The Direction of Lighting

Front lighting is pretty much what it sounds like: The light coming from in front of the subject. Relative to the camera. A few things to note here since the light is coming from the front, there is minimal to no shadow cast on the face. This also explains why front lighting is also often called "flat lighting." But when you throw a little height into the equation, we already begin to see changes. Shadows are immediately brought out, but they are still fairly minimal. If you push it even further so the light is no longer frontal, but directly overhead, shooting down that is called top light. Shadows are cast dramatically downward, creating larger and deeper shadows under the brows, the eyes, nose, and cheeks, leaving only the top of the brow the nose and the cheekbones are highlighted. What's more unsettling here is the eyes are cast in shadow. Once the light is almost directly below, the jaw, nostrils, lower cheeks, and the skin under the eyebrows are all illuminated. The angle has to do with how you want your character to be perceived, certain angles can make your character be seen differently. We can use this in our film noir to create and enhance a dramatic feel. 

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