Lesson Plan of UNIT – III BA JMC

LIGHTING:
Lights and its Properties

Light and its properties:

The primary properties of light are intensity, propagation
direction, frequency or wavelength spectrum and
polarization. Its speed in a vacuum, 299 792 458 metres a
second (m/s), is one of the fundamental constants of nature.

The lighting setup guides the eye to a specific actor, prop, or

part of a scene. Lighting reflects the psychology of characters.
The amount, size, color, and harshness of light surrounding a
character can be adjusted to match their emotions. Lighting
defines and supports the genre of the film.
There are three main types of studio lights. Fluorescent, LED
and Tungsten.
Fluorescent: These lights are energy efficient but give off a
relatively low output of light, usually around 60-100 watts.
The primary properties of light are intensity, propagation
direction, frequency or wavelength spectrum and
polarization. Its speed in a vacuum, 299 792 458 metres a
second (m/s), is one of the fundamental constants of nature.
Light has four attributes you can work with to make your scenes
look the way you intend. The color, intensity, quality and
direction of your light sources all play a role in determining the
overall look of your video.

The four principles of film lighting:

Quantity, Direction, Quality, and Color.

LIGHTING TECHNIQUES IN FILM

Characteristics of light
When you prepare to light your scene, you want to know exactly
how each light is adding to your framing and composition.
Amateur filmmakers might spill light onto their scene with little
concern for anything other than registering an image on the
sensor. This is not how you get professional-looking images. In
order to create the best images possible, you must be able to
control every light source in your scene.
Other blogs or content creators may provide you a one-size-fits-all
three-point lighting approach to use in your films. Three-point
lighting is a fundamental method of lighting a subject, but learning
the angles of lighting makes for only part of the equation. Here's a
quick breakdown of how fill light becomes so integral to lighting
techniques in film.
The three types of lights are Key light, Fill light, and Back light.
Key light: This is the primary and brightest light source in the
three-point lighting setup. It gives a scene its overall exposure.
Three-point lighting is the standard form of professional lighting in
video production and still photography. It involves using three light
sources placed in three different positions. By playing with the
size, distance, intensity, and position of these light sources,
including their degree angle, it is possible to control how light and
shadow fall on a subject, creating different moods.

Types of Lighting in Film: Basic

Techniques to Know

Proper film lighting techniques are essential in creating stylized

and natural-looking film scenes. This is why film sets always
seem to be overly lit or packed with many different light sources
that serve different purposes. This requires technical knowledge
in cinematography, which means using the most
appropriate cinematic shots and types of film lighting techniques
to get your message across perfectly in each and every scene.
If you’re aiming to become a cinematographer, director, writer, or
any other person who holds a creative role in a film crew, you’ll
need to learn some of the basic lighting techniques and types of
lighting used in filmmaking.
What is cinematic Lighting?
Cinematic lighting is lighting for film that evokes a feeling and has
a style. It’s the lighting we see in the movies we watch, be they
big budget or independent. While the term cinematic lighting is not
a precise term and is in fact very subjective, there are some
lighting techniques that generally lead to this look.

Lighting your subject to be slightly or more bright than your

background helps draw your eye to the subject. Also, if the
subject is a face, lighting the face from behind, opposite the
camera (also known as upstage lighting), helps give the subject’s
face some more definition as the shadows are falling towards the
camera. There are many types of cinematic lighting for film that
you can employ to get the mood and shot you want.

Film Lighting Techniques:

Cinematography and film lighting is closely similar to photography

lighting. You’ve probably heard many of these techniques,
especially if you’ve done some studio photography in the past, but
it helps to learn how they can uniquely benefit filmmakers in
creating different moods and atmospheres in every scene.
It’s also important to note that these techniques are not clear-cut,
so many of them can actually take the form of several other film
lighting techniques. What matters is that you learn what each is
good for and are able to make the best use of them for achieving
your cinematic goals. The following are all the different types of
lighting in film:

 Key Lighting
 Fill Lighting
 Back Lighting
 Side Lighting
 Practical Light
 Hard Lighting
 Soft Lighting
 Bounce Lighting
 High Key
 Low Key
 Motivated Lighting
 Ambient Light

1. Key Lighting
The key light is also known as the main film light of a scene or
subject. This means it’s normally the strongest type of light in
each scene or photo. Even if your lighting crew is going for a
complicated multi-light setup, the key light is usually the first to be
set up.

However, just because it’s your “main” light doesn’t mean it

always has to be facing your subject. You can place your key light
anywhere, even from the side or behind your subject to create a
darker mood. Just avoid placing it near or right beside the camera
as this will create flat and direct lighting for your subject.
When to Use Key Lighting:
 Use key lighting when you want to draw attention to a subject or
make it stand out from the rest of the scene.

2. Fill Lighting
As the name suggests, this technique is used to “fill in” and
remove the dark, shadowy areas that your key light creates. It is
noticeably less intense and placed in the opposite direction of the
key light, so you can add more dimension to your scene.

Because the aim of fill lighting is to eliminate shadows, it’s

advisable to place it a little further and/or diffuse it with
a reflector (placed around 3/4 opposite to the key light) to create
softer light that spreads out evenly. Many scenes do well with just
the key and fill studio lighting as they are enough to add
noticeable depth and dimension to any object.

When to Use Fill Lighting:

 Use fill lighting to counteract shadows, or to bring up exposure
and decrease the contrast in a scene. With fill light, your viewer
can see more of the scene clearly.

3. Back Lighting
Backlighting is used to create a three-dimensional scene, which is
why it is also the last to be added in a three-point lighting setup.
This also faces your subject—a little higher from behind so as to
separate your subject from the background.

As with fill lighting, you’ll want to also diffuse your backlight so it

becomes less intense and covers a wider area of your subject.
For example, for subject mid-shots, you’ll want to also light up the
shoulders and base of the person’s neck instead of just the top of
their head. This technique can also be used on its own, without
the key and fill lights if you’re aiming for a silhouette.

When to Use Backlighting:

 Use backlight to accentuate the silhouette of a subject, whether
it’s a person or an object. Backlighting creates a halo effect for
increased impact.

