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3 Primary Subject Patterns

Lesson 18 from: Lighting 101

SLR Lounge, Pye Jirsa

3 Primary Subject Patterns

Lesson 18 from: Lighting 101

SLR Lounge, Pye Jirsa

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Lesson Info

18. 3 Primary Subject Patterns

Next Lesson: Light Qualities

Lessons

Class Trailer
1

Chapter 1 Introduction

01:26
2

Why Just One On-Camera Flash

04:22
3

5 Reasons to Use Flash

10:37
4

Common Flash Myths

06:51
5

What Makes Flash Challenging?

04:56
6

Chapter 2 Introduction

01:36
7

Flash-Strobe vs. Ambient-Constant Light

08:19
8

Flash vs. Ambient Light Exposure

03:07
9

Flash vs. Ambient Demo

06:42
10

Flash and Ambient Balancing for Natural Effect

07:11
11

Flash and Ambient Balancing for Dramatic Effect

04:19
12

Flash and Ambient Balancing for Creative Effect

07:10
13

Understanding Flash Duration

08:37
14

Chapter 3 Introduction

01:34
15

5 Common Key Light Patterns

08:38
16

5 Common Key Light Patterns w/ Diffusion & Fill

07:42
17

5 Common Secondary Light Patterns

08:28
18

3 Primary Subject Patterns

05:27
19

Light Qualities

09:56
20

The Inverse Square Law

07:50
21

Inverse Square Law in Practice

08:21
22

Corrective White Balance

10:02
23

Creative White Balance

05:47
24

Chapter 4 Introduction

01:58
25

On Board vs. Hot Shoe Flash

05:57
26

Full Feature vs. Manual Flashes

08:59
27

TTL vs. Manual Control

08:12
28

TTL vs. Manual Recycle Times

04:43
29

Flash Power & Zoom

09:18
30

HHS vs. ND Filters

12:29
31

FCS vs. RCS

07:11
32

Chapter 5 Introduction

01:38
33

4 Tips When You Must Use Direct Flash

06:00
34

Bare Bulbing Done Right

11:42
35

Grid Snoot + Direct Flash

06:43
36

Mini Beauty + Direct Flash

06:08
37

Ring + Direct Flash

07:52
38

Understanding Modifiers

09:24
39

Direct Flash + Shutter Flash

09:07
40

Chapter 6 Introduction

01:55
41

Ambient vs. Direct Flash vs. Bounce Flash

14:27
42

Silver Bounce

14:27
43

More Light Silver

11:02
44

Soft White Bounce

15:41
45

Overhead Bounce

11:39
46

Overhead Bounce + Fill

09:42
47

Event Bounce

12:42
48

Chapter 7 Introduction

01:38
49

Natural vs. Dramatic Light

17:43
50

Filling and Refining Existing Light

08:44
51

Coloring Light for Corrective Effect

13:33
52

Coloring Light for Creative Effect

10:27
53

Chapter 8 Introduction

00:43
54

Case Study 1 - Dramatic Sunset

09:45
55

Case Study 2 - Desert Sunset

10:04
56

Case Study 3 - Sinister Headshot

09:40
57

Case Study 4 - Family Portrait

08:21
58

Case Study 5 - Athlete Portraits

11:19
59

Case Study 6 - Working Angles

07:22
60

Case Study 7 - Drag + Composite

08:09
61

Case Study 8 - Less is More

07:16
62

The Good Karma Jar

01:41
63

Favorite Feature Flashes

05:52
64

Favorite Manual Flashes

21:35
65

Favorite On Camera Flash Modifiers

21:21

Lesson Info

3 Primary Subject Patterns

We've talked about key and secondary light patterns and positions. Now let's talk about the subject's position in relation to the light. We have basically three common kind of subject placements or positions in relation to a light. And the first is going to be short lighting and then we have direct or flat. And then we have broad lighting, each one of these do different things. And because this is probably the last videos that I can use, I need his help. I want needed to come help me. I need to come out here real fast. Then I'll just put this led like that. We don't need bad guy. Okay, so let's start with direct flat or some symmetrical light. Ok. Now, there's, lots of different symmetrical light patterns were going to show you. We have paramount. We have clam shell with a fill underneath. Paramount. We have square. We have flat. Those are all examples of basically a flat, a direct or symmetrical style light. Why this medical? Because on both side of the face, it's on every side, it's,...

