Understand Side Lighting in Photography

What is Side Lighting in Photography?

Lighting refers to how much light strikes the subject in a photograph, including both the light that comes from the sky and the light reflected from surfaces such as buildings and vegetation. The amount of light hitting a subject determines how bright and detailed it will appear in the final picture.

Lighting can be divided into two main types – side lighting and front lighting.

Side lighting is created by placing lights on the sides of your subject, so that light bounces off its surface and onto the face of your subject. This type of lighting tends to create flat, even shadows and highlights, which adds interest and depth to the image.

Front lighting is created by placing lights above or below the subject and illuminating it directly. This type of lighting creates a spotlight effect and makes the subject stand out from the background.

Both front and side lighting can be combined to give different effects. For example, a single light placed close to the edge of the frame might illuminate a subject from the side while other lights placed further away would provide some front lighting.

How to use Side Lighting in Photography

We need to understand how light behaves in a photograph, but we must also learn to use light creatively. Side lighting can create the illusion of depth in a scene, while backlighting can draw attention to the subject and highlight key features.

In general, side lighting is often used to highlight objects in a portrait or headshot, while backlighting is more often employed in interior shots to add drama or a sense of mystery. If the light source is positioned behind the subject, shadows fall on the subject’s face, creating the impression of depth. The side of the face is lighter than the rest of the head, giving a sense of separation between the subject and the background.

What are the benefits of using side lighting?

When we photograph subjects we may want to show the subject from different angles. For this we need a variety of light sources. For example, a single flash or a lamp behind the subject may produce a bright background, while two lamps side by side can create interesting shadow patterns.

How does side lighting work?

Side lighting is achieved when you place your light source further away from the subject than the distance between your camera and the subject. As the light is further away from your subject, it casts softer shadows. In addition, when you are shooting with natural light, you may need to move the light further away to prevent it from washing out the subject.

Using side lighting can help make a photograph more dramatic

When you use side lighting you can alter the composition of a photograph. For example, with a model standing in front of a wall you can arrange her hair to frame her face. In addition, you can control the direction of the shadows to highlight key features and enhance the shape of the face.

Shooting with side lighting can enhance the dramatic quality of a photograph

This is especially true when the light source is positioned close to your subject. It can make your subject appear more three-dimensional.

Do you need a special camera to take advantage of side lighting?

Most digital cameras will provide some side lighting but, generally, you will need a special lens to achieve good results. A lens with a wide angle of view will help to illuminate your subject in a pleasing way.

How do I control side lighting?

You need to make sure that you position your subject away from the light source so that the shadow falls onto the side of the face. The side of the face will look brighter than the front. This means that you need to ensure that your subject faces away from the light source.

You may need to experiment with your camera settings to ensure that the light does not overexpose the shadow areas of your photo. This is because you will need to reduce the exposure to stop the shadow areas looking too dark. This technique is called ‘under exposure’ and your camera will warn you if you are overexposing.

Can I use side lighting to photograph objects?

Yes. You can use side lighting to make photographs of furniture and other items, such as clocks.

Conclusion

When shooting in low light conditions, we often end up with images that look too dark. This happens because the majority of our light source is coming from the side. As a result, the main subject of our image is hidden behind bright light.

To combat this problem, I suggest you learn how to use side lighting in photography. By doing so, you can make sure the main subject of your photo has the most natural-looking light.

Side lighting is really important, and I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. This is true for both photography and videography. If you have a great side lighting photo, you may get more views than any other photo on your page.