24. Studio Setup 3: Lighting Uses

Now that we know about the different kinds of studio lights, let's talk about how they're used. In this lesson, lights will be categorized according to their function, not the specific design of a lamp - you will never see lights in a photo store divided into key lights or fill lights. It has more to do with where and how you position them in your studio, and their settings. You could use any kind of light and refer to it with these terms, if used in these ways. Most of this lesson applies specifically to portraiture, but you can use these lights and concepts with still lifes as well.

Key Light

This is the most important light in the photograph. It's the foundation that creates the main image, with all other lighting simply supporting and embellishing. When experimenting with studio lighting, it's good to start with just one key light, to see how you can get the most from it, before adding any others. A good key light is typically diffuse, with a modifier like a soft box or an umbrella. Daniel Norton recommends setting up your key light, and metering it for the right exposure before you add any other lights, reflectors, or other modifiers.

A Key Light, Fill Light, and Background Light form the basis of 3-Point Lighting commonly used in filmmaking.

Fill Light

A fill light is a weaker, secondary light that hits the opposite side of your subject as the Key Light, with the idea being you don't want the dark side too dark. So, you use a weaker light to add just enough light so you can see the other side. Ed Verosky notes that Fill Lights are usually positioned lower than Key Lights. Sometimes you can use a reflector (see below) in place of a Fill Light, for the same effect.

Background Light

A background light is basically any light that you place in such a way as to light the background, behind your subject. Tony Gale suggests using gel sheets draped over your camera lens for some background effects. A yellow gel combined with a yellow background drape adds vibrancy to the color. If you use a gel sheet with a black background draper, the gel color is strongest at the center, and tapers to black along the edges of the image. For clean white backgrounds, go ahead and over-expose it one stop or so. Another option is to put a translucent drape like a shower curtain behind the subject and light it from behind, and again, over-expose it a stop. You can also take a piece of construction paper, cut a variety of shapes, and place it over your background light, to create interesting patterns.

Hair Lighting

This is a light aimed at your subject's hair (and shoulders), usually from above, with the purpose of giving it just enough light, either from the front, the side, behind, etc., so that it accentuates the composition - the hair's not just hidden in shadow. The effect should be, as Ed Verosky explains, to help the subject "pop out a little" from the background. A hair light is really a kind of fill light, that happens to be aimed at hair. Daniel Norton says it should be subtle enough that it feels natural. Gavin Hoey recommends using speed lights for this job. He also explains you need to set up your key light first, so that the hair is in shadow. Then, your hair light can fill that shadowed area. It's a good idea that you soften your hair light, so that it doesn't cast a hard shadow of your figure on her surroundings. If you position your hair light over your subject (top lighting) it can hit the background as well, doing two jobs at once.

Kicker Light

Kicker Lights may be soft or hard, but they all hit the side edge/contour of a figure. Depending on the shot, you may choose to use two or more Kicker Lights. Kicker Lights can be a simple, cheap LED light, and they can be very subtle. See if you can see the difference here?

photo by Dunja Djudjic

Rim Light

Rim lights are like Kickers except that one rim light will highlight the edges on both sides of a sitter, creating a striking silhouette. Rim lights may also be subtle, or you might use just Rim lights, for a dramatic backlighting effect:

Photo by Brandon Jackson

You can also play with different colored rim lights:

Photo from NFI.edu

Catch Light

This is just whatever light happens to be seen, reflected in a sitter's eyes.

Spill Light

Spill light is the only kind in this lesson that is generally considered a mistake, and a problem to be solved. It's when your lights create unwanted lines, like in the example above. A common solution is to block the light with some kind of blinder, either a GOBO of some sort, or just a piece of cardboard or gaffer's tape.