As photographers, we tend to concern ourselves with light, almost to the exclusion of everything else - but shadows are just as important! In fact, each of the lighting patterns we've been discussing is named for the type of shadow the light source casts!

This lighting pattern series has been all about building them with one light - the main (or key) light - and how to position it to get the lighting pattern most pleasing for any specific facial type. If they did use one, why? If not - why not?

In portrait photography, the depth of the shadow is as important as the quality of the light and will make a huge impact on your viewer's perceptions.

Use today's photo tip to start thinking about how you can use lighting patterns and a fill light in your portrait photography to start controlling your viewer's emotions - and you will be on the way to consistently winning photo contests.

The shadowed area can be very dark - which if we want a lot of drama and emotion in our portrait, that's a good thing… but what if we don't want all the drama? Obviously, we need to lighten the shadow, while still maintaining our slimming light pattern. Since the shadow is closest to the camera, it makes the face look thinner.

To get an understanding of the fill light and what it does, look through your favorite magazines and first try to determine the lighting pattern, then where the main light was positioned and whether or not they used a fill light. If we led bulbs e27 e14 gu10 manufacturers have MORE light on the fill light, it will cast a shadow on the (previously) lit side. Today's photo tip is about controlling the lighting pattern's shadows with a fill light. In other words the fill light is always of equal or lesser intensity than the main light. Typically they have three and as many as five or six!

Why? And how do we know when more lights are needed and where to put them?

Again, it all goes back to the shadows!

Suppose you are using a short lighting pattern to help visually narrow the subject's face.

To do this we add a second light. This is called the "fill light".

While it doesn't matter what sort of light it is, it could be a studio flash, the sun, a window, a reflector even nothing more than a flashlight - it is important to have the shadows to add depth and life to our portrait photography.In the last few photo China LED Panel Lights Factory tips articles, we have been discussing portrait photography lighting patterns… Short light, broad light, split light, the loop lighting pattern, Rembrandt and finally the butterfly lighting pattern