Lighting Positions
Written by Abin Alex and Anu Joseph.
Abstract
A studio portrait can use up to six lights: key, fill, hair, rim, kicker and background. This guide shows where each light sits and what it does, the positions every 45 degrees round the subject, where to place the first light, how strong the fill should be, and common mistakes, with nine diagrams and two tables.
Keywords: lighting positions, key light position, fill light, hair light, rim light, kicker light, background light, 45 degree lighting
What lights does a studio portrait use?
Short answer. Key, fill, hair, rim, kicker and background light. Most portraits use only two or three of them.
- Figure 1 shows where each light sits. Table 1 gives each light a place and a job.
- The key light sets the look. Fill, back and background lights support it. Add one light at a time and check what it changes.
- The classic set is three lights: key, fill and back. A background light can be a fourth. The setups guide shows how the lights combine, from one light to five.
| Light | Position | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Key | Front, about 45 degrees to one side, above eye level | Sets the look and the shadows |
| Fill | Opposite side, lower, dimmer | Lifts the shadows |
| Hair | Behind, high, often opposite the key | Outlines the hair and separates the head |
| Rim | Directly behind, 180 degrees | Traces the edge of the face or body |
| Kicker | Behind, to the side, 95 to 135 degrees | Lights the hair and one side of the face |
| Background | Behind the subject, aimed at the backdrop | Lights the backdrop and adds depth |
Table 1. The six studio lights.
Draw your studio from above. Mark where each light would sit and what it would do.
Film sets use the same lights under other names. The back light is also called the hair light or rim light.
Cham tipAdd one light at a time.
Cham taskSketch a three-light setup from above.
Check yourself: Which light sets the look?
The key light.
What are the light positions round a subject?
Short answer. A light can sit every 45 degrees round the subject, measured from the camera axis: 0 front, 45 key, 90 side, 135 kicker and 180 rim.
- Picture the subject at the centre of a clock. A light can sit every 45 degrees round the subject, measured from the camera axis. Figure 2 marks each position.
- 0 degrees is in front, as in butterfly. 45 degrees is the usual key position, used for loop and Rembrandt. 90 degrees is the side, used for split. 135 degrees is a kicker. 180 degrees is directly behind, which is the rim light.
- The rim sits exactly behind the subject and traces the outline. The kicker sits behind and to the side, so the two are not the same light. Every angle also works on the left side.
Place a light at each 45 degree step in turn and shoot one frame at each. Compare the shadows.
Call light positions by angle on set. "Key at 45 right" is faster than a long description.
Cham tipName every light by its angle.
Cham taskShoot one subject with a single light at each 45 degree step.
Check yourself: Which angle is the rim light?
180 degrees, directly behind the subject.
Where does the key light go?
Short answer. Start about 4 ft from the subject, 2 ft above eye level and 45 degrees to one side.
- The key light is the main light and sets most of the look. Figure 3 shows a starting position. Figure 4 shows the same position from above.
- Distance matters more than power. Too close and too high, and the forehead gets too much light while the lower face goes dark. Move the light back until the forehead highlight is small and bright.
- Once you find a distance you like, keep it as you move the light round the subject.
- Move the light until a triangle of light appears under the eye on the shadow side. Its base runs through the eye and its point reaches about the lip line (Hunter and Fuqua, 1997, p. 183). A light too near the camera makes the triangle too large and the face flat. A light too high shadows the eyes. A light too far to the side lets the nose shadow block the triangle.
- Put the key on the side of the subject's dominant eye, the one that looks more open, or on the side of the hair parting (Hunter and Fuqua, 1997, p. 186).
- A light moved in an arc round the subject at the same distance gives the same amount of light at every point of the arc, so you can move it without metering again (Grey, 2004, p. 14).
Start at 4 ft, then move the key closer and further. Watch the forehead highlight grow, shrink and fade.
On a set the key often comes from a window side. Place it to suggest morning or evening.
Cham tipFix the distance, then move round.
