Lighting Practice

3-point fill lighting

3 lights is used to create a normal-looking scene with soft shadows and average colours. Using a 3-light setup to provide normal lighting across an entire object, the exact opposite of chiaroscuro. This is used in the most 'normal' scenes with any object in focus.

Chiaroscuro lighting

Chiaroscuro is characterised by harsh lighting that creates an extreme contrast between different areas of shot so that there is extreme blacks and whites.

High key lighting
High key lighting uses harsh, bright lights to reduce contrast in a scene. Giving the scene a white-washed, clean look and does not have any shadows in frame. Low key lighting is the opposite of this.

Backlighting
Backlighting is when the scene is lit directly from behind, where it is used to create a silhouette. It is often used to make a scene seem romantic.

Natural lighting
This can either be the natural light coming from the sun but can also refer to a light source that has a light yellow or white hue.

Artificial lighting
A light that comes intentionally from man-made light sources, for example light bulbs. They often have orange or a blue-green hue.