4. Side Lighting
Side lighting is for illuminating your scene from the side, parallel
to your subject. It is often used on its own or with just a faint fill
light to give your scene a dramatic mood or what’s referred to as
“chiaroscuro” lighting. To really achieve this effect, your side light
should be strong so as to create strong contrast and low-key
lighting that reveals the texture and accentuates the contours of
your subject.

When used with a fill light, it’s advisable to lessen the fill light’s
intensity down to 1/8 of that of the side light to keep the dramatic
look and feel of a scene.

When to Use Side Lighting:

 Side lighting brings out the textures or edges in a scene. Using
side lighting creates a better sense of depth in a location. It can
make subjects seem farther off by accentuating the space
between them.
5. Practical Lighting
Practical lighting is the use of regular, working light sources like
lamps, candles, or even the TV. These are usually intentionally
added in by the set designer or lighting crew to create a cinematic
nighttime scene. They may sometimes be used to also give off
subtle lighting for your subject.

However, practical lights are not always easy to work with, as

candles and lamps are typically not strong enough to light up a
subject. A hidden, supplementary motivated light (more on that
later) may be used or dimmers can be installed in lamps so the
light’s intensity can be adjusted.

When to Use Practical Lighting:

 Use practical lighting when a performer or subject needs to
interact with a light source. For example, use a bedside lamp
that needs to function within the action of the scene.

6. Bounce Lighting
Bounce lighting is about literally bouncing the light from a strong
light source towards your subject or scene using a reflector or any
light-colored surface, such as walls and ceilings. Doing so creates
a bigger area of light that is more evenly spread out.
If executed properly, bounce lights can be used to create a much
softer key, fill, top, side, or backlighting, especially if you don’t
have a diffuser or softbox.

When to Use Bounce Lighting:

 Bouncing light off the ceiling creates more diffuse illumination
and results in even, soft light. When you need more ambient
 light across a whole environment, bounce light is a great
choice.

7. Soft Lighting
Soft light doesn’t refer to any lighting direction, but it’s a technique
nonetheless. Cinematographers make use of soft lighting (even
when creating directional lighting with the techniques above) for
both aesthetic and situational reasons: to reduce or eliminate
harsh shadows, create drama, replicate subtle lighting coming
from outside, or all of the above.

When to Use Soft Lighting:

 Soft lighting is more flattering on human subjects. The soft
quality of the light minimizes the appearance of shadows,
wrinkles, and blemishes. Use soft lighting for beautification.

8. Hard Lighting
Hard light can be sunlight or a strong light source. It’s usually
unwanted, but it certainly has cinematic benefits. You can create
hard lighting with direct sunlight or a small, powerful light source.

Despite it creating harsh shadows, hard lighting is great for

drawing attention to your main subject or to an area of the scene,
highlighting your subject’s contour, and creating a strong
silhouette.

When to Use Hard Lighting:

 Hard lighting emphasizes changes in contour, shape, and
texture. Use hard lighting to create a more intense look.
9. High Key
High key refers to a style of lighting used to create a very bright
scene that’s visually shadowless, often close to overexposure.
Lighting ratios are ignored so all light sources would have pretty
much the same intensity. This technique is used in many movies,
TV sitcoms, commercials, and music videos today, but it first
became popular during the classic Hollywood period in the 1930s
and 40s.

When to Use High Key Lighting:

 Use high key lighting for dreamy sequences, or situations that
require overwhelming brightness.

10. Low Key

Being the opposite of high key, low key lighting for a scene would
mean a lot of shadows and possibly just one strong key light
source. The focus is on the use of shadows and how it creates
mystery, suspense, or drama for a scene and character instead of
on the use of lighting, which makes it great for horror and thriller
films.

When to Use Low Key Lighting:

 Use low key lighting for moody scenes that require a film noir
look or for nighttime scenes.

11. Motivated Lighting

Motivated lighting is used to imitate a natural light source, such as
sunlight, moonlight, and street lamps at night. It’s also the kind of
lighting that enhances practical lights, should the director or
cinematographer wish to customize the intensity or coverage of
the latter using a separate light source.
To ensure that your motivated lighting looks as natural as
possible, several methods are used, such as the use of filters to
create window shadows and the use of colored gels to replicate
the warm, bright yellow light coming from the sun or the cool, faint
bluish light from the moon.

When to Use Motivated Lighting:

 Use motivated lighting when you want to replicate a specific
light source’s quality of light. Filters, diffusers, and other
modifiers are helpful in these applications.

12. Ambient Lighting

Using artificial light sources is still the best way to create a well-lit
scene that’s closely similar to or even better than what we see in
real life. However, there’s no reason not to make use of ambient
or available lights that already exist in your shooting location, may
it be sunlight, moonlight, street lamps, or even electric store signs.

When shooting during the day, you could always do it outdoors

and make use of natural sunlight (with or without a diffuser) and
supplement the scene with a secondary light for your subject
(bounced or using a separate light source). Early in the morning
and late in the afternoon or early evening are great times for
shooting outdoors if you want soft lighting. The only downside is
that the intensity and color of sunlight are not constant, so
remember to plan for the weather and sun placement.
When to Use Ambient Lighting:
 Use ambient lighting when you want to illuminate your subjects
without worrying about a specific style or quality of light.
 Ambient lighting is a relatively universal light source that evenly
illuminates whole environments or scenes.

What are the three principles of light?

The three principles of lighting are direction, intensity,
and softness or hardness.

Direction
Direction refers to where the light or lights are coming from in
relation to the camera. Some common terms that refer to direction
of light is back light, top light, frontal, and profile. There are often
several different directions of light working together to make up
the totality of the lighting direction. If the light is hard enough, you
can often tell from which direction the light is coming.

Intensity
The intensity of the light is how much light is hitting any part of
your scene. The intensity can and often does vary from one part
of the frame to another. It also varies from one subject to another.
When working on set you will often hear that there should be a 4-
to-1 ratio from one side of the face to the other. Alternatively, you
can have a 3-to-1 ratio from the subject to the background. This
means the intensity of the light should be four times greater on
one side of the face in reference to the other and three times
greater on the subject than the background.

