What Is Three-Point Lighting in Photography?

One of the basic principles of photography is lighting.

In photography, one of the keys to taking great photos is lighting, and the most common technique is called three-point lighting. Most lighting effects use some variation on this technique.

The Basics

Three-point lighting combines three lights in different positions to create a dramatic image.

The Key Light

The key light is usually the strongest light in the scene and has the most influence on how the subject will appear. It is placed behind the camera and, usually, off to either the left or right to create a shadow.

The Fill Light

With just the key light, the subject will usually be starkly lit, with harsh shadows and extremely bright highlights. The fill light, weaker and set behind the camera on the opposite side from the key light, fills in some of the shadows to produce a more natural contrast between the highlights and shadows of the key light.

The Back Light

The back light is, as the name implies, placed behind the subject and is usually the weakest of the three lights. Rather than provide any direct lighting, the back light tends to emphasize the outline of the subject and also makes the resulting photograph look less flat and two-dimensional.

References

• Media College: Three-Point Lighting