From the course: Learning Studio Lights and Flash Lighting

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Understanding light patterns

Understanding light patterns

From the course: Learning Studio Lights and Flash Lighting

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Understanding light patterns

Photography is all about the light. But it's also about the shadows created by that light. We've covered how the direction of light can create dimension and form in an image, and how hard and soft light can dramatically change the look of your image. Now it's time to explore how a lighting pattern can help define the look you want to achieve in a photo. So what is a lighting pattern? Well, it's the relationship between the light source and your subject's face. And each relationship has a name. This helps you control and define what you're seeing. And what you'd like to create. It's about where the highlights and the shadows are falling upon your subject. For example, here are some images I captured of Jenine using one constant light source. They are short, broad, split, and rembrant. Short lighting has a narrowing effect, and works well for slimming down a wide face. It also sets a dramatic mood, and it's often used on TV and movie sets for a theatrical effect. Broad lighting…

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