Cham taskFind the key distance that gives a small, bright forehead highlight.
Check yourself: What is a starting distance for the key?
About 4 ft from the subject.
Where do you place the first light?
Short answer. Start the key light at 45 degrees. Use the right side for a morning mood and the left side for an afternoon or evening mood.
- Start with the key light at 45 degrees. The side depends on the mood, and the sun is a useful guide (Figure 5). Picture the camera facing north and the subject facing south. The sun rises in the east, on the right of the frame, and sets in the west, on the left.
- For a morning feel, start the key at your right as the photographer (east), 45 degrees, so the shadow falls on the left of the frame. For an afternoon or evening feel, move the key to your left (west), 45 degrees, so the shadow falls on the right of the frame.
- For a noon feel, put the key in front and high, with a short shadow. For a late, dramatic feel, move the key towards 90 degrees. The mood decides the position, so move the light until the face matches the mood you want. The book links mood to key: low-key lighting needs more side and back light, and high-key lighting uses a great deal of front light (Hunter and Fuqua, 1997, pp. 200-201).
Light one subject three times: key at right 45 degrees, in front and high, and at left 45 degrees. Compare the mood.
Match the key side to the time of day in the story. A morning scene and an evening scene in the same room take the key from opposite sides.
Cham tipDecide the time of day before you place the light.
Cham taskLight one subject as morning, noon and evening and compare the mood.
Check yourself: Where does the key start for a morning feel?
At the right, 45 degrees.
How strong should the fill light be?
Short answer. Fill is weaker than the key, usually on the other side of the camera and lower.
- The fill light lifts the shadows the key makes. It sits to one side of the key, usually lower, and is dimmer than the key. Figure 6 shows the idea. Figure 7 shows its position from above.
- A large, flat source near the camera casts no shadow of its own. A white reflector can serve as fill.
- Leave the fill out for strong contrast, as in low-key work. Keep the fill off the nose line, or it adds a second set of catchlights.
- A large fill makes soft shadows, so where you put it matters little. A small fill makes hard shadows, so keep it right beside the lens, where its shadows hide behind the subject. A reflector card gives more fill when it is closer, when it faces between the subject and the key, and when it is silver rather than white (Hunter and Fuqua, 1997, pp. 192-193).
Shoot a face with no fill, with a reflector, and with a second light. Compare the shadow side.
On film the fill is often a bounce card. A bigger ratio gives a darker, more tense face.
Cham tipFill should not make a shadow of its own.
Cham taskLight one face with and without fill.
Check yourself: How strong is the fill against the key?
At most half.
What are the hair, rim and kicker lights?
Short answer. All three sit behind the subject and separate it from the background. They differ in where they land.
- The hair light separates dark hair from a dark background. Use a spot, grid or barn doors so it does not spill on the face, and flag any glare. A common position is behind the subject, on the side opposite the main light (Hunter and Fuqua, 1997, p. 196). Figure 8 shows where the hair, rim and kicker lights sit.
- The rim light traces the outline of the face or body. The kicker adds an extra highlight on part of the face. Its position is the least standardised of any portrait light (Hunter and Fuqua, 1997, p. 198). It is usually about half the main light. Judge it by eye.
- The rim sits directly behind the subject, at 180 degrees, and is aimed at the subject, not the background. It makes a bright rim, or halo, round the head (Hunter and Fuqua, 1997, pp. 198-199). The kicker sits behind and to the side, so the two are not the same light.
- Hair lights and kickers can flare the lens. Look at the lens from the subject's position, then move the light or block it with a barn door or a gobo (Hunter and Fuqua, 1997, pp. 197-198). Back light also shows loose strands of hair.
- Place a hair light behind and above the subject, angled down, on the side opposite the key. Switch it off when you take a meter reading, so it does not mislead the meter.
Add a hair light to a dark-haired subject on a dark backdrop. Then swap it for a rim light and compare.
On a set the back light often comes from the background side, so it looks natural.