Softness or hardness
Unlike direction or intensity, the softness or hardness of the light
is a more subjective quality. Hard light is often used to create
more mystery and drama. Soft light is often used when the drama
is not quite so intense or for more of a naturalistic look.
All these combined to make the atmosphere of this film a
cinematic masterpiece that is a study on matching lighting to the
film.

Film Lighting, Shots & More Cinematography Rules to

Know:
Having a good storyline, a capable film crew, well-cast actors, and
an amazing set design may all be essential components to
creating a successful film—but it also has to look visually
compelling if you want it to have a meaningful impact on the
viewers. This requires technical knowledge in cinematography,
which means using the most appropriate cinematic shots and film
lighting techniques to get your message across perfectly in each
and every scene.
Proper lighting techniques are essential in creating stylized and
natural-looking film scenes that look much closer to real life as
digital sensors and film don’t react as well to light as our eyes do.
This is why film sets always seem to be overly lit or packed with
many different light sources that serve different purposes.
If you’re aiming to become a cinematographer, director, writer, or
any other person who holds a creative role in a film crew, you’ll
need to learn some of the basic lighting techniques typically used
in filmmaking.

Some of The Fundamental Characteristics of Light:

1. Quantity or Intensity of Light
When entering into any environment where you intend to make a
photograph, the first characteristic of light — whether natural or
artificial — to pay attention to is “Intensity.”
I

The intensity of light may also be referred to as quantity of light

and it refers to how bright or dim the light source is. This is just a
way of speaking about the amount or strength of light present.
Light intensity can also be used to represent the mood of the
scene; for example bright light as cheerful or dramatic and dim
light as mysterious or melancholic.
As a practical example, think of how your eyes react when you
walk into a dimly lit room after spending some time in a brightly lit
room; for a moment, you can’t really see much of anything —
everything is underexposed. Or, when entering a brightly lit room
after being in a dimly lit room, the light is a bit overwhelming —
everything is overexposed.
A camera reacts to light in very similar fashion; not enough light
underexposes, while too much light overexposes.
While you have to wait a few moments for your eyes to adjust to
changes in the intensity of light, you can simply change the
settings for your camera’s aperture, shutter speed, and ISO level
(the exposure triangle) to control intensity. Say you want to do
some shooting at the beach. The ideal thing to do would be to
wait until about an hour or so before sunset, as the quantity of
light is considerably lower than during midday when you run the
risk of overexposing parts of your photos. Otherwise, you will
have to make some thoughtful adjustments to your camera’s
settings in order to get the right exposure.
In situations with intense light, you will generally want to keep the
ISO low, the shutter speed high, or the aperture small (large f-
number). One or more of these adjustments will serve to lessen
the intensity of the light recorded by your camera, thus preventing
blown out images.
The same principle applies to the opposite scenario; shooting in
an environment with less light available will call for you to boost
your ISO, slow your shutter speed, or open up your aperture.
Each of these adjustments allows in more light and will help you
avoid having photos swamped by darkness.

2. Quality or Hardness of Light

The quality of light is not something we can measure. It is,
instead, something we describe based upon visual perception;
light is either soft or hard (or some similar descriptive variation).
Soft light is non-directional and typically comes from a diffused
source. The shadows created by soft light are not well defined but
soft. When you’re using flash and you aim the flash into a white
umbrella, for example, you are diffusing the light and softening it
or on an overcast day, the sunlight is diffused by the cloud cover
and the whole sky becomes a huge and soft light source. Soft
light helps creates smooth, gradual transitions from light to dark
without causing strong shadows to appear.

Hard light is harsh, directional, and casts strong shadows and

bright highlights. If you’ve ever attempted to take a portrait of
someone under the midday sun, you likely noticed your subject’s
facial features — particularly the eyes, nose, and neck — cast or
were beset by harsh shadows. There will be a huge range of
intensity variation between the highlights and shadows and this is
a typical trait of hard light.
Light sources smaller than the subject cast hard shadows and
light sources bigger than the subject cast softer shadows. So, the
bigger the light source relative to the subject, the softer the light.
Portrait photographers overwhelmingly prefer soft light because it
is perceived as more flattering.
However, natural light can be diffused also; shooting on a cloudy
day or using the sunlight trickling in through a window can create
beautiful soft light.
As a general rule, the bigger the light source in relation to your
subject, the softer the light will be. Moving that light source closer
to the subject, if possible, will also help soften the light.
In terms of intensity of light, the closer the light source, the higher
the intensity of light and the farther the light, the dimmer the light.
Therefore, this is not to say that there are no uses for hard light;
hard light, used properly, can infuse a portrait with a striking touch
of drama. The quality of light one prefers to use comes down to
artistic choice, but the first step in being equipped to make such
decisions is having an understanding of the quality of light — soft
light or hard light —and its fundamental impact on the photos you
create.

3. Color or Temperature of Light

Color or temperature of light is all about mood. A photograph may
have a color cast or tint of sorts that strikes the viewer as being
“cool” or “warm” light. This, of course, has nothing to do with the
weather at the time the shot was taken, but can vary with the time
of the day or under the type of light it was shot.
Contrary to what we perceive with our eyes, light isn’t typically
crystal clear — it actually has a color to it and that color can vary
under certain conditions. A photograph taken in deep shade, for
instance, may have somewhat of a bluish hue to it; this is a shot
we would refer to as being cool. Conversely, the golden light of
sunset would translate into a warm shot.
Color temperatures are measured on the Kelvin scale and range
from roughly 1000K on the warm, red end to 10,000K on the cool,
blue end of the scale. As a point of reference, daylight and
electronic flash fall into the 5000 to 5500°K range;
tungsten/incandescent bulbs are rated at about 2500°K to
2800°K.

Color emitted by a black body on a linear scale from 800

kelvin to 12200 kelvin.

Color temperature has a profound impact on photography.

