2017 Photo AS Blog

Key, Fill and Back 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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

sec-key-and-back key-sec-back-edits 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.

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Experimental Edit:

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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.

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Image result for andy warhol pop art — 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.

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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.

Key, Fill and Back

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.