What are the three main lighting methods for photography?

Light sources can be divided into:

1, natural light sources-sunlight, moonlight, starlight and lightning.

2. Artificial light sources-flash, tungsten lamp, fluorescent lamp, mercury lamp, fluorescent lamp, firewood, fireworks, flashlight, etc.

3. Mixed light source-natural light plus artificial light (auxiliary light).

(a) Shun light-also known as front light or flat light, refers to the light source projected from the front of the subject.

Sunlight-The light source comes from the front of the scene. Because of the uniform illumination, it is easy to make the picture dull and lack of three-dimensional sense, which is suitable for depicting landscape photos, such as rock occupation and sand piles.

The advantage of shooting along the light is that the subject is bright and bright, and the amount of light entering is easy to grasp, and it will not be insufficient or too much. This is a good lighting to express color and soft atmosphere. The disadvantage of smoothness is that it can't present three-dimensional expressions. When shooting portraits, people's eyes will squint because of the sunshine coming from the front, which leads to people's facial expressions being extremely unnatural. Try not to use smooth light to shoot portraits in strong light unless necessary.

(2) Oblique light-also called 45-degree light. The light source is projected from the 45-degree direction between the photographer and the subject.

The advantages are bright colors, rich layers, strong contrast between light and shadow, and strong three-dimensional sense; The expression is more natural when shooting people. Oblique lighting is the most basic and pleasing lighting method. The disadvantage is that oblique light is the best lighting source for any photographer. It's too ordinary, and it's more difficult to shoot distinctive works.

(3) Side light ... The light source projected from the side of the object is called side light. Side light-Light sources come from the left and right sides of the scene. Due to the side lighting, the scene is well-defined, the texture is clear, the contrast is obvious, the color is gorgeous, and the three-dimensional sense, depth sense and space sense are also strong. Therefore, it is suitable to describe the lines of light and shadow flow, such as landscapes, flowers and trees, buildings and so on.

The advantage is that light is a mixture of light and shade, and it is a light with emotional personality, which is suitable for expressing the three-dimensional sense of light and shadow. The disadvantage is that there are few layers in the picture, and because there are too many shadows, sometimes it is necessary to fill the light, such as using a reflective wrench and flashlight.

(4) Semi-backlight ... is called the light projected at 45 degrees from the back of the main body.

The advantage is that the strong light around the main body is linearly formed, creating a so-called "gold-inlaid edge" aesthetic feeling. The shape is prominent, and the local contour can be emphasized. The disadvantage is that it is easy to cause light to enter the lens, resulting in mixed color or halo in the color of the work, and the light difference between the subject and the background is too large, which will make the subject underexposed. The improvement methods include: using a hood to avoid halo, choosing a darker background to balance the contrast between the subject and the background, and emphasizing the special effect of edge light.

(5) Backlight-also known as backlight. Its light is projected from the background of the object. Backlight-The light comes from the back of the scene. Due to the strong light perception and gorgeous colors in the backlight, the halo generated at the edge of the scene is particularly dazzling, so it is suitable for describing the level and texture of the scene, such as the twilight, flowers, ecology, portraits and so on.

The advantage is strong light and shadow effect. Disadvantages are that light easily enters the lens, causing halo and unclear color, and because the front of the subject can't stand the sunlight, it causes shadow, which is easy to become a silhouette without layers, easily affected by backlight brightness, and the exposure is difficult to master. Therefore, backlight photography is a difficult lighting method, but it is also the richest expression. Backlight photography is a very special way of lighting as long as the ideal background is selected and appropriate light is supplemented. There are also various light sources such as top light, bottom light, diffused light and reflected light. As long as we pay more attention, carefully observe the projection direction and changes of various light sources, and make use of the changes of light and shadow, we will certainly be able to create excellent works.

(6) Top light-the light source comes from above the scene. Because the sun is in the middle, the projection is small, and there is no contrast between color and brightness. Therefore, it is easy to make the scenery look unremarkable, which is the most unsuitable for taking portraits, because the light source will produce unsightly shadows such as black bags under the eyes, black nostrils and black chin on the top of the head. It is more suitable to describe vertical lines, such as valleys, canyons and Woods.