When you are creating a lighting setup for a portrait, you probably approach it from the standpoint of adding lights and modifiers until you get the result you want. However, while adding light is, of course, important, it is also crucial to know where to take it away. This is where the idea of negative fill comes in. However, negative fill can sometimes be misunderstood. This great video tutorial will show you how negative fill really works and how to use it for your portrait work.
Coming to you from John Gress, this excellent video tutorial will show you the ins and outs of negative fill for lighting portraits. Portrait photographers typically use v-flats to create negative fill, but the name can be a bit of a misnomer. Negative fill does not mean you are "filling" or adding anything to the image; rather, you are preventing something (reflected light) from being added to the image. This might seem like a trivial or overly pedantic distinction that only matters in words, but as you will see in the video, it actually has a meaningful impact when you are lighting a portrait, and if you think about it the wrong way, you might not get the results you are after. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Gress.
If you would like to continue learning about how to light a portrait, be sure to check out "Illuminating The Face: Lighting for Headshots and Portraits With Peter Hurley!"
Well explained and another lighting myth sunk so good job.
The whole idea of a black surface sucking light out a subject is a myth that has been floating around for years. I think it stems from the mystique that has been layered onto studio lighting for what in reality is quite a straightforward subject.
Some photographers have either deliberately or from not understanding the basic physics of lighting have tried to portray studio lighting as some black art. Studio lighting is certainly not complicated and so much can be achieved with a single main light and reflector to modify the shadows. Add to that an understanding of what modifiers do and you're good to go as long you now how to set up your camera for the studio and you have some idea of what you want to achieve.