1

Lighting
The Principles of Lighting
 Preoccupied with daily life, most of us give
only half an eye to the world around us.

 We respond to its influences but seldom

scrutinize its effects all that closely.

 You recognize the effects, even if you have

not considered their cause.
Lighting a figure
from below
creates a spooky
and unfamiliar
look, even the
highlights in the
eyes look strange
because of their
placement.
Lighting a figure
from straight
above can give
a broody and
menacing look.
 Soft frontal lighting smooths over form
 Light can also be a very effective way of
revealing translucency.
What is the time of the day???
What
about
this
one??
 The candle light is commonly considered
soft. But if you look around a candle-lit
room, you will find that a candle’s small
flame casts firm clear-cut shadows, and
throws texture & contours into sharp relief.
 While working with light, you will probably
be surprised how many of its features are
already familiar from everyday experience.
Let us now consciously try and appreciate
some of these features. Features Like:

 Direction
 Quality / Intensity
 Evenness
 Contrast
 Colour
 Source
DIRECTION
FRONT LIGHT

 Here light source is

directly behind the
viewer's point of view.
This type of lighting is
often unappealing if
the light source is
hard
DIRECTION
FRONT LIGHT
 Hard frontal lighting has
that paparazzi look: harsh
and often unattractive.

 It doesn’t substantially
helps in revealing form or
texture since the shadows
are mostly hidden from
view, as a result it can
make things look flat.
DIRECTION
FRONT LIGHT

 It can help conceal

wrinkles and
blemishes.
DIRECTION
FRONT LIGHT

 There are exceptions

and in some
situations very
attractive images can
come from soft frontal
lighting.

Soft frontal lighting smooths over form.

DIRECTION
SIDE LIGHT

 It is good for showing

form & texture and
lends a three-
dimensional quality to
objects. Shadows are
prominent & contrast
can be high as a
result.
DIRECTION
SIDE LIGHT

 Side lighting is
generally attractive &
is often used to great
effect: it is the kind of
lighting encountered
at beginning & end of
the day.
DIRECTION
SIDE LIGHT

 Side Lighting
means long
shadows;
 The shadows
cast across this
image help to
give it a sense
of depth and
dimension.
DIRECTION
BACK LIGHT

 Back lighting is where

the viewer is looking
into the light source. It
is usually a high
contrast situation and
can often look very
atmospheric &
dramatic.
DIRECTION
BACK LIGHT

 Silhouettes are a
common feature of
backlit scenes.
DIRECTION
BACK LIGHT
 It is also a very effective way of revealing
translucency.
DIRECTION
BACK LIGHT

 Back lighting can

make most mundane
subjects look
appealing.
DIRECTION
TOP LIGHT

 It is slightly more
unusual situation. It
can be encountered in
sunshine at midday, in
some interiors & in
situations such as
stage lighting.
DIRECTION
TOP LIGHT

 In soft light it is an
effective way of
showing form. But
underneath hard
lights one will have
black holes for eyes
since their eye
sockets will be in total
shadow.
DIRECTION
TOP LIGHT
 It is rarely used by artists.
The very fact that it's not
often seen, it can be used
to create an
uncomfortable feeling.
DIRECTION
BOTTOM LIGHT
 Lighting from directly
below the subject is even
more unusual, than top
lighting. In a natural
context this might happen
if someone is standing
over a campfire, or
holding a torch.
DIRECTION
BOTTOM LIGHT
 It would definitely lend a
strange appearance to
even the most familiar
things since what is
usually seen in light &
shade would be reversed.
 In the very rarity, this kind
of lighting can be used to
creative effect.