Three-Point Lighting

Three-point lighting is the fundamental lighting setup used in video, film, and photography consisting of three light sources positioned strategically around the subject. The key light is the primary and brightest light, placed to one side creating the main illumination and shadows. The fill light, placed opposite the key, softens shadows without eliminating them. The back light or rim light, positioned behind the subject, separates them from the background by creating an edge highlight on hair and shoulders.

Setting up an interview shot, you position the key light at 45 degrees to the subject's face, slightly above eye level, creating dimensional shadows that show facial structure. Opposite this, you place a fill light at lower intensity, perhaps bounced off a reflector or diffused through a softbox, reducing shadow depth to about two stops darker than the key side. Behind the subject, a backlight with barn doors aims at their shoulders and hair, creating a subtle rim that visually separates them from the dark background.