Mastering Studio Lighting: Part 3 - Direction of Light

Beyond the characteristics of being hard, or soft, another crucial aspect to consider when dealing with light is its direction. Shifting the direction and position of the light can help to amplify a particular mood or idea, or augment the visual appeal of the subject. Essentially, the direction of the light hinges on the relationship between you, the light source, and your subject.

Here are four main directions of light:

Front Light - This is when the light source is situated behind the photographer and faces the subject directly. Front lighting yields a flat and even light, resulting in a lack of shadows.
Back Light - Here, the main light source is positioned behind the subject. This typically forms a striking silhouette unless it’s counterbalanced with another light (which would cast light on the subject’s face).

Left - Front Light, Right - Back light

Overhead Light - As the name suggests, this is when the light source is positioned above the subject’s head. Imagine the midday sun outdoors and how it casts light down on your subject, resulting in hard shadows under the nose and chin.

Side Light - In this setup, the primary light source illuminates your subject from one side, creating depth. One side of the subject’s face is well-lit while the other descends into shadow.

Left - Overhead light, Right - Side Light

Apart from these, there are other ways to define light direction and placement. Though they might not be as evident as front, side, back, and overhead lights, they are crucial to understanding, especially when you’re deciphering lighting diagrams.

Feathering the Light - This is a technique where the light source (and modifier) is slightly angled away from your subject, so that the ‘fall off ’ light is what illuminates them. This results in a very soft, diffused look. The setup leads to fewer specular highlights and provides an even exposure across the subject. Photographers usually employ this feathering technique when using diffused modifiers like a 135cm Octabox or 200cm Umbrella (with a diffusion sock).
Bouncing the Light - This involves directing a light source onto a reflective surface like a white wall, ceiling, reflector, or V-flat. The resulting bounce creates a larger source of light that often wraps around the subject, resulting in a shadow-less appearance. This technique can be employed as a key light, but it’s also frequently used as a fill light in conjunction with a key source.
Wrapping the Light - Wrapped light is achieved when light sources are bounced off walls or white V-flats that surround your subject, creating a uniform spread of light. The goal here is to produce a soft, diffused light with no shadows. This is a popular technique in fashion or lifestyle e-commerce or look-book shoots where the desired effect is clean, even lighting.