I am demonstrating my response to Adam Goldberg. The first thing I did was I chose a background and a portrait image of my choice. On my portrait layer, I used the lasso tool to select the areas I desires. After doing this, selected the inverse tool so that the other layer would be filled with the areas that aren’t white. Then on the background layer, I selected edit, fill to merge the 2 layers. From here I changed the opacity to adjust the strength . I like this photograph because the cold/dark hues complement the darker tones of shadow on the object’s face. This makes the viewer feel nervous as the cold, harsh and hostile techniques of the photograph are conveyed.
Key Lighting – The Key light is the primary light source in this style of setup. It is pointed from the side of the object to create a dynamic effect of light.
Fill Light – This light is used to create a nice balance of light so the shadows are minimal preventing a chiaroscuro effect, and creating slight “butterfly” shadows in and around the object’s face. This makes the lighting more intimate in the environment and therefore quite personnel.
Finally, the back light is used to separate the object themselves from the background. This strengthens, enhances and above all defines the objects features to appear 3 dimensional.
Butterfly lighting is also known as Paramount lighting. It became a well Known technique used in Hollywood in the 1930’s. This lighting is characterized by the butterfly-shaped shadow that it casts below the nose. It is produced by placing the light source above the face and in line with the direction in which the face is pointing.
Here is an example of Butterfly Lighting. You can see the Butterfly shaped shadow just bellow the nose.
Loop lighting, which is named for the loop-shaped shadow that it creates under the nose, is the most frequently-used pattern. It is considered to be a relatively flattering and adaptable pattern that lights most of the face while imparting a sense of depth.
In loop lighting, we want a slightly downward angled shadow so we raise the light slightly above eye level. We want the end of the nose to cast a rounded–looped–shadow down from the nose to around the corner of the mouth or even a bit shorter.
Here is an example of Loop Lighting. You can see the small Loop shaped shadow produced under the nose.The shadow goes off to the side; it is not directly under the nose. The area between the upper lip and the nose remains light. It creates a three dimensional feel to the image.
Here I used one point lighting to create a chiaroscuro effect. I like how the dark tones created by the shadows enhance the brightness of the face. I enhanced this effect by increasing the brightness and contrast on the photograph. Interestingly, what I particularly like about the chiaroscuro effect is that the fact there is no backing/fill lighting or any other forms of supporting light making the object feel at one with his background apart from his face. This gives the photograph a mysteriousness that makes the object appear quite isolated as half his face is only projected where the other half is dark. This makes him appear that there is a certain feeling inside of the object that makes him feel upset inside but suggests he isn’t comfortable expressing it. On the light source, I adjusted the dimmers at the front to pinpoint the light so the object would be fully illuminated and nothing else. This is effective because I wanted to focus on the object and let the viewer not feel distracted by the shadows, but use the shadows to compliment the background subtly.
Three-point lighting is a standard method used in media such as theatre, video, film, still photography and computer-generated imagery. By using three separate positions, the photographer can illuminate the shot’s subject (such as a person) however desired, while also controlling the shading and shadows produced by direct lighting.
The main light 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.
The secondary light 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.
The back light is placed behind the subject and lights it from the rear. Unlike the other two, 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.
My Photoshoot:
For this shoot, I experimented with three-point lighting which includes a main light, a secondary light and a back light.
I used a black back drop so my subjects stood out and to give me the best possible opportunity to get the best results and so you can evidently see the three uses of lighting.
The point of three-point lighting is to create a direct, pleasing and realistic light on your subject. By using three separate lights you have complete control on how the subject is illuminated. Due to this, I found it much easier to get an even distribution of light on my model and therefore made for a better outcome because the subject’s outline was clearly evident while the technique remains relatively simple.
I began with just the key light to see the influence it had on my subjects appearance, however, the side of my models face which wasn’t exposed to a light was getting lost in the black backdrop so I therefore experimented using both the key light and fill light which illuminated the whole of the subject.
I then tried out using just the soft-light box – they fill light which made the face stand out but still crated some shadows without the help of the key light to drown the shadows out.
