What is Three Point Lighting?

Actual definition:

The Three Point Lighting Technique is a standard method used in visual media such as video, film, still photography and computer-generated imagery. It is a simple but versatile system which forms the basis of most lighting. Once you understand three point lighting you are well on the way to understanding all lighting. The technique uses three lights called the key light, fill light and back light. Naturally you will need three lights to utilise the technique fully, but the principles are still important even if you only use one or two lights.

- Source: http://www.mediacollege.com/lighting/three-point/

The three lights involved in this technique all have different roles in the overall effect.

The Key Light is the strongest and therefor the main light, having the most influence on the photo. It is then placed at an angle (to the side) of a model to create some contrasts and shadows on the other side of their face/ body.

The Fill Light is on the opposite side of the Key light, making it the secondary light. By using this light source, the shadows that had previously been created by the Key Light's position alone will  be less intense or non existent. This light source is softer than the Key Light, and you can experiment with how far away this light from the subject of the photo.

The Back Light is placed at the back, and can highlight a hairline and give an overall professional look to the photo as it gives off a 3D effect. By having this light in place, the subject of the photo is more separated from the background.

If you take one of these lights away, the photo can look completely different. I, personally, am keen to experiment with the Key and Back light. This is because I like the dramatic effect of shadows and contours.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p13FqFdgDc This video explains the effect of certain angles of light within Three Point Lighting.

Process of Photoshop

This photo was my first attempt of taking my Photoshop skills further, incorporating coloured backgrounds and shapes into the photo. I did not feel confident with presenting this photo as a product of taking elements of what I learnt and having this as my finale piece. I feel as though this photo has no structure, no sense. I did not feel as though there was a colour scheme, or even a theme that I could work with. The choice of colour in the background was not eye capturing enough for me, and, over all, the photo looked 2D to me. Due to my dissatisfaction, I decided to use the same photo of annaleigh, but edit in a different way.

 

I used the same image as the previous attempt. My original idea was to edit the words "happy go lucky" so they would be the opposite of the emotion displayed. This idea changed as I went on editing and changed different elements.

 

 

I used the magnetic lasso tool to crop the part of the photo that I needed and placed Annaleigh in front of a background. After realising that I did not like the colour on my previous attempt, I played around with colours like bright blue's, greens and purples.

 

I finally found a background colour I liked. The colour also highlighted even more so how dull the colours in the photo were, so I upped the contrast and brightness on the image of Annaleigh to bring the image forward more and make it stand out more.

 

I then played around with the colouring / pencil tools on Photoshop to edit her hair and make it look as though it was hand drawn. There was no particular reason for this; it did, however, teach me more about the different ways I can use tools to manipulate an image.

 

My attitude towards shapes with this image was different before - it made all the difference. Whilst before, I was using shapes of butterflies and random line shapes that didn't fit any theme, this time I used mainly circles, and simple shapes as I found that in this instance, simple changes were more effective. I also chose a colour scheme for the shapes I inserted in the image, I found this looked more professional.

 

This was my final product. The theme that I chose was space, hence the inserted planets that are placed in the background. I think the cluster of shapes are appropriately placed, and I was careful to make sure it wasn't too crowded, as I was aware of my canvas size. The space theme then linked in with the words "Down To Earth" that I used.

Planning For Photographs

Planning of photograph inspired by Nadav Kander

Working with: (Annaleigh and Rosina.)

Pictures inspiring me:

• This picture is my main inspiration, as it is quite different from others that I have seen previously.
• Many people in typical photo shoots will want to use makeup, but instead I will be using another image of nature to decorate someone’s face.

• I have previously taken a few photos of nature that I could use – they do not necessarily need to be images of trees.