Depending on what type of lighting you are using on your subject,
it has the potential to cause some undesirable color casting in
your shots. To work around this and ensure that your photos are
accurate representations of the scenes you are shooting, you will
have to adjust your camera’s white balance to even things out.
However, this is yet another area where there is a lot of
subjectivity. A cool scene can be warmed, a warm scene can be
cooled down, a feat made extraordinarily easy with digital
photography. Plus, if you shoot raw you can fix color temperature
in Lightroom, Photoshop, GIMP, or just about any other image
editor. A basic understanding of color temperature and white
balance will give you greater creative control over your
photography.

4. Direction of Light
In addition to exercising control over the quantity, quality, and
color of the lighting being used, a portrait photographer also has
some control over the “shape” of their subject’s face. How? By
dictating the direction from which the light is coming. Direction of
light also decides the length of shadows and these shadows are
responsible for creating a sense of depth in the images!
This is rather easy in a studio setting. All you need to do is move
your key light (main light) into a position that creates the look you
want; the way the light reflects in the subject’s eyes, the way it
wraps around the face, the direction and strength of the nose
shadow. If a multi-light setup (hair, rim, and fill lights) is being
used, the position of those other lights can also be arranged to
fine tune everything and further affect the shape of the face.
Here Are Some Scenarios Based On The Directions Of Light:

 When light hits the subject straight from the front, the light
can look a bit flat without much features seen on the subject.
It will lack much shadows and hence not have much depth.
 If the light hits the subject at an angle, say 45 or 60 degrees,
shadows are created and as a result there is more depth in
the image.

Standard Three Point Lighting

 If the light hits the subject from the sides it helps to create
dramatic images. You may need to use reflectors or fill light
on the opposite side to fill in any dark shadows.
 If the light hits the subject from behind, it will create a
silhouette. If the back light is used as a secondary light along
with another key light that is lit at an angle, side or front, then
the back light can help create beautiful rim light.
Being so precise is much trickier when working outdoors with the
sun as your main light source. In this case, since the sun can’t be
moved, you will have to move your subject around until you get
the desired look.
Why does the direction of light matter so much?
Because it influences how the portrait is perceived by the viewer.
For example, “butterfly” lighting is a lighting technique that creates
a symmetrical butterfly-shaped shadow under the subject’s nose
and emphasizes prominent cheekbones and good skin. In order
to accomplish this glamorous look, it is absolutely necessary to
make sure the lighting hits your subject’s face in a very specific
way. The direction of light can make or break a shot.

Do Not Forget – Contrast in Light

Contrast in light refers to the difference in brightness between the
brightest and darkest parts of the image which is the contrast
between highlight and shadow areas. Highlights are the brightest
 parts of the image and shadows are the darker regions of an
image.
Contrast in an image can be increased by lighting the subject
wisely. You will need to have more shadows for better contrast
and lesser shadows for lesser contrast.
A high contrast image will have bright highlights and dark
shadows with a range of tones/colours in between, whereas a low
contrast image will have just a narrow range of tones. As a result,
high contrast images look striking and low contrast images can
look flat and dull.
Understanding these four characteristics of light — quantity,
quality, color temperature, and direction — won’t magically
make you a better photographer. The information is important,
sure, but it is useless unless you are prepared to take it from the
theoretical to the practical. Light is everything in photography.
Learn how light works and learn how to assess it. Once you put
those skills to use, you will be well on your way to becoming the
photographer you desire to be.

When and how to use these 8 types of photography lighting

 Flat light. When you have your light source facing directly at the
front of your subject, this is flat lighting.
 Broad light.
 Short light.
 Split light.
 Backlight.
 Rim light.
 Butterfly light.
 Loop light.
 Lighting Techniques to Improve Photography
 Split Lighting.
 Rembrandt Lighting.
 Butterfly Lighting.
 Loop Lighting.
 Flat Lighting.

Types of Light tools

Photography Lighting Equipment:
The Essential Guide
When you first dive into photography lighting equipment,
you’re bound to feel massively overwhelmed. Studio
lighting seems complex, it’s full of confusing jargon, and it
certainly isn’t designed for the beginner.
While photography lighting might seem complicated, it’s
actually pretty easy to get started – assuming you have
the right teacher. That’s where this article comes in handy;
I aim to share all the photo shoot lighting basics, so that by
the time you’re done, you’ll have a strong understanding
of both studio lighting equipment and the accompanying
vocabulary.
Types of Light
The main types of studio light. Note that each lighting type
varies in terms of usefulness, portability, cost, and more.
Strobes
A studio strobe, sometimes referred to as
a monobloc or monolight, is a dedicated flash unit. Strobes
generally use cords, though more battery-powered
offerings are brought to the market every day. Power
output between models can vary greatly; cheaper strobes
offer about as much power as cheap, third-party
flashguns, while class-leading strobes are some of the
strongest lights in the business. For this reason, strobes
are the most common studio light used by professionals.

Continuous lights
Continuous lights serve the same function as strobes, but
they don’t flash. Instead, they are high-powered, constant
lamps that can (usually) be fitted with modifiers. While
associated with video, continuous lights still have their
place in stills photography. LED lights are currently
flooding the continuous light market, and many of them
are viable options for stills shooters.
Note that continuous lights are sometimes referred to
as hotlights – because they tend to get very hot. Be
careful with modifiers that sit close to the bulb, as they
present a fire hazard. (This does not apply to LED lights.)
Flashgun/ Speed light
Flashguns are small lights that mount on top of your
camera. They are highly portable, and some come with
reasonably high power outputs. Although flashgun
versatility is ultimately limited by size and power output,
they are still an extremely useful tool for any photographer
interested in off-camera lighting. They’re also less
expensive than dedicated studio strobes.

