摄影三点布光技巧详解(英文)

Three Point Lighting: Learn How to Use the Key, Fill, and Back Lights Three point lighting is the standard lighting technique used in video. It’s a good idea to become comfortable with three point lighting because as a video shooter, you’ll find yourself using it over and over again.

It has the power to transform an otherwise boring and flat image into a dynamic interesting image with a subject that “pops”.

It’s not as difficult as you might think to use the 3 point lighting technique, and in this article, I’ll share with you what I’ve learned…

Three Point Lighting Adds Dimension

The goal of three point lighting is to create the illusion of a three-dimensional subject in a

two-dimensional image. While you can create dimension a number of different ways, there’s no doubt that using light and shadow is a powerful way to accomplish this, and three point lighting is the lighting technique most commonly used.

What are the three points of light we’re talking about?

∙The Key Light– This is the main light used on your subject.

∙The Fill Light– The purpose of this light is to fill in the shadows created by the key light, preventing them from getting too dark.

∙The Back Light– This is used to separate the subject from the background.

The Key Light is the Main Light in a 3 Point Lighting Setup

When I’m arranging lights, I like to place the key light first be cause it’s the main one, and I use the rest of the lights to “support” the key light.

The purpose of the key light is to put the light on the subject. You can place it anywhere you want, but a common placement is about 45 degrees to either side of the camera, and about 45 degrees up from the subject.

Which side of the camera should you place it on? It depends on the look you’re going for. You can get as creative as you want with this. First, let’s cover the common placement of the key light, and then let’s cover some more creative fun placements.

A good rule of thumb if you’re trying to create a standard look…

Whichever way the subject is facing in the frame, put the key light on that side of the camera. Let’s consider an example. Imagine that you’re shooting video of a standard talking head, and they’re facing the left side of the frame. In this case, you would put the key light on the left side of the video camera as well.

Incidentally, this style of lighting is called “short lighting” because if you divide the subject’s face in half with an imaginary line, this kind of lighting illuminates the short side of the face, leaving the broad side of the subject’s face (the side of the face closest to the camera) in shadow.

If you were in an interview situation, you would place the camera first. Then have the the interviewer sitting to the left of the camera’s position, and then have the key light to the left of the interviewer (assuming the interviewer is off camera). This lights the far side of the subject’s face and causes your subject to look toward the left side of the frame, because that’s where the interviewer is.

Key Light Placements: Creative Options

If you’re feeling creative, try placing the key light at different angles and elevations. You can put the key light off to one side of the subject, nearly straight out to the side, and illuminate only half of their face. This is called “side lighting” because…well…they’re lit from the side. If you’re shooting a film, you might use side lighting to symbolically represent the conflict the character is feeling. Or you could also just do it because it looks amazing, and then people will think you did it to symbolize conflict. (Accidental genius!)

You could also try placing the key light at a high elevation, angled higher above your subject’s head but pointing down toward your subject. This placement would create deep shadows in their eye sockets —usually an undesirable look—but if you’re trying to make the subject look sinister for some reason, you might like this technique. Maybe you’re interviewing them for a documentary because they’re a prison convict, or maybe they’re a politician (couldn’t resist this one), and you want them to appear ominous.

As viewers, we’re always intrigued when we can’t see the subject’s eyes. We don’t trust them. Or they might seem dead to us. (What else has dark shadows in the eyes and mouth? Answer: Skulls. Ooh.) While you’re at it, you might have a reason to place the key light low below the subject, and then point it up toward them. This lights the chin and the underside of the nose. It casts shadows in the opposite direction we’re accustomed to seeing them. Because it’s so strange, it makes the viewers feel unsettled.