The three principles of light for photo and video
04Lighting feels technical and complex to most people. Yet in both photo and video every decision reduces to three principles: the quality, the direction and the ratio of light. Whoever understands these can build any scene.
1 · Quality
Hard or soft? The size and distance of the source set the sharpness of the shadow.
2 · Direction
Where does the light come from? Direction is what reveals or flattens texture and volume.
3 · Ratio
The difference between key and fill. Ratio builds the drama and the mood of the scene.
Why only three
The equipment brand, the softbox model or the wattage is detail. Why an image works or fails is always explained by these three principles. Hard or soft, from where, with how much contrast. If a frame looks wrong, the answer is almost always in one of these three.
Photo and video, one language
The good news: these principles are the same for photo and video. Whoever learns to light a product right can light the same product's advertising film too. This is why keeping photo and video in one team brings consistency; both media speak with a single lighting language.
Forget the equipment. Quality, direction and ratio; everything is inside these three.