Middletown High School North - Photography Class Instructor: Mrs. Vega
PORTRAIT LIGHTING & COPY
WORK / 1:1 Symmetrical Lighting
I - Basic Portrait Lighting with BACK LIGHT (Hair
/ Accent Light) added
II - Portrait Lighting set-up with BACKGROUND light added
III - Basic Side Lighting
h IV - Basic Lighting for Copy Work
(NOTE: For copy work the camera may be positioned
either in front of the subject or above it -- whichever is more convenient or
logical.)
Lighting a Portrait - Key Definitions
1. The Main or ‘Key’ Light-
a. The main Photoflood light is usually placed at a 45° angle to the subject and at a distance of about 4-5 feet.
b. The main light is usually positioned high, with the catchlight reflection in the eyes at about 10 or 2 o’clock.
2. The Fill Light-
a. The fill light is positioned on the opposite side of the camera from the key light.
b. The fill light may be a diffused photoflood close to the camera lens
(positioned approximately the same distance from the subject as the main or ‘key’ light)
or it could be an undiffused light positioned twice the distance from the subject as the main or key light..
c. The purpose of the fill light is not to eliminate the main light shadows but to soften them to create a pleasing modeling or contouring effect.
3. The Backlight (Hair / Accent Light) -
a. The ‘backlight’ or ‘accent’ is usually a spotlight that is positioned high and behind the subject.
b. The ‘backlight’ or ‘accent’ light is usually directed toward the back of the top of the subject’s heat
(facing toward the camera but NOT directly into the lens of the camera)
or it could be an undiffused light positioned twice the distance from the subject as the main or key light..
c. The purpose of the ‘backlight’ or ‘accent’ light is to rake across the hair of the subject to emphasize texture and bring out the sheen.
d. Sometimes an accent light is used to create an edge highlight on hair or clothing (halo effect).
4. Background Lighting -
a. The ‘background’ light is usually a small photoflood placed on a short light stand behind the subject and directed toward the background..
b. A larger photoflood or spotlight could be used if it is placed to one side.
c. The purpose of the ‘background’ light is to help to separate the subject from the background visually.
5. Broad Lighting -
a. The main or ‘key’ light shines on the side of the face that is toward from the camera.
b. The main Photoflood light is placed at a 45° angle to the subject and at a distance of about 4 feet.
c. The main Photoflood light is positioned high, with the catchlight reflection in the eyes at about 11 or 1 o’clock
d. possible problem: The main light in this position may make the side of the head , often the ear, too bright.
6. Short Lighting -
The main or ‘key’ light shines on the side of the face that is away from the camera.
The main Photoflood light is placed at a 45° angle to the subject and at a distance of about 4 feet.
The main Photoflood light is positioned high, with the catchlight reflection in the eyes at about 11 or 1 o’clock.
7. Butterfly Lighting -
a. The main or ‘key’ light is placed directly in front of the face.
b. The main Photoflood light is positioned high enough to create a symmetrical (butterfly shaped) shadow under the nose but not so high that the eye sockets or upper lip would be harshly shadowed.
c. This type of lighting is conventionally used as ‘glamour’ lighting for women’s portraits.
8. CATCH LIGHT -
a. This is NOT a photo lamp.
b.
A Catch light is
the reflection of the lights used in a portrait set-up that is seen in the
pupil / iris of the model(s).
How to Calculate Portrait Lighting Ratios
I. Distance Ratio
A. To find the distance ratio…
Put the distance between the key/ main light and the model on one side of the colon
Put the distance between the fill light and the model on the other side of the colon
Example #1:
The Key light is 5 feet from the model and the Fill light is 10 feet from the model.
What is the distance Ratio?
Key light = 5: Fill light = 10
Distance ratio = 5:10
The next step is to ‘reduce’ this ratio to the lowest common terms,
in this case by dividing each side by 5
5/5 = 1 ; 10/5 =2
For
example #1 the final adjusted / corrected Distance Ratio is 1:2
Example #2:
The Key light is 4 feet from the model and the Fill light is 12 feet from the model.
What is the distance Ratio?
Key light = 4: Fill light = 12
Distance ratio = 4:12
The next step is to ‘reduce’ this ratio to the lowest common terms,
in this case by dividing each side by 4
4/4 = 1 ; 12/4 =3
For
example #1 the final adjusted / corrected Distance Ratio is 1:3
1. Light Intensity Ratio
A. To calculate the Light Intensity ratio… square each side of the distance ratio
Example #1 above:
The final adjusted distance ratio was 1:2
The 1 squared = 1; 2 squared =4
For example #1 the Light Intensity Ratio is 1:4
This means that the light falling on the model(s) from the Fill light is 1/4th as intense (bright) as the light falling on the model(s) from the Key light.
Example #2 above:
The final adjusted distance ratio was 1:3
The 1 squared = 1; 3 squared =9
For example #1 the Light Intensity Ratio is 1:9
This means that the light falling on the model(s) from the Fill light is 1/9th as intense (bright) as the light falling on the model(s) from the Key light.