Portraits!

We're moving on into portraits in the class now. Basicly torso plus head shots. Generally nothing is shot below the torso level. So, I have some examples! Here is your basic setup for a shoot.

Your backlight is also known as a key hair light. It's meant to light up the back of the hair and to separate your subject from the background. 
Your Key Light is going to be the light that provides the strongest brightest light for your subject. 
Your Fill light is going to "fill" in your shadows without washing them completely out and allows for a little light to come in to explore the shadows.

Here we have some examples of the 3pt lighting setup in use. I will attempt to analyze each picture and figure out where the lighting placement is.

Whew! The great Google search for 3pt lighting that I can try to analyze is becoming difficult!

Here is the fist one that I could come up with.  You can see that there is a Key Light on this woman's right side, (our left). The shoulder and side of her face is very well lit. I think there is a fill light that is at a 45 degree angle to the left of her body, leaving some shadow, but not so much that we can't see her face. Now, I think there is a hair light behind her left shoulder that is gently lighting her hair and very top/back of her shoulder with light.

Onward!

ok, here we have the Key light on his left shoulder again. Filler light to his right, filling n exploring some shadows, and I think that the hair light is facing toward his torso.

Here is an example of a really good hair light. see how he kinda has a halo all around his head and shoulders? The light is directly behind him, pointing right into the back of his head, I think.

 

Ok, SO, this one isn't so great on the quality because it was such a tiny picture, so don't stare too long or your eyes will get stuck that way. I see the "Hair light" actually acting as more of a background light here, which makes her push out from thebackground the same as the hair light, but it just gives slightly different effects.

Here, we have the same basic setup again.. Hair light from behing and to the left of the picture, Filler light from the right of the picture, and to the right at a 45 degree angle in front of the couple is the Key light.

 This one was a little different. I think it's that there is extra light in the room, like a window or an overhead light, because that background is lit REALLY well. But again, another basic setup. Key light to the right of the picture, filler to the left, and possibly a very strong  background light.