In photography there are many type of lighting techniques that make your pictures stand out or add detail to them. These techniques are often use to highlight areas of your photograph for a greater effect on the outcome, but can also be used in multiple other ways too.
Flat light
flat light is when you have your light source at the front of your subject, making your subject well lit without any shadows showing.
This isn’t a technique highly sort after since showing shadows is important to bring your subject to life, however, it is good for hiding textures and imperfections in an image.
Broad light
With broad light, the face of your subject is at an angle with the most well-lit side of the face is closest to the camera and the shadow on the back side of the face. This type of light can make a face look fuller so it’s ideal for those with very narrow faces.
Short light
Short light is the opposite of broad light in the fact that the face is at an angle and the shadow falls on the side of the face closest to the camera. This type of light works well to a thinner a face.
Split light
Split lighting is another type of side lighting, you can easily recognize split lighting in an image by half of the subject being lit and the other half in the shadows.
With a face specifically, you’ll see the shadow line straight down the middle of the forehead, nose, and chin.
Backlight
Backlight is the light behind your subject. This is commonly seen in photos from golden hour, when the sun is low in the horizon and starting to set. This can be done by purposely having a light in the background or using natural lighting.