all equal lighting, so we refer to it as basically a symmetrical light. This type of light is wonderful for creating extremely flattering types of portrait's. Okay, because again, that's, symmetrical light is going to light everything evenly if fills in all the wrinkles, all the imperfections and it creates a very beautiful flat look to it that's great for beauty and fashion and portrait's and so forth but it's fantastic for showing symmetry interface. And if somebody lax symmetry, I mean, we all lack symmetry to an extent if you guys actually take a photo of yourself, take a photo cut and a half and then put the left side's together and then put the right sides together, you'll notice that you look like two completely different people with the left side's connected on both sides and then with the right side on both sides, you look very different. Looks scary. We all have a little bit of dysentery to the face, but if someone has a lot of the cemetery, then what ends up happening is by using these types of lighting this type of shot, you're exaggerating that, and so you want to make sure you avoid a symmetrical flat shot and that kind of lighting if the person does not have at least a average symmetrical face otherwise you're really doing them an injustice so let's talk about short or slimming type lighting. Now, short lighting is basically in reference to the position of the face in reference to the lighting okay, so if I turn my face into the light a little bit like this okay, so my chin just basically moves towards that light. It leaves the broadside, so from the camera right now, the broad side of the face is this side, right? Because the short side is kind of away from us. The short side is what lit and the broadside falls in the shadow. Now, right now, we have quite a bit of fill light coming from here, so you don't see his extreme of shadows, but if you look on olivia's face, you can see the short side being lit on the left side, falling pretty deep in the shadows. The effect that this has is generally a slimming effect on the face, which you can imagine that for most people for ninety five percent of us it's actually going to be more flattering than the opposite. Short lighting has a slimming effect and that's why we kind of placed it on this little scale here as you go to this side, you're going to slim down the face now someone has most of us want to look a little bit skinnier and photos, but if someone has a very narrow face to begin with, you probably don't want to short light it. You want to either use direct or flat lighting or even brought in the face by using broad lining, so here we have broad, which means gain short, not broad, which means game abroad equals the effect that it has is kind of gaining or large inning enlarging the face short equals slimming the face okay, how do we position? Well, we have our same key lie right there and this time the subject is basically looking away from the key light so the broad side of the face this side that you see the most of in camera is the side that's basically lit okay? And the short side the face is the one that falls in the shadow so we see the exact same thing here and you can see if you compare these two photos side by side this one is going to be a little more flattering is going to make olivia's face look a little more narrow little more slim this one is going to broaden the face a little bit again ninety nine percent of the time ninety five percent whatever percentage you guys like okay, just ah hi percent of the time your short side is going to be the better and more flattering angle to shoot somebody. So remember, the simplest way to think about it is just short means that their chin is facing towards the light and broad means that their chin is basically going away from the light okay in relation to where the camera is in the light and so forth so that's, really it. This is going to be one of the last things that we kind of play into when we're positioning our subject in relation to where our primary archy light is coming from. Is considering this and considering the overall effect that we want to have any image, if we want symmetry, if we want to show off and get that beauty in that perfect look, well, direct, flat and symmetrical light techniques are wonderful. If you want a short and slim the face a little bit too kind of slim down a person's, ah, figure or face, then short lighting is fantastic. And if you want to broaden someone who already has a very narrow features and very narrow face, then we would use broad lighting to open it up a little bit. Hopefully that I'll make sense. Let's, head on now to the next video.

Class Materials

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Lighting 101 Slides

Ratings and Reviews

Sid
 

The best class for understanding light and lighting there is bar none. Pye is an excellent teacher and the quality of the material provides for a rich and very informative experience. Pye breaks down the fundamentals in easy to digest packets and then elaborates as needed. If there is one class that you watch this is it! Worth purchasing and saving for future use. I would also HIGHLY recommend downloading the saving the PDF of slides that accompany the videos. Again, and can't say it enough, this is THE BEST video to lighting on Creative Live. A must watch for the novice and the expert.

Petra
 

Great course, I highly recommend it if you want to become a more confident flash user. Pye is a wonderful instructor and just such a nice guy, it's a pleasure to listen to him

Simon Metselaar
 

This is the best thing that happened to me since I've been into photography. What a lifesaver. Unfortunately I already payed for some courses that are not Pye, but Pye just nails it. Amazing, and kind of a life hack. Thanks again :)

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