Photographic lighting - lighting angle

Setting the lighting angle was a key element in the workshop session four on lighting of form and the subsequent exercise where we used the technique to photograph a single rose.

Prior to this step, we had set up the lighting of the backdrop, and set up the camera, subject and side screens. When we were ready for the main lighting, we set up a lamp with a soft box on a stand a few feet higher than the subject. We took photographs in different positions, side right, back right, behind the camera, back left, side left etc. We then reviewed the results to select the optimum light.

1 Main light from side right

2 Main light from back right

3 Main light from behind camera

4 Main light from back left

Main light from side left

Settings for these photos - Nikon D300 18-70mm lens at 65mm: Iso 250 f29 for 1/160th second

For this subject and its bright white background, photos 2 or 4 seemed to give a reasonable balance between light and shadow. The flower bud seems rather flat in photo 3, whereas in photos 1 and 5, the area of the flower that is most brightly lit is quite a narrow strip close to the side edge of the flower.

We selected photo 3 and returned the lamp to this position before setting up some shadow fill using a separate lamp (next exercise).