Assignment 7: Fill Lights and Accents

Read Chapter 8

• Set up main light for Rembrandt or short lighting, using a small soft box
• Set up an umbrella fill
• Set up kicker(s), with grid spots, or barn doors to minimize flare
• Set up hair light, with grid spots, or barn doors to minimize flare
• Set up background light. Use black or gray seamless.

Shoot reference shots sequentially, so there is a record of how the setup is built, recording each addition of a new light. Make sure the exposures and respective intensities of the lights are balanced appropriately. 

Shoot the following Lighting Ratios:

Key/Fill

1:1 Key light and fill light same intensity
1:2 Fill light one stop lower than key light
1:4 Fill light two stops lower than key light
1:8 Fill light 3 stops lower than key light
1:16 Fill light 4 stops lower than key light, or off

Kickers, Hair lights and Background lights need to be at a useful intensity. Try not to blow out detail too much, or create distractions. Also, use grids/barn doors to minimize flare and spill.

For starters:

• Set kicker to match f-stop of key and then adjust for ratio of 1:2, or 1:4
• Set hair light to match f-stop of key and then adjust for ratio of 1:2, or 1:4