Light Basics and Vocabulary

Part 1

• Butterfly (Or Paramount) 

1. Paramount lighting produces a symmetrical, butterfly-like shadow beneath the subject's nose.

2. It's usually a feminine lighting pattern and it emphasizes high cheekbones and good skin, and it's usually used on women.

3. This lighting pattern uses four light sources.

Loop

1. It's just a minor variation of Paramount lighting. The shadow under the nose becomes a small loop on the shadow side of the face.

2. It's better for people with average, oval-shaped faces.

3. This lighting pattern uses four light sources.

Rembrandt

1. This lighting pattern creates a small, triangular highlight on the shadowed cheek of the subject.

2. It produces a more dramatic type of lighting.

3. This type of lighting uses four sources of light.

Split Lighting

1. The light causes only half of the face to be illuminated.

2. You can use it to narrow a wide face or nose, or to hide facial irregularities. Also, if you use it with no fill, it can be a highly dramatic lighting method.

3. This lighting pattern uses four light sources. 

Broad and Short

1. Broad is when the main light is illuminating the broad side of the face and the shadow from the nose is being cast onto the short side of the face. Short lighting is just the opposite. For short, the main light is coming from the short side of the subject and the broad side of the face is more in shadow. 

2. Short can be used to narrow the face and broad can be used to make a face look fuller.

3. This type of lighting uses one light source and a reflector. 

Part 2

Fill light - Fill light is used to lighten shadows. For example, a person's nose could cast a shadow on their face so you could use fill light to fill the shadow.

Key light (main light) -  The key light is the light that contributes the most to the photo, it basically sets the mood.

Hair light - An accent light used to typically light the top of the head.

Background light - The light that helps identify the background and separate it from the subject.

Shadowless - A style of lighting where the main light goes in front of the subject which creates an almost shadowless look.

Hard light - A light that produces strong high-lights and dark shadows, the light is also more dramatic.

Soft light - The opposite of hard light. Indirect, diffused, and bounced. Produces soft shadows and subtle highlights.

Grey card - A grey card used to get a light meter reading.

Reflector - Flat things that are usually white, silver, or gold that are used to redirect the rays from light sources.

Diffuser - A translucent item placed in front of a light source used to soften the light. It makes the highlights and shadows softer as well as other things.

Intensity (Strength, or how to set shutter speed and aperture's appropriate to portraits) - The strength of the light. They're usually measured in Foot Candles or Lux.

3:1 lighting ratio - A 3:1 lighting ratio is when the light discrepancy between two light sources is one and a half stops.

Part 3

Five Characteristics of Light

Direction: Where the light is coming from. Side, front, or behind.

Intensity: How bright the light source is.

Color: The color of the light. Red, blue, green, white, yellow, etc.

Contrast: Is the transition from the highlights to shadows subtle or sudden?

Hardness: What do the edges of the shadows look like