Light Functions
what do different studio lights actually do? How many
studio lights do you need? And where do you point them?
Key light
The key light is a main light; you use it to create the overall
lighting effect. Generally, the key light is the brightest and
most prominent light in your scene.
Fill light
A fill light is positioned in reaction to the key light. It
reduces the intensity of shadows created by the key light,
thereby decreasing the overall contrast in your scene.
Rim light/back light
Rim light illuminates your subject from behind, generally
with the goal of separating the subject from the
background. Often, rim lights are positioned so that only a
sliver of light is visible on the sides of your subject.
Background light
Background lights point away from the subject to light the
background. Not all studio lighting includes background
lights, but like rim light, it’s a nice way to create subject-
background separation.
Hair light
Hair lights are used in portrait photography to add
emphasis to your subject’s hair. They can also be used to
help bring up the exposure of your subject’s head if it is
blending into the background.
Ambient light
Ambient light refers to any light present before the addition
of your studio lighting. It comes from lights in the room,
daylight from a window, cracks above the door, etc.
Modifiers
Modifiers go between the light source and your subject,
with the goal of changing the quality or intensity of the
light. A modifier might harden the light, it might soften the
light, it might reduce the light, or it might create unique
lighting patterns.
Umbrellas
Umbrellas look like, well, umbrellas, except they’re not
designed for rainy-day use. Instead, photography
umbrellas come in silver or white and are attached to your
light via a mount. By pointing a studio light into the
umbrella (which reflects the light back to your subject, as
displayed in the photo below), you create a much larger,
softer light source. Umbrellas are technically directional,
but they can have a lot of spill, and they certainly aren’t
the easiest modifier to control.

Translucent umbrellas/shoot-through umbrellas

Translucent umbrellas don’t reflect light like the umbrellas
discussed above; instead, they’re made of a diffusion
material that softens the light. Simply point your light into
the a translucent umbrella to get a beautiful, even result
(though with practically zero directionality).

Softboxes
Softboxes come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Once
mounted, a softbox shapes and softens the light to
become more flattering. Softboxes also tend to be quite
directional, they are easy to control, and they can even be
adjusted with additional modifiers (such as grids).
Softboxes are highly versatile, so they’re an ultra-popular
studio accessory.
Strip boxes
Strip boxes are a special type of long, rectangular softbox.
They produce a narrow beam of light, which is great for
lighting a subject from behind for a rim lit effect.

Octaboxes
Octaboxes are special octagonal softboxes; the rounder
result is useful for shaping portrait lighting. Octaboxes
tend to be quite large, creating especially soft, flattering
light that’s perfect for portrait photography.
Reflectors
Not to be confused with handheld reflectors (discussed
below), reflective modifiers mount directly to a studio
strobe. They channel the light in a specific angle for very
directional light. Reflector light is very hard, and most
reflectors are designed to take a variety of grids.
Snoots
Snoots are modifiers designed to focus your light in a very
narrow beam. They make great hair and background
lights.

Barn doors
Barn doors are fitted with two to four flaps; these allow you
to block and shape the light to create different effects. For
instance, barn door flaps can help you focus your light on
a specific aspect of your subject (such as the hair), or they
can be used to prevent (flag) the light from hitting a certain
spot.
Beauty dishes
Beauty dishes are directional modifiers that sit somewhere
between soft and hard light. They are great for beauty
photography, fashion photography, and portraiture. They
often come with grids and diffusion socks to give you extra
options.

Grids/honeycombs
Grids are modifiers for your modifiers. You place them on
a reflector, soft box, or beauty dish to further narrow the
beam of light – to ensure the light is only falling on your
subject (or on some other, desired location).
Gobo
A gobo goes in front of a light source and changes the
shape of the light. A gobo might simply narrow the beam,
or it might create complex patterns.
Imagine a Venetian blind with light streaming through.
Now imagine the pattern on the wall. The blind is acting as
an effective gobo and shaping the light!)

Color Gels

Gels are colorful, translucent sheets that fit over your light.
Thanks to gels, your lights can produce just about any
color imaginable (for all sorts of creative effects).
CTO Gels
These are color correction gels, used when you need to
correct the color temperature of a given light. For example,
if you have a gridded beauty dish that is on the warmer
side and you want to use a second, cooler light as a hair
light, you’d place a CTO gel over your hair light. That way,
you can match and balance the color output of both lights.
Portable reflectors
Not to be confused with reflective modifiers
(above), reflectors allow you to reflect light back onto your
subject. They are a way to create fill light without a second
dedicated light source. Reflectors come in many shapes
and sizes, from the ubiquitous 5-in-1 reflectors to fancy tri-
flectors sometimes used in beauty portraits.

Diffuser/scrim
A diffuser is a piece of translucent material that you place
in front of a light source to alter the quality of the light or to
reduce its intensity. Some diffusers do both.
Flags
Flags are used to block (or flag) light from falling on
certain parts of the scene. You can use a flag to stop
excess light falling on your background, or you can use a
flag to reduce the exposure on specific parts of your
subject. For example, I sometimes use flags to
underexpose everything from the neck down in close
portraits. This helps ensure that the face is the main focus
of the image.
Studio Accessories
Accessories that can make for easy, efficient photo
shoots.
Light stands
Light stands are designed to hold your light sources. Make
sure your light stands can handle the weight of your
heaviest light (note that a high-powered, dedicated strobe
requires a lot more support than a speedlight!).

Dolly
Dollies are highly useful; they’re light stands, but equipped
with wheels!
Boom arm
A boom arm is a light stand that you can position at any
angle, from completely vertical to completely horizontal.
Boom arms are a great way to get your lights up high and
to place your lights at angles a traditional light stand can’t
manage. You can mount different varieties of boom arms
to other light stands, as well as permanent fixtures like
walls.
Reflector stand
These are dedicated stands designed to hold a reflector in
place (e.g., under your subject’s chin).
Background/backdrop
A backdrop is the surface behind your subject. Backdrops
can range from paper and vinyl rolls to bare or decorated
walls to pieces of painted canvas.

