Lighting Photography Portraits - The Basics

It helps to know the function of all the various lights involved in lighting photography portraits basics... They are considered as basics because they WORK and every photographer should thoroughly understand them...The main light's function in lighting photography portraits is to provide the overall lighting. This is the one that you will typically read and use for your exposure settings. The main light is also called the "key" light.To be a main source, it doesn't have to actually be a studio strobe. It could be ambient light (like the sun or even the room light), your on camera flash, or even a reflector bouncing illumination into the face.To make your subject appear 3D rather than flat and lifeless, your main light should be off to the side so that shadows - on the opposing side of the face - are created. It is the shadows that add a 3d aspect to the portrait. Remember, it's the shadows that define form!Depending on the strength and positioning of your main light, the shadow area could be very dark and intense. It ends up blacking out (and eliminating) one side of the face. Generally, this is not ideal. In lighting photography portraits We will want to lighten the shadow so that details of the face can be seen.Enter the fill light. Again, this can be an additional studio light, ambient light, on camera flash or even a reflector bouncing light from the main light into the shadow areas.The intensity of the fill light - relative to the main light - is what will determine the depth and intensity of the shadows. A standard rule of thumb is to have the fill light be about half the intensity of the main. The intensity of the shadow is one of the creative decisions we have to make. It can make a photo light and airy or dark and ominous!The third light is the background or separation light. It too can be any light source. This light is used to separate the subject from the background. It can be turned away from the subject and directly onto the background, or turned towards the subject creating what's called a rim light or placed higher than the subject to become a hair light.Sometimes portraits can be lit with even more lights...but generally the standard used in lighting photography portraits is a 3 light set. Learn this and you can fit right in in any photography studio in the world.