signature style of lighting. Others characteristically
utilize flash to create a distinctive lighting environ-
ment, Weegee being a famous example.
There are some basic rules that the professionals
follow in portrait or people photography. With the
emphasis that is placed on youthfulness in our
society, most portrait and beauty photographers
use very large light sources for their pictures. The
reason is that the larger the light source the less
prominent any textural detail will be. Textural
detail in this instance means wrinkles or slight per-
ceived skin defects and the lighting approach can
minimize these defects.
The Key Method of Lighting
One method of thinking about lighting is what is
often referred to as the ‘‘Key’’ method. The Key
method becomes a necessity when there are two or
more light sources used in the picture. The Key
method asks a simple question, namely: ‘‘What is
the character or mood of the picture going to be?’’
Once the character of the picture has been deter-
mined the light source that creates this mood will
become the Key light. The Key light will determine
the basic exposure and all of the other lights will be
balanced to the key light.
Direction of the Light
Where the light comes from is as important as the
size of the light source. The character or mood of a
photograph is often determined by the angle of the
light that illuminates the subject. Top lighting will
result in the major portion of the face being cast in
deep shadow. A portrait where the light source is
small and placed lower than the face will have a
disturbing ghoulish effect. A light placed at a 45
degree angle will produce one side of the face that is
pleasingly open, but the other side in deep shadow.
A light placed behind a person will produce a
‘‘halo’’ effect. All these effects can be modified by
use of fill-in lighting or flash, resulting in an almost
infinite number of variations of how and where to
position the lighting equipment.
A standard method of lighting a portrait is to use
a large light source as the main or Key light and a
smaller concentrated light coming from the rear
towards the camera, but not visible in the picture.
The Key light is often slightly above the sitter’s
head, particularly when the sitter is wearing glasses.
This reduces the flare that is often seen in the glasses.Light Modifiers
There are a variety of ways a light source can be
changed or modified. A very common modifier is
an umbrella, which is used to create more diffuse
light that flattens and evens out the tones that are
captured photographically. Umbrellas can be sized
from 24 inches to well over 6 feet in diameter. The
lining of the umbrella is as important as its size in
creating diffused lighting; some feature silver
reflective material on the inside, others are lined
with white or gold foils. The purpose of these lin-
ings is to enlarge the light source. Since the basic
shape is circular, the light will be cast on the subject
in a circular manner.
A soft box is a square or rectangular box made
of fabric and a lightweight frame that also enlarges
the light source. A soft box provides a very even
source of light over the entire surface of the box,
but the quantity of light drops off very rapidly
outside of the perimeter of the box.
Grids and snoots are tools used to concentrate
light and are often used in portraits on the hair
portion of the picture. Barn doors are another
method of concentrating light onto the subject.
One of the least expensive modifiers can be a
piece of plain white cardboard, often called a fill
card, which can be mounted onto the camera, a
stand, or simply held in the hand while photo-
graphing. The purpose of the card is to reduce a
shadow by reflecting light from a strobe or bulb.
Flash can be utilized as fill-in to create a more
diffused lighting situation when photographing out
of doors, even on bright, sunny days. Strong sha-
dows can be minimized by a flash set to two stops
more than the speed of the film being used.
Photographers in the twentieth century have
endlessly experimented with lighting environments
and techniques, from La ́szlo ́Mohogy-Nagy’s fam-
ous ‘‘light modulator’’ experiments at the New
Bauhaus (Institute of Design) in Chicago to Man
Ray’s experiments with photograms.
PeterLeGrand
Seealso:Camera: An Overview; Camera: Point and
Shoot; Horst, Horst P.; Institute of Design; Liebo-
vitz, Annie; Light Meter; Man Ray; Mohogy-Nagy,
La ́szlo ́; Photogram; Portraiture; WeegeeLIGHTING AND LIGHTING EQUIPMENT