Background stand/support
Background stands are support systems designed to hold
a backdrop in place. They can be free standing or wall
mounted.
Clamps
Clamps and other fastening devices come in all shapes
and sizes. You can (and should) use clamps liberally;
backgrounds, flags, reflectors, gels, and many, many other
things need to be held in place during photo shoots. For
example, bulldog clips are indispensable for holding up
canvas backdrops, while double-headed clamps can
attach to a table and hold a flag or reflector (as pictured
below):
Rails
In bigger studios, you might see lights fixed to fittings on
the walls and ceiling. These rails allow you to move your
lights around a space without the hassle of a light stand.
Other
Here are a few miscellaneous items of studio lighting
equipment that it pays to own, along with a couple of key
vocabulary terms:
Quality of light
Light quality refers to the physical characteristics of
light (generally the shape, intensity, hardness, and
color).
Lighting pattern
A lighting pattern refers to a particular lighting position
designed for predictable and established results.
Examples of lighting patterns
include butterfly lighting, Rembrandt lighting, and split
lighting.
PC sync socket/cable
The PC sync lets you connect your camera to a flash. You
can use this in lieu of triggers.
Triggers
Triggers allow a camera to communicate with lights and
ensure that flashes fire while the shutter is open. They
range from very basic models with just one function to
complex devices that allow for full control over the settings
of multiple lights.

Slave mode
In slave mode, a flash will detect the light from another
flash via a sensor, then fire off a burst. It’s perfect for
situations when you have multiple lights but only one basic
trigger.
Mount
Modifiers attach to a strobe via a mount. A lot of lighting
manufacturers have their own proprietary mounts
associated with their systems (Bowens, Profoto,
Elinchrom, etc.), so you will need to ensure that any
modifier you buy will fit the system that you own.
Modeling light
Many strobes come fitted with two bulbs: a powerful
flashbulb, from which you get the strobe light, and a
weaker modeling bulb, which is on whenever the strobe
is not flashing. The modeling light helps you see what the
light quality and direction are doing to your subject. As a
bonus, if you’ve cut out all ambient light (as you should in
a studio environment), modeling lights allow you to see!
Studio lighting equipment:

Even as a little girl, long before I had an interest in photography, I

enjoyed watching the sunlight fall on the earth and the structures
inhabiting it.

My favorite was the light after a thunderstorm and how it

illuminated the freshly watered grass with those deep blue-gray
storm clouds in the background. To this day, I still love that light.
So it comes as no surprise to myself that strong, dynamic light
has found its way into my photography 30 something years later.
But there’s many types of light.

To take a moment to dive into some of the most commonly

referenced types of lighting, all of which can be achieved with
natural light or flash photography.

1. Flat light
When you have your light source facing directly at the front of
your subject, this is flat lighting. Flat lighting on a face will mean
that your subject is well lit and you are unable to see any
shadows along their face.

This is not a heavily desired look in portraits as you need

shadows to draw your subject to life. However, there are
circumstances where it’s beneficial. Since shadows can draw out
imperfections and textures, flat lighting is beneficial when
photographing babies in their acne skin weeks, teens with heavy
blemishes, and elderly people feeling insecure about their
wrinkles. If you have a photo that is oozing character and
personality, you can also get away with flat light on your subject.
2. Broad light
With broad light (a type of side lighting), the face of your subject is
at an angle and the most well-lit side of the face is closest to the
camera and the shadow falls 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.

3. Short light
Another type of side lighting, short light is the opposite of broad
light in 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 thin a face and is flattering on most people.

One thing to keep in mind is that shadows draw out textures and
imperfections. While broad light is a wonderful way to emphasize
freckles, it will also draw out imperfections like acne and scars.

Knowing how your subject feels about those imperfections is

important so you know if you should hide them with another type
of lighting or if they’re okay with you showcasing them with short
light.

4. Split light
Split lighting is another type of side lighting but it is defined as
light that hits your subject from the side at a 90 degree angle.

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.

Split lighting tends to make your subject look tough and masculine
so you want to really consider your subject when choosing this
type of lighting.

5. Backlight
Backlight is just that, light that comes from behind your subject.
This is commonly seen in photos from the beloved golden hour,
when the sun is low in the horizon and starting to set, but can be
done at all hours of the day.

Sources of backlight can include a window behind your subject in

the middle of the day to a flash placed behind with a colorful gel
for something fun.

As beautiful as backlight is, it comes with its own challenges

which can include a look of haziness and lack of clarity in your
subject. Because of this, I like to do a few things…

SEMI-SILHOUETTE:
One of favorite ways to use backlight is to let the light just barely
creep into the frame. When doing this, there’s a pretty glow that
creates a welcome contrast to a dark background. In this
situation, I often expose my subject darker than usual to further
that contrast and create a warm and relaxing feel to an image.

REFLECTOR:
Sometimes I want the strong haze that comes with the sun
warmly filling the frame but losing clarity in my subject’s face is no
good. To combat the loss of clarity I use a reflector to pop some
of that sunlight back onto my subject.

When using a reflector, place it opposite the light source and then
adjust the angle to direct the light exactly where you want it. You’ll
also want to move the reflector closer to your subject for stronger
light and further away from for softer light.
OUR LIGHTING ESSENTIALS

Collapsible reflector
This big disc reflects light right where you want it and then
collapses back down into a nice portable package. You can
choose from white, black, gold, and silver fabrics to get the
reflective effect you desire.

Profoto A1
This portable little studio light lets you create the light you want.
With magnetic modifiers that fit right into its carrying case and the
ability to use it both on- and off-camera, this is the ideal tool for
light shaping.
Light stand
If you want to try your hand at off-camera flash (and we think you
should!) you will need a stand to keep your light still and safe.

without a reflector

OFF CAMERA FLASH:

Similar to a reflector, off camera flash combats the lack of clarity
that comes with lots of backlight. Off camera flash is used just the
same as a reflector, to light the face.

While a reflector is cheaper and easier to carry around, off

camera flash has more power (aka light) and won’t encourage
squinting (very important to consider if your subject is extra
sensitive to light like my son).
6. Rim light
Rim light falls under the backlight category but deserves a spot of
its own. With backlight you often see the hazy or airiness from the
light in the background resulting in highlights but you don’t have
that with rim light.

With rim light, you’ll see the light from behind only highlight the
edges of your subject (there’s a little haze falling into the top right
of the frame below but you can see how the rim light separates
the subject from the background). This is great to use when you
need to separate your subject from the background.

