2. 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 Single light (Omni-
shine on the hair and shoulders. Don't forget
to make the necessary changes in the height of light 500 W) with
your stand and possibly an exposure change to umbrella, positioned
your camera as you adjust position of the
lights. Perhaps your situation calls for a more to function as Key
or less powerful bulb or a different fixture. Get light, with enough
the feel of working with a small hard source
(you can really see where those shadows are) softness to also act as
and then perhaps add an umbrella and see Fill light.
that by increasing the relative size of the light
source you increase its softness. Single light result
3. 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
4.
5.
6. 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
7. 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
8.
9. 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.
10. 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 A B C
adding scrims or neutral density
gels to the light. A) Lower ratio of Key to Fill light
B) Higher ratio of Key to Fill light
• While it could be most any kind C) Double Nose Shadow
of light, a Fill light is usually a
soft source so using an umbrella
or a softbox is common.
11.
12. 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.
13. 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
Hair light alone
• CHECK: Since all backlights are aimed in the
direction of the camera be careful to keep Rifa 44, 250W Soft light
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.
14.
15. 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.
16. 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 light alone
• Edge lights are also aimed in the L-light, 100W
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.
17.
18. 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.
19. 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!
Setup with cookaloris pattern
Pro-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.
In the course of developing skills in the craft of lighting, this lesson may be among the ! The concepts covered here will reappear in many other lighting setups. Sometimes they are there on a subtle level, but they are almost always there.
It often suggests an out of frame source. Choice of fixture (hard or soft) and its position will help set the mood of the shot. Hard Key: If you move the key light until you see a light triangular patch under the near eye, you've achieved what is referred to as Rembrandt lighting. Rembrandt actually experimented with having the main light coming from many directions but this is the look that stuck to his name. You may notice that both soft and hard key lights are approaching the face from the far side of the face, from the camera. What is referred to as the short side. While it doesn't always have to be so, it is very common and a safe place to start. It might be so popular because it has a slimming effect on the Soft Key: Begin to notice how often you see this in movies, television, and photographs. It's everywhere isn't it?
1)The nose shadow is easier to see if you use a hard light but blends more attractively when you a larger soft source. 2) 3) While this position tends to allow light to spill onto the background it is usually more important to have the subject look good. If possible you could move the subject and lights further away from the back wall to allow the spill to fall off. This position is very flat light so you need to balance the needs of filling wrinkles or a slimming effect. 4) . You may also have to adjust the height of the key light to better fill deep set eyes. A larger softer light will be able to do this without causing the nose shadow to become distracting.
Combined with the Key light, Fill light helps define the mood by lighting the shaded areas in a range of intensities. It can vary from none, to a level equaling the Key light. The amount of Fill that is added depends on your taste (or the preference of the person who hired you). Keep in mind the 'look' you are attempting; especially if you are shooting something that is dramatic.
Image A-B Notes Images A & B to the right show differing levels of Fill light. Notice how image A looks more fully lit, while still maintaining the Key as the dominant light source, and the reduced Fill in image B increases its dramatic effect. 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). Image C shows a closer view with a double nose shadow. This is caused by having 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. Always look closely at your shot to see if your lights are creating unintended consequences.
. It creates a sense of separation between subject and background, and adds highlights & shine to hair, and is often widened to include a subject's shoulders. Working with Hair light gets trickier with receding hairlines, and may be done without in that situation.
If you are dealing with thinning hair or bald heads, you probably already have enough separation from the background; either because of the contrast or color differences, and only want to play with adding a subtle edge to the side of the head and neck. You may just need an edge on the shoulders of a dark garment that is blending into the background. See the Edge Light description below for more information. For shiny heads you could have separate lights for each shoulder or put up a traditional hair light and block, or flag, the part of the light falling on the head.
Similar in practice to Hair light, it is also a form of backlight normally used to define one dark object from another, for example a dark jacket from a similarly dark background.
1) 2) You provide a clue to the viewer where the subject leaves off and the background begins. If you have decided to use little or no fill an edge of some sort can enhance the dramatic effect. 3) It is popular to have a light edge along the jaw line. Try hard sources at different distances and angles. Try using a small light with an umbrella or with a diffusion gel.
It also contributes to creating separation between subject and background. Often the function of the light is fulfilled by more than one fixture at a time. It is possible to use multiple background lights.
Bullet 1) . Either way you may notice the background level is usually down, or less bright than the subject. However it is not unusual to highlight something in the background for interest. A plant or dim lamp is a common set dressing. Bullet 2) 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. Picture) For the setup used in the Viewer above, we created a mottled shadow pattern on the background 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. If you look at the Setup shot in the Viewer, you will see the cookaloris, tho' the Pro is hidden from view by the Rifa Key light.
