Far Side or Near Side Key?

gco

gco

Veteran
Just curious who prefers a near side key light and who prefers a far side key light. Why one over the other and is one preferable over the other in any specific situation?. I know it's subjective, but curious to know if there is a preponderance of one over the other with members here and if environment, i.e. inside or outside matters.
 
Far side key for sure. Shooting into the shadow side of the face is always prettier...at least in my opinion.
 
Far side! With a near side key I feel like you dont get to see much shadow and it just looks flatter to me. The far side really shows off the difference between key and fill sides.
 
I used to shoot near-side, now I shoot far-side whenever possible. It's just a style thing. It's harder to set-up though, and some times you don't have the time or the space.
 
good to know. I have a shoot coming up where I will actually be using a full 3 point lighting system for the first time instead of a simple fill that I had done previously. Spending some time this weekend going over my setup, lighting angles, distances, etc, so that I can hit the ground running the day of the shoot. Helps to get an idea of which key to start off with. Want to go a safe route then decide from there.
thanks for the input guys!
 
You mean you guys don't judge each situation separately and use whichever side is most appropriate to the face, BG and subject matter?

I do both, it depends on the look I am trying to create as far as which side to use.

Dan
 
Dan any examples or maybe a little more explanation on far vs near creating a certain look or how it pertains to the subject matter. I just have always liked the way the far side key looked so I go with that, but you certainly have a bit more experience in this than I.
 
I was thinking that as well, Dan. I interviewed some high-level CEOs the other day, and you certainly don't want to hide their faces in shadow!

For more dramatic footage, like an interview with a drug addict or radiation victim, more moody lighting is called for.
 
The latest one I have been having fun with is bringing in the fill from the same side as the key. This allows you to wrap the light better, reducing the "dark side"/"bright side" look. It's not flat, still allows for modeling but the transition point between dark and light is much more subtle.

Will try to post some stuff as soon as I load it up.

Dan
 
I also tend to light interviews flater, very few stuff I do calls for that WWII veteran lighting.
I mostly use a single Rifa88 almost directly facing the interviewee. It´s not as soft as a clamshell setup, but still raps around enough to fill in wrinkles and imperfections of the skin.
Controlling what´s behind my subject, how bright the BG it is, how much out of focus and so on, gives me the look I want.
Along with the available light this makes for fast setups and natural looking shots.
 
Yeah when you get the time Dan, I'd really love to see some of this fill on the same side as the key stuff. Sounds very interesting.
 
Hi Ryan:

Generally, it's key on the outside, regardless of which side, followed with fill source on the inside, closest to camera. I typically use a small Chimera as a key source and found a small FlexFill, about a 24" translucent with a 300 watt fresenel. The two sources, key and fill, move together, regardless of angle on the key.

Dan
 
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