Understanding the Basic Photography Lighting Equipment Setup

Many people think that all that is needed to shoot professional-looking photographs is a good camera. This is far from the case. The photography lighting equipment is just as important, if not more so, than the camera. This is particularly true when shooting indoor portrait photography. The lights can give depth to the subject, highlight features, or provide a softening effect. Most professional photographers use at least four lights, each shining on a different part of the subject.

The first light is the key light. This is the largest and brightest light and provides most of the illumination of the subject. It is placed behind the camera at an angle to the subject. You generally want to avoid shining it directly on the subject, because this washes out his features. In addition, you may get the photographer's shadow in the picture. This can be hard to get rid of. As a general rule of thumb, place the light at a 30 to 45 degree angle from the subject. Depending on the effect you want to achieve, you can set it at either the same height as the camera or slightly above.

The next light is the lower or primary fill light. This light softens the effect of the bright key light, reduces shadows, and provides increased depth. It is placed on the opposite side of the subject from the key light, at the same angle. It should, however, be lower to the floor than the key light, so that it shines on your subject from below. In addition, it should only be about half as bright as the key light. This leaves the opposite side of the subject slightly darker, creating a more dynamic and natural look.

The third light in the triangle shining on your subject from the front is the upper or secondary fill light. This light is set at the same intensity as the primary fill light, but it is placed higher than the key light and shines from above. It complements the primary fill light and defines the upper curves of the subject's body. This helps to give definition and character to the person's head and face.

The final light in a basic photography lighting equipment setup is the back light. The main reason for this light is to distinguish the subject from the background. It comes from behind the subject at around half the brightness of the key light. However, it may need to be brighter if the subject's hair color or clothes are similar to the color of the background.

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