After using both the key and secondary light, I moved on to the back light which face my subject a halo-like look as the light was being cast onto the back of her head and shoulders and automatically, the subject looks more three dimensional. In addition, the audience can see the outlines more clearly and there are more highlights in comparison to the previous shadows achieved from the other lights.
I really enjoyed doing this shoot because I now understand more about three-point lighting and what the purposes are of each light involved in the technique. I believe I need better knowledge about what settings are best for each light.
When editing these images, I experimented with black and white, brightness and contrast as well as levels but was particularly attracted to the way the ‘curves’ features made the images look. I then came across the ‘photo filter’ editing technique and really liked the futuristic look the different colours gave the appearance of each photo. They edits look very unrealistic and this is what I wanted to achieve to show juxtaposition between the idea of realism which three-point lighting gives compared to the unrealistic, futuristic look my edits portray.
Experimental Edit:
For these particular edits which look very metallic and almost like an x-ray, I got my inspiration from the house duo, Disclosure and their logo as well as their artwork on album/EP covers. The art really fascinates me and I think it is a great and unique design which I wanted to try to replicate in my edits.
Andy Warhol
Next, I was inspired by Andy Warhol within my Disclosure inspired series. I was inspired by Warhol’s pop-art, in particular his collages of 4 images.
I wanted this edit to look very unusual and perhaps a bit uncomfortable for the audience to look at by playing around with proportions, shapes, sizes and colour pairings.
The Three Point Lighting Technique is a standard method used in visual media such as video, film, still photography and computer-generated imagery. The technique uses three lights called the key light, fill light and back light. The main principles of the technique are still doable whilst using two or even one light source.
The Key Light 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.
The Fill Light 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 achieve this, you could move the light further away. You might also want to set the fill light to more of a flood than the key.
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.
We did our own photo shoot using the three point lighting technique. For the Light sources we used continuous lighting as it was easier to position the lights in the right places. The set up of our shoot was very slimier to the image above. Our model was placed in the center of all the lights to begin with. We had our Key light facing the right side of the models face. Our fill light was facing the opposite side, with the back light coming from directly behind the model.
My camera settings throughout the whole shoot was set on 1/80 shutter speed. The ISO was on 100, the f/ was on 5.6 and the white balance was on tungsten. Here is the Contact Sheet for the photo shoot.
During the shoot we experimented with the lighting by changing the brightness and gradually changing the position of each light source. For the first couple of images, we only had the Back Light on to see what effects we could create.
This is one of the edited versions of the image created by only having the back light on. The light is coming from behind the model, so her face is not illuminated properly. The contrast between the light and the shadow is poor, and there is no definition of her features. We decided to add the Key Light as well as the Back Light to see how this would improve the quality of the image.
Here is the image taken when using the Back Light and the Key Light. The models face is illuminated much better, and there is a greater definition of her features. There is a clear difference between the dark and the light, and we are still capable of see the mode’ls portfolio as Back Light is illuminating the back if her head. However, the Key Light is creating shadows on the Left side of the model’s face, and to eliminate that we need the Fill light.
Here is an image taken using all three Light Sources. The Model is clearly separate from the background because the Back Light has highlighted the model’s back to create more depth. The features of the model are highlighted on both sides of her face because the Key Light and the Fill are both being used, and therefore shadows that would be created by the Key Light, are being diffused by the Fill Light.
Overall, I think the image that was taken with all Three Light Sources was the best outcome, and now that I have experiment with different ways of using the three point light technique, I will be able to use it in future shoots.
