Light Basics and Vocabulary

Part I

• 1. What effect does it create?
• 2. Why use it?
• 3. How many lights or light sources?

Butterfly (or Paramount) - It creates a butterfly shape under the nose by having the main light source above and directly camera. If you wanted to get a glamour style photo. Number of lights 1.

Loop - It makes a small shadow of the subjects nose on their cheeks. If the ideal person or people have a oval-shaped face. Requires at least two lights to get the shadow on both sides of face.

Rembrandt - There are 2-3 light sources. The shadow of the subjects nose closes a loop under the shadow of the subjects cheek. If you are trying to create drama, creepy photo.

Split - The light splits the subjects face, which gives a strong high light side and a strong shadow side on the subjects face. If you are trying to get a dramatic look. There is one light source.

Broad and Short - It is similar to Rembrandt light, but the subject is turn away from the light. You may use if the person wanted to look slimmer instead of wider in the photo. Number lights would be 1 or 2 lights if you wanted to soften it.

Part II

Fill light- To lighten the shadows and control the main light source.

Key light (main light)-  The main pattern of light and shadows.

Hair light- Is a light that is above the subject and adds more highlights in the subjects hair.

Background light- To lit the background and make the subject stand out more.

Shadowless- No shadows are shown in the subject.

Hard light- A relatively small, direct, usually focusable source, that have strong high-lights.

Soft light- Indirect light, the total opposite of Hard light, softens the shadows. 

Grey card- An other source for light meter reading. Matte 18%

Reflector- Redirects the lighting to an other place.

Diffuser- Reduces the contrast of light, which softens the highlights, and shadows.

Intensity (Strength, or how to set shutter speed and aperture's appropriate to portraits)- If want more light then have the f stop low or want a less intensity then set the f stop higher or high ISO.

3:1 lighting ratio-W hen the light discrepancy between two light sources is one and a half f-stops.

Part III
Direction: Light is coming from
Intensity: Brightness of each light source 
Color: Color of light
Contrast: Transition from the highlights to the shadows subtle or sudden
Hardness: What do the edges of the shadow look like