What is 3 Point Lighting? Shooting portraits by using studio flash lights is an exciting experience, particularly when you are using more than one light. From time immemorial, photographers are using this ‘3point’ lighting for their portrait work. This is nothing but using three studio flash lights for Portrait Photography. If you are using two lights, then it becomes two-point lighting and four lights it is four-point lighting. Three point lighting set up is the most popular kind of lighting for studio and location portraits for any purpose.
Why do we need three point lighting? Using three lights and shooting in a 3 point lighting set-up will give you the advantage of showing the person with a good three-dimensional effect including the details of the shadow areas and the details of the background.
Three Point Lighting:
Key Light Fill Light Back Light / Background Light
Key Light
Well, the first light is known as the ‘Key light’ – the main light which decides the effect of lighting on a person, when you shift the light either horizontally or vertically. Fill Light
The second light, known as the ‘fill light’, will manage the details of the shadows created by the key light. Based on the ratio between the key and the fill light the contours and the feel of three dimension will change in a portrait. This is generally kept at the opposite side of the key light. Back Light /Background Light
The third light, known as the ‘background or back light, will bring in the separation of the subject from the background especially when the background is dark.
As a ‘background light’ the third light is aimed at the background to make it brighter or to show some details in it. As a ‘backlight’ also known as the ‘hair light or rim light’, the third light is aimed at the back of the subject or the head to make it brighter at the outline so that the subject is separated from the dark background. Here is an example where the three-point lighting set up is creatively used. I have shown the effects of this three-point lighting and illustrated through a lighting diagram so that you can understand it and use it when you shoot a portrait.