3-Point Lighting Research

3-Point Lighting Definitions:

Key Light: The main light which is usually the strongest and has the most influence on the look of the resulting photograph. Key lighting is placed to one side of the subject so that this side is well lit and the other has some shadow, and provides most of the contrast in the photograph.

Fill Light: Fill light is secondary lighting which is placed on the opposite side of the key light to balance it out. It is used to fill in shadows created by the key. The lighting of this is softer and less bright.

Back Light: Back lighting is placed behind the subject and rather than providing direct lighting, its purpose is to provide definition and subtle highlights. It helps to separate the subject from the background and gives a 3-dimensional effect.

Below is a diagram I found that illustrates this:

Found image examples of the different effects the lights have:

Other Lighting Definitions:

High-key Lighting: A lighting scheme where the fill light is raised to almost the same level as the key light. This creates bright photos and there are few shadows on the subject.

Low-key Lighting: A lighting scheme that has very little fill light, which creates strong contrast between the brightest and darkest parts of the photo. It also often creates strong shadows that obscure parts of the principal subjects.

High/Low-key lighting examples:

How this research will influence my shoot:

This research will help me to understand the effects of different lightings I use when I do my own photo shoot for my magazine's photos and help me to make them look professional. I will most likely use this 3-point lighting technique for any photographs I do in a studio, although I will try to experiment to see what looks best and gives the effect I want, for example if I wanted half of the subject to be in shadow or if I wanted the subject to be illuminated by just the back light. I also think it will depend on any incident lighting there may be if I chose to do a photo in a setting other than a studio. I will also experiment with high-key and low-key lighting and see if it is a possibility for any of my magazine's photos.