Four main categories of lighting
transmitted light
reflected light
hard light
soft light
Lighting sources
Aurora Borealis
campfire
candle light
cinematic
contre-jour
crepuscular rays
dramatic
dusk
flood
fluorescent
full moon
golden hour
laser
neon
prismatic
stage
studio
tungsten
UV light
worklight
12 Lighting Effects
Natural lighting: Soft, diffused sunlight or direct sunlight casting long shadows and creating high contrast on subjects and surrounding elements.
Golden hour: Warm, soft, and directional sunlight during the time just after sunrise or before sunset, giving a magical and cinematic quality to street photographs.
Blue hour: The deep blue hue of the sky and the contrasting city lights shortly before sunrise or after sunset, creating a moody and dramatic atmosphere.
Nighttime or low-light: Artificial lighting from streetlights, neon signs, and building lights at night or in low-light conditions, producing interesting contrasts, reflections, and colors.
Backlighting: Light coming from behind the subject, creating silhouettes, rim lighting, or lens flare, adding visual interest and depth to street photographs.
Side lighting: Light coming from one side of the scene, creating strong contrasts between light and shadow, emphasizing textures and details in street photographs.
Mixed lighting: Combining different types of light sources, such as natural light, artificial light, or reflected light, to create interesting and dynamic lighting conditions.
Cinematic lighting: A style of lighting that emulates the look and feel of movie scenes, using dramatic contrasts, color grading, and carefully placed light sources to create a sense of narrative and atmosphere.
Motivated lighting: Light sources within the scene, such as lamps, windows, or practical lights, used to create a natural, realistic, or immersive atmosphere.
Silhouette lighting: Strong backlighting that renders the subject as a dark, featureless shape against a brighter background, creating a sense of mystery or anonymity.
Rim lighting: A light source positioned behind the subject, creating a halo effect or edge lighting that separates the subject from the background and adds depth and dimension to the photograph.
Chiaroscuro lighting: A lighting technique that creates a strong contrast between light and dark areas within the scene, inspired by the painting style of the same name, often used in fine art or conceptual photography.
Before dawn lighting
A beautiful party girl waits at the bus stop all alone on an empty street in suburban America, before dawn –ar 2:3 –v 5.2
Dark misty lighting
A beautiful party girl waits at the bus stop all alone on an empty street in suburban America, dark misty –ar 2:3 –v 5.2
Mid-day lighting
A beautiful party girl waits at the bus stop all alone on an empty street in suburban America, mid-day –ar 2:3 –v 5.2
Volumetric Lighting
Light in hazy environments.
Strobe Lighting
Rapid flashes
Light Painting
Moving lights create streaks
Over-exposed
Bright, washed-out dreaminess
Ethereal
soft diffused otherworldly glow
Color gels
Vivid hues from filtered lights
Low Angle sun
Long shadows, warm side lighting
Dramatic lighting
High contrast, mood-enhancing
Low Angle sun
Long shadows, warm side lighting
PROMPT FORMULA:
[Shot Type], [Subject + Action], [Lighting], [Lighting Description]
EXAMPLE PROMPT:
closeup shot of man wearing sunglasses walking in the Tokyo streets, Strobe Lighting, Rapid flashes creating a staccato effect.
LIGHTING:
+ Light Quality, Time-of-Day, or Light Effect
+ Ex. Warm, blue hour, color gels
LIGHTING DESCRIPTION (OPTIONAL):
+ How the lighting is affecting the image
+ Ex. Low-angle sun creating long shadows
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