Understanding multi point lighting

If you’ve ever used a flash on your camera, be it a built-in popup flash or a single external flash on the hotshoe, you’ve almost certainly gotten pictures that look flat and drab at one time or another.

This is kind of typical for single point lighting which happens to be fired directly at the subject. With a single light, it’s best to diffuse the light somehow or redirect it by bouncing it off a ceiling, a wall, a bounce card, or something similar. You’ll still only have one source of light, but you’ve now softened it and distributed it over a larger area, which is typically more flattering for your subject.

Multi point lighting is a more advanced method of lighting your subject using several sources of light. Those sources could be studio lights or strobes, it really doesn’t matter. It’s the positioning and use of those lights which define the method, which is the de-facto industry standard for photo and video lighting. Every good photographer should understand these lighting basics.

Three point lighting

The three elements which make up this lighting method are the key light, the fill light, and the backlight.

The key light shines directly on the subject, and typically from above at roughly a 45 degree angle. If your subject moves up or down, the key light should follow. This light is emulating what our eyes see normally under the sun. The key light is the most important part of your three point design, because it really dicates your most prominent shadows and hightlights and impacts your whole lighing design.

The fill light also illuminates your subject, but typically from the opposite side and typically using a softer, more diffused light. The purpose of the fill light is to balance out the key light, and fill in any remaining shadows.

The backlight lights your subject from behind, and its purpose is to seperate your subject from the background by providing a rim of light around it’s edges and highlight the contours of your subject.

Here is a drawing of a typical three point lighting setup.

Four point lighting

Additionally, four point lighting adds a background light which sits behind your subject (like the backlight) but instead of being aimed at the subject it is aimed at the background to illuminate it. Using cookies or flags can help shape and manipulate this light to make it more interesting.

Here is a drawing of a typical four point lighting setup.

Using these two methods, you can attain a good mid-key lighting setup. By manipulating the lights, you can also achieve good low or high key lighting for more dramatic photographs.

Keys

The term “key” refers to the overall tone of the photo.

Low key photographs are overly dark, with possible glints of light dispersed through the shot. Typically they will have a high contrast ratio, which helps to infuse the photograph with some drama.

High key photographs are much brighter overall (perhaps even washed out in areas), and have a lower contrast ratio. Shadows are mostly eliminated, and the background is well exposed (or overexposed).

Mid key falls between these two (obviously) and are typified by balanced lighting. Note, mid key lighting is not the absence of light or shadows, but a balance between the two.

By adjusting the intensity or shape of your key, fill, or backlight – you can achieve these “keys” in your pictures. It’s all a matter of playing with it, and getting to understand how light and shadows are formed.