Cham tipGrid the back lights.
Cham taskAdd one back light and describe what it changed.
Check yourself: Which back light lights hair and one side of the face?
The kicker.
Why light the background?
Short answer. A background light adds depth and separates the subject from the backdrop.
- Background lights light the backdrop, not the subject. They separate the head and shoulders from the background, add depth and surround the subject with a glow (Hunter and Fuqua, 1997, pp. 194-195). Figure 9 shows two positions from above.
- For a head-and-shoulders portrait, a common spot is on the floor behind the subject, pointing up at the backdrop, with the subject hiding the lamp (A). For a full-length portrait, light the backdrop from both sides with two or more lamps (B) (Hunter and Fuqua, 1997, p. 195). This is not the rim light, which is aimed at the subject.
- With a single light, the subject should stand close to the backdrop. With a separate background light, the subject can stand further away, and you control each light.
- A coloured gel on the background light adds colour and depth. Light from other sources that leaks onto the backdrop weakens the colour. For a silhouette, light the background and switch off the key.
Move the subject away from a plain backdrop. Add a background light and compare the separation.
Background lights give depth to interviews. A gel adds colour and mood.
Cham tipMore distance, more control.
Cham taskShoot a portrait with a gelled background light.
Check yourself: What does a gel on the background light add?
Colour and depth.
What mistakes spoil a lighting setup?
Short answer. Too much fill, spill on the face, and lights added before the key is right.
- Table 2 lists the common mistakes and fixes.
- Fix the key before you add anything. A wrong key cannot be saved by a fourth light.
- Recheck the setup if the subject changes pose or the stands move.
| Mistake | Result | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Key too close and high | Bright forehead, dark lower face | Move the key back and lower |
| Fill as strong as the key | Flat face, double catchlights | Dim the fill or move it back |
| Hair light spills on the face | Bright nose or forehead | Add a grid or snoot, or flag it |
| Hair light left on while metering | Wrong exposure reading | Switch it off for the reading |
| Lights added before the key is right | Messy shadows | Reset, then add one light at a time |
Table 2. Common mistakes in studio lighting.
Shoot a setup with one mistake from the table. Fix it and shoot again.
On a set a flag or a grid is the quickest fix for spill.
Cham tipFix the key first.
Cham taskFind and fix one mistake in a test frame.
Check yourself: What should you fix before adding lights?
The key light.
Questions beginners ask
Where should the key light go?
A starting position is about 4 ft from the subject, 2 ft above eye level and 45 degrees to one side.
What is the difference between a hair light and a kicker?
A hair light outlines the hair from behind and above. A kicker adds an extra highlight on part of the face from behind and to the side.
How bright should the fill light be?
Dimmer than the key.
Do I need a background light?
No. It is optional, and useful when you want depth or separation from the backdrop.
Is a rim light the same as a kicker?
No. A rim light sits directly behind the subject. A kicker sits behind and to the side, at about 95 to 135 degrees.
Where should the first light go?
Start the key at 45 degrees. Use the photographer's right side for a morning feel and the left side for an afternoon or evening feel.
Where can the background light go?
On the floor directly behind the subject, aimed up at the wall, or on each side of the subject for a full-length portrait.
References
- Grey, C. (2004) Master lighting guide for portrait photographers. Buffalo, NY: Amherst Media.
- Hunter, F. and Fuqua, P. (1997) Light: science and magic: an introduction to photographic lighting. 2nd edn. Boston: Focal Press.
Further reading
- Begleiter, S.H. (2008) 50 lighting setups for portrait photographers: easy-to-follow lighting designs and diagrams. Buffalo, NY: Amherst Media.
- Marr, D. (2004) Beginner's guide to photographic lighting: techniques for success in the studio or on location. Buffalo, NY: Amherst Media.
How to cite this guide. Alex, A., & Joseph, A. (2026). Lighting positions: A guide for photographers and cinematographers. Creative Hut Academy. https://creativehut.org/library/lighting-positions/
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