This video helps explain what the basic different 3 point lighting techniques are and how they can be used, this includes the hair, fill and key light. The tutorial tells you how you are able to achieve flat lighting to ratio lighting.
From this I have learnt that you will need to decide on where you will stand to take the picture and where the subject will before you consider where the lighting will be. The key light is meant to placed at a 15 to 45 degree angle away from the camera and if you are going to be using a long lens you will need to set it around 10 to 15 feet away from the subject. You will need to raise the light above the camera, this is so the light is coming down from approximately a 45 degree angle. The key light is the main type of light which is used as it is supposed to have the most strength.
If you are suing fluorescent light within a dark room you are able to see it spread and the intensity of it, before turning on any of the other lights a light meter is sometimes used.
The next light is known as the fill light, this is placed on the opposite side of the camera set around the same height as the subject, this light is used to fill in the balance of the image and is used to come up with the lighting pattern. To come up with the pattern it may help to turn of the key light. The placement of the fill light shouldn't be symmetrical with your key light and can be used to create shadows by making various adjustments.
To achieve flat lighting or a 1:1 ratio lighting you will need to match the fill and key light to the same level. Generally this is considered to be unflattering, however can be used for ID photos.
For 2:1 ratio lighting the fill light is meant to be one f/stop smaller than the key light, this is mainly used for basic press portraits and bowling fashion images.
For 3:1 ratio lighting your fill light will need 2 stops which are dimmer than your key light, this is commonly used for portraits as is often flattering.
The tutorial continues to explain the different lighting ratios up to 5:1 and explains how each of them can be achieved by the fill and key lighting.
The third light is the hair light, this casts light between the background and the subject to create a sense of separation by creating a sharp outline on the back of the subject. Usually this light is a spotlight, but if you want a brighter light which can eliminate the back drop you are able to use small soft box or a light within the border. To achieve the separation between the background and the subject you will need to cast the light on the back of the hair on the top of the crown is being led, the rest of the lighting will fall onto the background. The rem lighting is a white line of light, this divides the subject from the background, however your hair light will have to be strong enough to create this effect. To achieve backside whim lighting the hair light will only need to about 15 degrees from the centre. The further the light is away from the centre the harsher the room lighting will become.
The higher the ratio is the more banding there is which makes it evident to see the transition is from a light to a shadow, if photoshop is going to be used it is best to use a higher ratio when taking the image.
Short light is the type of studio lighting setup where the face side of the subject farthest from the camera gets the main light. In this type of lighting setup, the side of the face which is toward the camera gets less light then the side facing away form the camera. The effect you get when using this lighting setup is a thin face. A photo tip worth remembering: short light helps to visually thin your subject.
Broad light is just the opposite of short light. The side that is getting the most light is the side facing the camera. This setup is less commonly used for portraits, as it tends to make people look wider. In both these cases, you can place a reflector on the opposite side of the light (at about a 45 degree angle) to help fill in the shadow side.
Split light sounds more complex than it is. Position your main light on one side of your subject so that it’s exactly 90 degrees to the subject. In other words, you will see a dramatic shadow going right down to the middle of his or her face.
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