from the background and provide a three-dimensional look.