<P> Three - point lighting is a standard method used in visual media such as theatre, video, film, still photography and computer - generated imagery . By using three separate positions, the photographer can illuminate the shot's subject (such as a person) however desired, while also controlling (or eliminating entirely) the shading and shadows produced by direct lighting . </P> <P> The key light, as the name suggests, shines directly upon the subject and serves as its principal illuminator; more than anything else, the strength, color and angle of the key determines the shot's overall lighting design . </P> <P> In indoor shots, the key is commonly a specialized lamp, or a camera's flash . In outdoor daytime shots, the Sun often serves as the key light . In this case, of course, the photographer cannot set the light in the exact position he or she wants, so instead arranges the shot to best capture the sunlight, perhaps after waiting for the sun to position itself just right . </P> <P> The fill light also shines on the subject, but from a side angle relative to the key and is often placed at a lower position than the key (about at the level of the subject's face). It balances the key by illuminating shaded surfaces, and lessening or eliminating chiaroscuro effects, such as the shadow cast by a person's nose upon the rest of the face . It is usually softer and less bright than the key light (up to half), and more to a flood . Not using a fill at all can result in stark contrasts (due to shadows) across the subject's surface, depending upon the key light's harshness . Sometimes, as in low - key lighting, this is a deliberate effect, but shots intended to look more natural and less stylistic require a fill . </P>

A back cross key set-up is low contrast by nature