How to Use Three Point Lighting System

Three-point lighting is a simple but powerful technique. It’s what you learn first when you start learning about photography, and it’s still one of the most important techniques to master.

Three point lighting is a technique that uses three light sources to create shadows, contrast, and depth in a photo. This article will teach you all about it.

The key to successful three-point lighting is understanding how each light source interacts with the subject and the background. The easiest way to understand this process is by looking at our explanation:

Three Point Lighting Technique

Key Light – Typically placed near the camera lens, this light will be the brightest on your subject’s face. It should be positioned at a 45 degree angle and high enough above your subject’s head that they can stand straight up without their face being blocked by the light stand.

This is the main source of light that falls directly on your subject. It can be placed above or below them, depending on whether you want to highlight their face or body.

The position of the key light determines how much shadow there is on the subject’s face — so if you want to create dramatic shadows on your subject’s face, then move your key light closer to them. If you want less shadow, move it further away!

Fill Light – This light is used to fill in shadows created by your key light and to add contrast between dark areas and bright areas of your subject’s face. A good rule of thumb is that if your fill light isn’t brighter than your key light, then it isn’t doing its job properly. Fill lights are typically placed at 45 degree angles opposite your key light (i.e., on either side of the camera).

Background Light – A background light is typically placed behind or to one side of the subject so it shines through any holes in the background (such as trees) and illuminates those areas, creating a glowing effect behind them.

The third source of light placed behind your subject will help separate them from the background and add depth to their image by creating a rim around their silhouette.

How The Three Point Lighting System Works

The best way to explain 3-point lighting is by explaining how it works. The first thing we need to do is get rid of the background, which we can do by using a card or a piece of black paper.

The next step is to place a soft light source behind the subject, at about 45 degrees to the left or right (or both). This will give us our main light source.

Then, we move the subject forward so that it’s about 2-3 feet from the background and place another soft light source behind the subject and about one foot higher than their head. This will be our fill light and will help even out any shadows caused by our main light source.

Finally, we place another soft light source directly above our subject’s head so that it shines down onto their face from above. This gives us our back-light and helps separate our subject from their background by creating shadows on them (which also makes them stand out more).

Why would you use 3-point lighting?

If you’re going to use a flash, then you need to learn about 3-point lighting. This is the standard technique for using a flash with a camera, and it will make your pictures look better than they do without it. The reason this technique works is because it uses the shadows of three light sources to create depth in your images.

Using 3-point lighting can help you create professional looking images that have more depth and texture than other types of photography. Here are some important things to know about using 3-point lighting:

It’s an advanced technique that requires practice in order to master it. You’ll need time and patience to get it right. If you’re just starting out, then start with simpler techniques such as portrait photography or landscape photography before trying anything more advanced like this one.

You’ll need at least two lights (one main light and one fill light) in order for this technique to work well enough for basic portraits or fashion photography. Using more lights will make the effect even better though so try experimenting with different combinations until you find one that works best for your needs!