3 light set up

 This week in Professor Harwood’s class, we went over the basic 3-light setup that a lot of photographers use. He explained the three lights — the key light, the fill light, and the backlight — and what each one actually does. The key light is the main one that really lights up the subject, the fill light helps soften the shadows, and the backlight sits behind the person to help them stand out from the background.

After he broke it down for us, he showed how all three lights work together. Once you see it in action, you realize why people use this setup so much. When everything is placed right, the picture looks cleaner and has more depth. If you take one light away, you can tell right away because the shot either gets too dark on one side or the subject kind of blends into the background.

We got into groups and practiced setting up the lights ourselves, which honestly helped a lot. Doing it hands-on made it easier to understand how small changes in lighting can change the whole look of a photo.