7. Butterfly light
With butterfly light, the light is placed above and in front of your
subject to create a small shadow under the nose resembling a
butterfly (hence the name). This type of light beautifully highlights
prominent cheekbones which is why you most often see it used
on women.
However, it emphasizes the shadows from deep set eyes. Again,
know your subject’s face and how the light will affect their
features. Butterfly light is also commonly referenced as
paramount light.

8. Loop light
Loop lighting is pretty much my go-to when creating light. With
loop lighting, the light is about 45 degrees to the side and slightly
above eye level.

This position of the light creates a shadow just under and to the
side of one nostril and the nose. This is a flattering type of light on
most everyone.
Lighting in Videography and Cinema

Proper film lighting techniques are essential in creating stylized

and natural-looking film scenes. This is why film sets always
seem to be overly lit or packed with many different light sources
that serve different purposes. This requires technical knowledge
in cinematography, which means using the most
appropriate cinematic shots and types of film lighting techniques
to get your message across perfectly in each and every scene.
If you’re aiming to become a cinematographer, director, writer, or
any other person who holds a creative role in a film crew, you’ll
need to learn some of the basic lighting techniques and types of
lighting used in filmmaking.

What is cinematic lighting?

Cinematic lighting is lighting for film that evokes a feeling and has
a style. It’s the lighting we see in the movies we watch, be they
big budget or independent. While the term cinematic lighting is not
a precise term and is in fact very subjective, there are some
lighting techniques that generally lead to this look.

Emulating lighting styles from famous paintings such as

Rembrandt or going for a “chiaroscuro” look will give you
cinematic lighting. Playing with ratios of lighting within the frame is
often the differentiator between cinematic lighting and flat or
boring lighting.

Lighting your subject to be slightly or more bright than your

background helps draw your eye to the subject. Also, if the
subject is a face, lighting the face from behind, opposite the
camera (also known as upstage lighting), helps give the subject’s
face some more definition as the shadows are falling towards the
camera. There are many types of cinematic lighting for film that
you can employ to get the mood and shot you want.

12 Film Lighting Techniques

Cinematography and film lighting is closely similar to photography

lighting. You’ve probably heard many of these techniques,
especially if you’ve done some studio photography in the past, but
it helps to learn how they can uniquely benefit filmmakers in
creating different moods and atmospheres in every scene.
It’s also important to note that these techniques are not clear-cut,
so many of them can actually take the form of several other film
lighting techniques. What matters is that you learn what each is
good for and are able to make the best use of them for achieving
 your cinematic goals. The following are all the different types of
lighting in film:

 Key Lighting
 Fill Lighting
 Back Lighting
 Side Lighting
 Practical Light
 Hard Lighting
 Soft Lighting
 Bounce Lighting
 High Key
 Low Key
 Motivated Lighting
 Ambient Light

1. Key Lighting
The key light is also known as the main film light of a scene or
subject. This means it’s normally the strongest type of light in
each scene or photo. Even if your lighting crew is going for a
complicated multi-light setup, the key light is usually the first to be
set up.

However, just because it’s your “main” light doesn’t mean it

always has to be facing your subject. You can place your key light
anywhere, even from the side or behind your subject to create a
darker mood. Just avoid placing it near or right beside the camera
as this will create flat and direct lighting for your subject.

When to Use Key Lighting:

 Use key lighting when you want to draw attention to a subject or
make it stand out from the rest of the scene.
 2. Fill Lighting
As the name suggests, this technique is used to “fill in” and
remove the dark, shadowy areas that your key light creates. It is
noticeably less intense and placed in the opposite direction of the
key light, so you can add more dimension to your scene.

Because the aim of fill lighting is to eliminate shadows, it’s

advisable to place it a little further and/or diffuse it with
a reflector (placed around 3/4 opposite to the key light) to create
softer light that spreads out evenly. Many scenes do well with just
the key and fill studio lighting as they are enough to add
noticeable depth and dimension to any object.
When to Use Fill Lighting:
 Use fill lighting to counteract shadows, or to bring up exposure
and decrease the contrast in a scene. With fill light, your viewer
can see more of the scene clearly.
3. Backlighting
Backlighting is used to create a three-dimensional scene, which is
why it is also the last to be added in a three-point lighting setup.
This also faces your subject—a little higher from behind so as to
separate your subject from the background.

As with fill lighting, you’ll want to also diffuse your backlight so it

becomes less intense and covers a wider area of your subject.
For example, for subject mid-shots, you’ll want to also light up the
shoulders and base of the person’s neck instead of just the top of
their head. This technique can also be used on its own, without
the key and fill lights if you’re aiming for a silhouette.
 When to Use Backlighting:
 Use backlight to accentuate the silhouette of a subject, whether
it’s a person or an object. Backlighting creates a halo effect for
increased impact.
4. Side Lighting
Needless to say, side lighting is for illuminating your scene from
the side, parallel to your subject. It is often used on its own or with
just a faint fill light to give your scene a dramatic mood or what’s
referred to as “chiaroscuro” lighting. To really achieve this effect,
your side light should be strong so as to create strong contrast
and low-key lighting that reveals the texture and accentuates the
contours of your subject.

When used with a fill light, it’s advisable to lessen the fill light’s
intensity down to 1/8 of that of the side light to keep the dramatic
look and feel of a scene.

When to Use Side Lighting:

 Side lighting brings out the textures or edges in a scene. Using
side lighting creates a better sense of depth in a location. It can
make subjects seem farther off by accentuating the space
between them.
5. Practical Lighting
Practical lighting is the use of regular, working light sources like
lamps, candles, or even the TV. These are usually intentionally
added in by the set designer or lighting crew to create a cinematic
nighttime scene. They may sometimes be used to also give off
subtle lighting for your subject.

However, practical lights are not always easy to work with, as

candles and lamps are typically not strong enough to light up a
subject. A hidden, supplementary motivated light (more on that
 later) may be used or dimmers can be installed in lamps so the
light’s intensity can be adjusted.

