3 - Point Lighting

3-Point Lighting is a standard lighting technique used in visual media such as, film, still photography, and animation. It is a simple system that involves 3 separate lights: Key light, Fill Light and Back Light.

Key Light:

The key light is the main light and it is usually the strongest light and has most influence on how the scene looks. It is placed to one side of the camera/subject so this side is well lit and the other side has some shadow, to show the depth of the scene better.

Fill Light:

This is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side of the key light, we use this light to fill the shadows that are created by the key light. The fill light will usually be softer than the key light and less bright, to do this we can simply move the fill light further away from the scene.

Back Light:

The back light is placed behind the rear of the subject and lights it from the rear. Instead of providing direct lighting to the subject like, the key and fill light, the back lights purpose is to provide definition and subtle highlight around the subject's outlines. This helps create and 3D feel to the image which will interest the audience more.