Often we use 1 point lighting as a very simple source of light. We can use this lighting to highlight a specific area of an object. By doing this we show a strong contrast between this part and other parts of the photograph. For this reason, I personally prefer to use a black background as this makes the object’s dark areas such as the shadows and the background feel somewhat more connected projecting the lit up part of the photograph to stand out for the viewer. An example of this type of lighting:
2 point lighting can be useful to have the simplicity of 1 point lighting but to have the 3D of the object enhanced without turning up the 1 lighting point lighting exposing the risk of having too strong harsh lighting. This gives the photograph a slightly more comfortable and relaxed feel as the shadows aren’t as imposing as with 1 point lighting. An example of 2 point lighting:
3 point lighting is ideal for taking photographs where brighter tones of light are focused upon increasing the balance of light from the shadows. This can be used where some people who do not appreciate the effects of a balanced lighting of 2 point lighting and want more of an extreme feel of balance to their photographs. Having a heavy, strong presence of light impacting the object appears to be quite striking and imposing for a photograph whereas on the other end of the spectrum with 1 point lighting you have a lot of darker areas of light giving the photograph a gentler feel. An example of three point lighting:
Low key lighting is based on conveying a particular mood through the contrast. By doing this create a rather eeary atmosphere and therefore the environment of the photograph can appear tense. It can be used to support a model’s facial expression or body language, props etc. Often a great deal of the photograph will be in shadow, creating a chiaroscuro effect. For example:
High key lighting often portrays a more uplifting atmosphere to it. This is enhanced by having an increased exposure from the already strong light. By doing this, there is a lack of contrast. An example of this includes:
In today’s lesson, we experimented further with studio lighting and in particular, hard and soft lighting and its effect on the photograph.
Hard light casts shadows onto the subject; the shadows produced will have ‘harder’ edges with less transition between illumination and shadow.
Examples of hard light sources are spotlights, direct flash and overhead fluorescent lights.
If you are trying to create a scene that is moody, edgy, or with a lot of contrast then hard light is probably what you want to use and this is what we used today as you can see in the first 45 pictures.
In the second half of the lesson, we experimented with soft light also.
Soft light is light that tends to “wrap” around objects, casting diffuse shadows with soft edges. Soft light is when a light source is large relative to the subject.
Examples of soft light are: a cloudy day, a light with a shade, sunlight coming through a white curtain, indirect light.
The general rule for soft light is that the larger the light source is the softer it is. Soft light is the most flattering type of light for portraits.
Hard light: we used a black backdrop and a two sources of studio light to cast shadows and contrasts on the models face. This created silhouettes of one side of her face and created a moody atmosphere. We then asked the model to use hand gestures to create more of a character for the images and the gestures she made cast shadow on to her face which had a great effect. Furthermore, we also used coloured gels over the source of light to make it more eye-catching and I much prefer this effect because it looks more fun and obscure. At first, we used two studio lights – one at either side of the model, however, we soon realised that this wasn’t providing us with the result we wanted because we couldn’t get the right contrast and so we removed one of the lights.
Soft light: provides a much more forgiving look compared to the hard light and the light is not as harsh-looking and therefore is not as much of a contrast which, in a way, I prefer because the mood of each image is less edgy and is more warming mainly due to the orange/brown colours achieved from this soft light.
When experimenting with soft light, we also used flash to see what the affect would be on the images. Using a flash gave an even spread and distribution of light across the subject and around the frame which also gave it less of a moody atmosphere and makes the image seem more pure due to the white spread of light. You can see the difference between hard light and soft light very evidently and they both give off very different tones and atmospheres so can be used for completely different purposes.
However, I really like the use of hard light over soft light because of the contrasts between blacks and the lighter colours of your subjects face. When using hard light, you can experiment with shadows and this is what we did in the shoot. It turned out really well and looks really effective, especially with the different colour lighting.
Overall, I am happy with the turn-out of this shoot because it has given me a better understanding of the terms soft and hard light and how to use the in photography but if I was to do it again I would look further into soft light and try to get better results because I didn’t get a great chance to capture shots with this technique. My knowledge of Chiaroscuro, Rembrandt and hard light is more advanced because they can all come under one skill as they are similar.
Three-point lighting is a standard method used in media such as theatre, video, film, still photography and computer-generated imagery. By using three separate positions, the photographer can illuminate the shot’s subject (such as a person) however desired, while also controlling the shading and shadows produced by direct lighting.
When editing these images, I experimented with black and white, brightness and contrast as well as levels but was particularly attracted to the way the ‘curves’ features made the images look. I then came across the ‘photo filter’ editing technique and really liked the futuristic look the different colours gave the appearance of each photo. They edits look very unrealistic and this is what I wanted to achieve to show juxtaposition between the idea of realism which three-point lighting gives compared to the unrealistic, futuristic look my edits portray.
In today’s lesson, we experimented further with studio lighting and in particular, hard and soft lighting and its effect on the photograph.