• To create this photo, I’ll be using a projector, onto a black/ grey background. To contrast with this and make the model stand out more, the model will wear a white vest / top. The top will be plain and present neutral tones. For experimentation purposes and for documentation, I will take photo's without the projected images, as then, if the projector does not look right, I can Photoshop images onto Annaleigh's face to see if that gives the same effect.
• The lighting used in this photo uses a light source from the left, and a light source from the back. This highlights the hairline, and presents the main features of her face. I don't quite think this is three point lighting because there are still some contrasts that show cheekbones and give her contouring on her face.  I will use the projector as a light source, and I will have a light source at the back. As I'll be creating a dark background / atmosphere, I don't want too many light sources.
• Unlike the model in this photo though, I will experiment with different expressions and angles to see which one looks the best.

Homework - to analyise and improve your own photograph.

Mise En Scene

Whilst I like this photo, I think there are improvements and enhancements that would make this photo better. The setting of this photo is a local quarry / path that is often visited by my family, which is why I wanted to capture this as it looked more natural and at home. however, there is a cyclist in the background that can draw attention away from the two main focus' of the photo. The lighting used in this photo is natural lighting, and the expressions in the this photo are smiles, which are natural portraying genuine happiness. The costumes in this photo are nothing unique or intentional, it just happens to be what my parents wore that day, not that I believe this takes anything away from the photo but, in the future, I could return to this location to take photo's, and have the models wear something you would expect to wear in an environment such as this. There are no props involved.

This photo was improved by adding higher contrasts and brightening the photo to really enhance the sunny day that it was; to add binary opposition I placed the words "Rainy Night" on the photo to make it more interesting and intriguing. The cyclist that I was concerned drew the attention away from the two main people was photo shopped out using my cloning skills; I cloned the grass from elsewhere and placed it where it would be if there were no one there, and then I added in the path, and shadows from the trees. I didn't want to crop the photo as people needed to be able to see the background for the words I placed to have the full effect. Over all, I think this photo has been improved.

Nadav Kander Photo Analysis

During the process of taking this photo, the photographer could get the model to pose by a tree (under certain lighting circumstances) to get the tree's silhouette onto her body. To enhance this, the process could also involve Photoshop, or maybe even the merging of two photo's he had taken separately.The lighting used in this photo uses a light source from the left, and a light source from the back. This highlights the hairline, and presents the main features of her face. I don't quite think this is three point lighting because there are still some contrasts that show cheekbones and give her contouring on her face.  I am not aware if Nadav intended to portray this message, but I feel as though this photo reflects naturalism. She is not wearing clothes, and little to no makeup, showing her natural body, a woman in natural form. I think the tree branches on her body are to emphasise this as, of course, tree's are part of nature and found in natural environments. The mood of this photo has very neutral tone to it; her face doesn't display a happy nor sad expression. The high contrasts and dark tones, with a slight tint of colour really bring out the features of the photo and show the depths of a person.

 

Again, with the recurring theme of nature, this photo experiments with a different, more vast environment. From what I know, the process of this photo would include taking the two photo's separately, and then merging the two via Photoshop and taking the opacity down on the photo of the man. The contrast on this photo is not high, due to the merging. In the photo, before it was photo shopped, I can see that the light source is artificial and is angled to the upper left, as that is where the model is facing.  left The formal clothes contribute to the mood of relaxation, I feel as though his formality with such an environment is almost like a juxtaposition. The props involved are just a pair of glasses.Whilst he looks as though he should be in an office, his thoughts are in a place elsewhere. He feels more at home and relaxed when he can clear his thoughts in a place that is vast and open, unlike a closed and confined office space. That is simply my interpretation, though. I believe the photo is of a famous person, so this could therefore change the meaning; it could perhaps not be about escaping an office environment but more a famous environment.

Due to the blur, which suggests fast movement, the mood of this photo is energetic, which is unlike the other two photo's I have analysed. I think the lighting used was artificial, and that it was angled above him, creating shadows on his face (e.g. under his nose and eyes). If Nadav used a white sheet to project the light underneath the model, these shadows would appear less harsh, or not appear at all but, in this context, the dramatic effect works better and makes the photo less typical. Colour wise, the photo is very stripped back. The simple splash of blue across his face, highlights his eyes and defines his features. This needed otherwise the model in the photo would not stand out due to the background being pale. I think the blur effect has been enhanced during the process of this photo via photo shop. The man is not wearing any visible clothing in this image, nor are any props in the background. There is no specific/ obvious expression portrayed in tis photo, but due to the cold tones and colours used in the photo, I'm sensing a melancholy vibe. I could take inspiration from this photo by adding colour to the my model's face and using a similar background instead of a contrasting one and play around with that.  

