Six main categories of lighting
- overcast sky produces soft, diffuse lighting for a calm and melancholic feel.
- low sun produces warm lighting for a romatic feel.
- contrast light produces hard shadows for a dark, action-oriented feel
Transmitted Light
Reflected Light
Hard Light
Unfiltered light from a direct source, creating sharp shadows and high contrast.
Soft Light
Diffused light from a softbox or umbrella, producing gentle shadows.
High-Key Lighting
Bright, low-contrast lighting for a clean, cheerful aesthetic.
Low-Key Lighting
Dramatic, high-contrast lighting with deep shadows, ideal for moody portraits.
28 Lighting Sources
Aurora Borealis
The Aurora Borealis, Northern Lights, is a natural light display seen near the Arctic in green, red, purple and blue colors.
Firelight
Warm, dynamic light from flames, such as campfires or fireplaces, adding a rustic or dramatic effect.
Candle or torch light
A focused beam of light that can be creatively used to highlight or paint specific areas of a scene.
Softbox
A rectangular or square light modifier that diffuses harsh light into a soft, even glow, perfect for portraits.
Halogen Lights
Bright, white light with a higher intensity than incandescent bulbs, suitable for studio setups or product photography.
Volcanic Glow
Intense, warm light from molten lava or volcanic activity.
Streetlight
Outdoor artificial lights, usually sodium or LED-based, creating dramatic and moody nighttime scenes.
Fluorescent Lights
Offer a cooler, bluish light; often used in industrial or office settings, requiring color correction for photography.
Strobe Light
High-powered studio flashes that deliver intense, brief bursts of light, great for freezing motion.
Natural Window Light
Diffused sunlight streaming through windows, offering soft, directional light for portraits or still life.
Laser
Sharp, colorful beams of light, ideal for creative abstract photography or stage events.
Neon
Colorful, vibrant lighting from neon tubes, often used for creative and urban photography.
Prismatic Light
It refers to the dispersion of light into its constituent colors, creating a spectrum or rainbow effect. Seen in rainbows, crystals, soap bubbles.
Stage Light
It refers to the specialized lighting used in theatrical performances, concerts, film sets, to illuminate the performers, set, and audience space.
Ring light
A circular light source that provides uniform lighting, commonly used for beauty and macro photography.
LED panels
Thin, versatile light sources with adjustable brightness and color temperature, used for studio and video shoots.
UV light
UV (ultraviolet) light is a type of electromagnetic radiation used in forensic, medical and abstract photography(surreal effects).
Light Pillars
Vertical shafts of light caused by ice crystals reflecting sunlight or artificial light.
Moonlight
Subtle, natural light from the moon, creating a soft and mysterious mood in nighttime photography.
Car Headlights
Powerful directional light, useful for cinematic or night-time outdoor photography.
Sunlight
Natural light from the sun; varies throughout the day and creates dynamic shadows and tones, ideal for outdoor photography.
Incandescent Bulbs /Edison Bulbs
Produce warm, yellowish light; often used for a cozy and nostalgic feel in photography.
Fiber Optic Lights
Thin, flexible strands that emit pinpoints of light, ideal for abstract or creative close-up photography.
Glow Sticks
Chemically activated light sources that emit soft, colorful glows, perfect for playful or experimental photography.
Gas Lanterns
Flickering, warm light from old-fashioned gas lamps, ideal for historical or moody outdoor photography.
Chandeliers
Multi-bulb fixtures often adorned with crystals that refract light, creating elegant, sparkling effects for luxurious settings.
Colored Gel Lighting
Traditional lights with color gels placed over them, producing vibrant, artistic lighting for dramatic portraits or theater photography.
Light Painting Tools
Specialized tools like LED wands or light ropes, used in long-exposure photography to "paint" with light.
Track Lighting
It is a method of lighting where light fixtures are attached anywhere on a continuous track device which contains electrical conductors
34 Lighting Effects
Lighting during the day
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
Cool, diffuse light just before sunrise or after sunset, creating a tranquil 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.
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
Redscale Effect
Bioluminescence
Natural light emitted by organisms like fireflies or algae, creating surreal nighttime effects.
Lighting your Head
Split Lighting
Light placed at 90 degrees to the subject, illuminating one side and leaving the other in shadow.
Loop Lighting
Creates a small shadow of the nose looping onto the cheek, flattering for most portraits.
Rembrandt Lighting
Triangle-shaped highlight on the cheek of the shadowed side, named after the painter.
Chiaroscuro lighting
It creates a strong contrast between light and dark areas within the scene, inspired by the painting style of the same name.
Catchlights
Reflections of light in the subject’s eyes, adding life and sparkle.
Color Gel Lighting
Positioned behind and above the subject, adding separation from the background.
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.
Edge Lighting
Light wrapping around the edges of the subject, emphasizing contours.
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.
Diffused Sunlight
Sunlight softened and diffused by clouds or fog, creating gentle shadows and even lighting.
Tungsten lighting
It refers to light sources that use tungsten filament bulbs. they produce a continuous, steady light that mimics the warmth of traditional incandescent lighting.
Silhouette lighting
Strong backlighting that renders the subject as a dark, featureless shape against a brighter background, creating a sense of mystery or anonymity.
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.
Volumetric Lighting
Known as "God rays", is a technique to add lighting effects to a rendered scene. It allows the viewer to see beams of light shining across the environment
Underlighting
Light placed below the subject, creating an eerie or dramatic look.
Dappled Light
Rippled Light
Shimmering Light
Illuminating Face
circle light
vertical beam of light / top light / spotlight
Lens Effects
Bokeh
Anamorphic Lens Flare
Bright, scattered light created when a strong light source hits the camera lens.
Motion Blur
Spring Blur
Speed Blur
Radial Blur
Background Effects
Crepuscular Rays (God Rays)
Sunlight streaming through clouds or trees, appearing as radiant beams.
Halos
Rings of light around the sun or moon caused by ice crystals in the atmosphere.
Bokeh Lights
Blurred points of light in the background, adding a dreamy effect.
Double Exposure
Combining two images with different light patterns for surreal effects.
Light leaks
Light leaks occur whenlight accidentally enters the camera.
Starburst Effect
Achieved by using a small aperture to make light sources appear as stars.
Visual Appeal
Prismatic/Chromatic Light
Splitting light into rainbows using a prism or crystal.
Snow Glow
Light reflected off snow, brightening the environment and softening shadows.
Stardust
Light traces
Energy waves
Swirling particles
Caustics
Sparkling Crystals
Golden / Silver Foil
Metal sparks
Glowing blast
Broken glass
Golden Rays of Light
Atmospheric Energy
Examples:
A captivating image of a woman walking through a city street, bathed in the warm, soft glow of golden hour light, her face illuminated as she passes between the shadows of the buildings, creating a dynamic and enchanting scene in the style of urban street photography --ar 4:5 --s 250 --v 5
A mesmerizing image of a woman on a city street at night, surrounded by the vibrant colors and contrasts of cinematic lighting, as she gazes intently into the distance, her expressive face and intriguing surroundings evoking a compelling story in the style of urban street photography --ar 4:5 --s 250 --v 5