We have three lights all pointing at our lovely model. Light #1 is called the “key” or “main” light. It is the main source of light for the subject. It’s main purpose is not only to light the subject but also to provide depth by creating shadows. This is why the position of the key light is off camera left.

Light #2 is called the fill light. I have it slightly off camera right, which is fine, but you really want to keep it as close to the camera’s axis as possible. For a standard portrait, you want to have the fill light at about half power compared to the key light. This is not an absolute (nothing in photography is). If you want the shadows more prominent then use less fill light. The point is that you want the fill light to produce less light than the key light or you will lose the depth in the portrait.

Light #3 is called the hair light in this position. It’s purpose is to separate the subject from the background by lighting the hair. This effect greatly improves upon the three dimensional look a professional quality portrait should produce. Light #3 can be used in a different way to separate the subject from the background as seen below.