When to Use Practical Lighting:

 Use practical lighting when a performer or subject needs to
interact with a light source. For example, use a bedside lamp
that needs to function within the action of the scene.
6. Bounce Lighting
Bounce lighting is about literally bouncing the light from a strong
light source towards your subject or scene using a reflector or any
light-colored surface, such as walls and ceilings. Doing so creates
a bigger area of light that is more evenly spread out.
If executed properly, bounce lights can be used to create a much
softer key, fill, top, side, or backlighting, especially if you don’t
have a diffuser or softbox.

When to Use Bounce Lighting:

 Bouncing light off the ceiling creates more diffuse illumination
and results in even, soft light. When you need more ambient
light across a whole environment, bounce light is a great choice.
7. Soft Lighting
Soft light doesn’t refer to any lighting direction, but it’s a technique
nonetheless. Cinematographers make use of soft lighting (even
when creating directional lighting with the techniques above) for
both aesthetic and situational reasons: to reduce or eliminate
harsh shadows, create drama, replicate subtle lighting coming
from outside, or all of the above.

When to Use Soft Lighting:

 Soft lighting is more flattering on human subjects. The soft
quality of the light minimizes the appearance of shadows,
wrinkles, and blemishes. Use soft lighting for beautification.
 8. Hard Lighting
Hard light can be sunlight or a strong light source. It’s usually
unwanted, but it certainly has cinematic benefits. You can create
hard lighting with direct sunlight or a small, powerful light source.

Despite it creating harsh shadows, hard lighting is great for

drawing attention to your main subject or to an area of the scene,
highlighting your subject’s contour, and creating a strong
silhouette.

When to Use Hard Lighting:

 Hard lighting emphasizes changes in contour, shape, and
texture. Use hard lighting to create a more intense look.
9. High Key
High key refers to a style of lighting used to create a very bright
scene that’s visually shadowless, often close to overexposure.
Lighting ratios are ignored so all light sources would have pretty
much the same intensity. This technique is used in many movies,
TV sitcoms, commercials, and music videos today, but it first
became popular during the classic Hollywood period in the 1930s
and 40s.

When to Use High Key Lighting:

 Use high key lighting for dreamy sequences, or situations that
require overwhelming brightness.
10. Low Key
Being the opposite of high key, low key lighting for a scene would
mean a lot of shadows and possibly just one strong key light
source. The focus is on the use of shadows and how it creates
mystery, suspense, or drama for a scene and character instead of
on the use of lighting, which makes it great for horror and thriller
films.
 When to Use Low Key Lighting:
 Use low key lighting for moody scenes that require a film noir
look or for nighttime scenes.

11. Motivated Lighting

Motivated lighting is used to imitate a natural light source, such as
sunlight, moonlight, and street lamps at night. It’s also the kind of
lighting that enhances practical lights, should the director or
cinematographer wish to customize the intensity or coverage of
the latter using a separate light source.
To ensure that your motivated lighting looks as natural as
possible, several methods are used, such as the use of filters to
create window shadows and the use of colored gels to replicate
the warm, bright yellow light coming from the sun or the cool, faint
bluish light from the moon.

When to Use Motivated Lighting:

 Use motivated lighting when you want to replicate a specific
light source’s quality of light. Filters, diffusers, and other
modifiers are helpful in these applications.

12. Ambient Lighting

Using artificial light sources is still the best way to create a well-lit
scene that’s closely similar to or even better than what we see in
real life. However, there’s no reason not to make use of ambient
or available lights that already exist in your shooting location, may
it be sunlight, moonlight, street lamps, or even electric store signs.

When shooting during the day, you could always do it outdoors

and make use of natural sunlight (with or without a diffuser) and
supplement the scene with a secondary light for your subject
(bounced or using a separate light source). Early in the morning
 and late in the afternoon or early evening are great times for
shooting outdoors if you want soft lighting. The only downside is
that the intensity and color of sunlight are not constant, so
remember to plan for the weather and sun placement.
When to Use Ambient Lighting:
 Use ambient lighting when you want to illuminate your subjects
without worrying about a specific style or quality of light.
Ambient lighting is a relatively universal light source that evenly
illuminates whole environments or scenes.

What are the three principles of light?

The three principles of lighting are direction, intensity, and
softness or hardness.

Direction
Direction refers to where the light or lights are coming from in
relation to the camera. Some common terms that refer to direction
of light is back light, top light, frontal, and profile. There are often
several different directions of light working together to make up
the totality of the lighting direction. If the light is hard enough, you
can often tell from which direction the light is coming.

Intensity
The intensity of the light is how much light is hitting any part of
your scene. The intensity can and often does vary from one part
of the frame to another. It also varies from one subject to another.
When working on set you will often hear that there should be a 4-
to-1 ratio from one side of the face to the other. Alternatively, you
can have a 3-to-1 ratio from the subject to the background. This
means the intensity of the light should be four times greater on
one side of the face in reference to the other and three times
greater on the subject than the background.
Softness or hardness
Unlike direction or intensity, the softness or hardness of the light
is a more subjective quality. Hard light is often used to create
more mystery and drama. Soft light is often used when the drama
is not quite so intense or for more of a naturalistic look.

Film Lighting, Shots & More Cinematography

Rules to Know:
Having a good storyline, a capable film crew, well-cast actors, and
an amazing set design may all be essential components to
creating a successful film—but it also has to look visually
compelling if you want it to have a meaningful impact on the
viewers. This requires technical knowledge in cinematography,
which means using the most appropriate cinematic shots and film
lighting techniques to get your message across perfectly in each
and every scene.
Proper lighting techniques are essential in creating stylized and
natural-looking film scenes that look much closer to real life as
digital sensors and film don’t react as well to light as our eyes do.
This is why film sets always seem to be overly lit or packed with
many different light sources that serve different purposes.

If you’re aiming to become a cinematographer, director, writer, or

any other person who holds a creative role in a film crew, you’ll
need to learn some of the basic lighting techniques typically used
in filmmaking and videography/Media production.