For this week’s task, we started to look at Lighting Techniques and 3-Point Lighting. 3 Point Lighting is a basic Lighting Technique used in Film and TV. It consists of three different lights – a Key Light, a Fill Light, and a Back Light. The Key Light is the main source of light being used, meaning it should always be the brightest. It is often placed to the side of the camera, lighting the chosen part of the subject. The uses of the Key Light can also vary – either High-Key Lighting or Low-Key Lighting can be used. High-Key Lighting is used to create a bright, well-lit environment, whereas Low-Key Lighting is used to dim the lighting and enhance shadows. The Fill Light is the secondary light source and is slightly dimmer than the Key Light. It is placed on the opposite side to the Key Light to ensure that the other side of the shot is also slightly lit, however, still providing some shadow. Finally, the Back Light is placed behind the subject, often creating a silhouette effect. The Back Light can be used to create a three-dimensional effect. All three lights can be used together or separately. Following on from three-point lighting, we also learned about the different intensities of light. For example, Hard Lighting can be used to enhance and illuminate certain characteristics of a subject. This type of lighting can be quite bright and exposing. However, on the other hand, Soft Lighting can be used to create a more diffused and subtle lighting effect. We demonstrated these new techniques when capturing photos using 3-Point Lighting.
Key Light
This photo was taken using a Key Light Only. It is clear to see that the left side of the face is well lit, with the opposite side in shadow.
Fill Light
This photo was taken using a Fill Light Only. It is clear to see that the face is slightly lit on the right side, however, not so much on the left side. This is because the Key Light was not used, and the Fill Light is dimmer than the Key Light.
Back Light
This photo was taken using a Back Light only. If we were to take this photo again, we could have placed the Back Light directly behind the subject in order to achieve a more silhouetted photograph.
Key Light and Fill Light
This photo was taken using both a Key Light and a Fill Light. It is clear to see that the left side of the face, where the Key Light is placed is brighter, whereas on the right side of the face, where the Fill Light is placed, is shadowed but still slightly lit.
Fill Light and Back Light
This photo was taken using both a Fill Light and a Back Light. It is clear that the back light is still keeping the left side of the face lit, however, the intensity of the light is not as strong as what a Key Light would be. The Fill Light shadows most of the right side of the face, however, the outline of the subject is still visible.
Key Light and Back Light
This photo was taken using both a Key Light and a Back Light. It is clear that because the Key Light and the Back Light are both on the left side, the left side of the face is the most lit. The intensity of both of these lights allows the light to travel so that the right side is also slightly lit.
Key Light, Fill Light and Back Light
This photo was taken using all three lights – a Key Light, a Fill Light, and a Back Light. As it is clear to see, by using all three lights in the 3 Point Lighting Technique, the image appears very bright and slightly over exposed.
After completing this task, we further expanded on demonstrating our knowledge when using light gels over each of our lights. I have included some of these below.
Overall, I found learning these techniques very useful and think they will prove to be useful in my future work. I now understand multiple different lighting techniques such as, Hard Light, Soft Light, and Harsh Light. I am also now aware of the 3-Point Lighting technique and why it is used and in what situations. I believe that the practical task went well, however, if we were to do it again, we could move the back light directly behind the subject so that it works to its full potential, creating silhouetted figures. I will use this knowledge in the future when setting up different lighting needed for a project.
Safe Practises
When using the Lighting Equipment this week, we had to make sure that we were using it correctly and safely. When setting up the light tripod, it is important to open it out properly so that the base is wide, ensuring that it will not easily fall over. To protect this further, sandbags could be placed on the tripod legs so that the tripod will not fall when the light is placed on top, as it can become top-heavy. After putting up the lighting stand, we then screwed the light tightly onto the top of the stand. We then made sure that the light was secure and that the stand would not fall over. When packing the equipment away, we made sure that all pieces of equipment were taken down and packed into the bag properly, as they were before.
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