There are various lighting techniques in photography that can enhance or stand out from your images. These techniques can be used in a variety of other ways in addition to highlighting specific areas of your photo to give the final product more impact.
Flat Light
When you place your light source in front of your subject, you create flat light, which evenly lights your subject and eliminates any shadows. This isn’t a technique that is highly sought after because it’s crucial to show shadows in order to give your subject life, but it works well for hiding textures and other image flaws.
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
The face is at an angle and the shadow falls on the side of the face closest to the camera in short light, which is the opposite of broad light. A thinner face responds well to this kind of light.
Split light
Another type of side lighting is split lighting, which can be identified in an image by half of the subject being lit and the other half being in the shadows. You can see the shadow line running directly down the middle of a face’s forehead, nose, and chin.
Backlight
Backlight is the light coming from behind your subject. Photos taken during the golden hour, when the sun is low in the horizon and just beginning to set, frequently display this. This can be accomplished by purposefully using a background light or by utilizing natural lighting.