Nadav Kander Biography

Sources: https://www.nadavkander.com/biography and Wikipedia (in my own words)

Nadav Kander  is a London-based photographer, artist and director, known for his portraiture and landscapes. He has produced a number of books, and his work has been recognised and exhibited widely across the world, his work included in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, the Société Générale, Paris, Pictet & Cie’s Art Collection and other museums / galleries. Nadav has received the Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society in 2015. Just some of the awards he has won include: the Prix Pictet and a World Press Photo award.



Adam Ant photographed in his usual 'highway attire' by Nadav Kander

Born on December 1st 1961 in Israel, Nadav Kander grew up in South Africa; he recalls memories of him flying there at the age of three due to the fact that his parents wanted live closer to his grandfather. He stayed there, in South Africa until the age of 21, where he set off for England, inspired by seeing a television for the first time and viewing all the different buildings at aged 14 during his time on a visit.

Eddie Redmayne captured by Nadav Kander

Despite moving away from South Africa, it was there that he was first introduced into photography at around the age of ten. Nadav's father would often make slide shows of the photographs he'd taken throughout the year with transparent film. Three years later, at age thirteen, Nadav himself began taking photo's after receiving a camera from his Bar Mitzvah and was inspired by photographers like 'Strand, Stieglitz, Weston and Atget' and began admiring the way that they  had depth in their photographs, they weren't just photographs that would simply be momentums within years to come; he appreciated that in their photographs, they captured true art. "...All (the photographers previously mentioned) of which resonated the feeling that each artist was exploring their respective lives. They made work about both their outer surroundings and their inner landscapes and their art clearly showed their individual and consistent authorship.".


After a motorbike accident when he was seventeen, he decided to quit riding and once more got back into photography; partaking in the National Service (in South Africa), he began printing aerial pictures for two years. Through this experience, Nadav discovered he wanted to become a lens based artist. From there he began working for  Harry De Zitter and went to England, only to return again in 1985 with his future wife Nicole and get married t her in 1991. In the present day, Nadav Kander lives in London with his wife, and three children:  Oren, Ella and Talia.

His publications include:

Nadav Kander - Night. 2000.

Beauty's Nothing. Arena Editions, 2001.

Obama's People. London: Flowers Gallery, 2010.

Yangtze - The Long River. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2010.

Bodies. 6 Women, 1 Man. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2013.

Dust. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2014.

“I think there’s probably more truth about myself in my portraits than there is about the person,” he says. “When you are presented with a person you talk to them and react to their body language and those are the things that inform you as to the darkness, the lightness, the direction and all the tools you have to photograph them. That’s often very correct for the person and it’s often quite correct for you and it’s that triangle I find very interesting.
“The triangle being myself and the sitter and the viewer and the viewer is equally important because I’ve managed to cause them an emotion by the way that I have my sitter positioned or the way they’re looking. How much of that is me and how much of that is the sitter? Who knows, but that’s the beautiful kind of dance.” - an interview from the website: http://www.itsnicethat.com/features/the-shadow-and-the-dance-an-interview-with-nadav-kander

Good Photography Includes These Elemnts / How to go about analysing photo's.

1. Genre - subject, theme & why?


2. Light - good photographers use good lighting; find creative light sources! Natural / artificial,   harsh / soft / exaggerated.


3. Science - burning photo's (etc.)


4. Unique / start blank


5. Framing / focus


6. Formal elements: colour, composition, tone & shape.


7. Accident - allow them to happen; you only use about 5% of the photo's you take.


8. Meanings.


9. Ideology; you can show what you want to show; make others see what you want them to see & twist meanings


10. Warped meanings / symbols.