DIVISIONS OF LIGHT : PART - 3 aka BROAD & SHORT & BUTTERFLY LIGHT

 In the previous blogs, we got to know the divisions of light based on the direction of light. And we have encountered that how the light effected the quality of the picture. Sometimes, it made our picture smooth, and sometimes as a black body and sometimes as a smooth textured subject. 

Based on the light direction and light intensity, light is classified/divided into so many types. Until now  we have seen front, back and soft light, hard, rim and loop light. And we got to know where to use each of them. So with that being said, let's start DIVISIONS OF LIGHT PART-3 aka BROAD & SHORT & BUTTERFLY LIGHT.

BOARD LIGHT :

Broad lighting is a type of lighting setup where the area of a subject's face that is facing the camera is lit more brightly.

It's like placing the light source in-front of the subject(not exactly, just as an simle interpretation).

Broad lighting is typically less flattering for a subject because it widens the face.

Broad lighting illuminates the broadside of a subject’s face.

Here in the above pic, we can interpret that the lighting on the subject's face increases the details. And most of the face is well lit.

SHORT LIGHT : 

Short lighting, by definition, refers to when the main light illuminates the side of the face that is turned away from the camera. This lets light fall on the narrow side of the face leaving a shadow on the broad side of the face, which is facing the camera.

See, it's almost the opposite thing as broad light.

The similarity in these 2 cases is, in both cases the subjects are well lit. In broad light scenario, we face camera to the bright side of the subject. In the short light scenario, we face camera towards dark/shadow side of the subject.

Face appears slim when the shadow is on the broad side.

In the above picture of an old woman, the side of face nearer to the camera is darker than the other side. Due to this, the picture looks dramatic.

Broad light v.s Short Light : 

You see, as we mentioned earlier in the blog, the lighting environment is same. Just based on which side are you placing your camera, either the broad light or short light comes into play.

In the second pic above, the difference is clearly pointed out. One side of face is BROAD LIGHT and the other side is SHORT LIGHT.

BUTTERFLY LIGHT : 

For the Butterfly lighting pattern, the main light source must be placed directly behind the camera and slightly above the eye level of the model. The photographer is right under the light source.

With this lighting setup, a shadow in the form of a butterfly appears under the nose of the model, as well as shadows under the chin.

Butterfly lighting highlights the main facial features and adds a beautiful shadow under the chin, which adds a slimming effect.

The name Butterfly Light comes from the way shadow falls on the subject’s face. With this lighting setup, a shadow in the form of a butterfly appears under the nose of the model, as well as shadows under the chin.

As we can see in the second pic, under the nose of the model, we can see that a shadow popped up. Now that's not exactly look like a butterfly shape😅. But anyway, in the beginning of the butterfly lighting experiments, the shadows really look quite like butterfly shadows.

TAKEAWAY NOTES : 

• In broad light scene, we focus our camera near to the bright side of the subject.
• In short light scene, we focus our camera near to the darker/blacker side of the subject.
• In butterfly lighting, the camera/photographer is directly below the main light and we want to make sure the height of the light source is at an correct level to form the shadow below the nose.

NEXT-UP :

• AVAILABLE LIGHTS INFRONT OF US WHICH WE DON'T SEE! PART-1

    Have A GOOD DAY! Keep SMILING😀