A key light is the main source that shapes your subject. Everything else in the scene supports it, so getting the key right matters more than any other light you own.
Place it slightly off to one side and a little above eye level, then adjust from there. That single move does most of the work.
The safe starting point is about thirty to forty five degrees off the camera axis and slightly above the subject's eyes. This angle creates a soft shadow under the nose and a gentle falloff across the cheek.
From that base you can move the light closer for softer wrap or farther for a harder edge. Small moves change the mood fast, so change one thing at a time.
Watch the shadow the nose casts. If it reaches the lips, your light is too high.
Light above the eyes reads as natural because the sun sits above us for most of the day. Drop the light below eye level and the face starts to look strange in a way viewers cannot name.
Raise the light too high and the eyes sink into shadow, which makes a person look tired or unwell. Keep the catchlight visible in the eye whenever you can.
Move the light around the face and stop when the shadow side still holds some detail.
The key light is a decision about where the shadow falls. Make that decision on purpose.
The closer a light sits to your subject, the softer it looks. Distance also changes brightness, so you will need to dim the light as you bring it in.
A large source close to the face wraps around the cheeks. The same source across the room turns hard and small.
If you cannot move the light, move the subject. Walking a person twelve inches closer to a window changes the whole look.
Most beginners own too many lights and not enough control. Shoot a whole week with a single source and learn what it can do.
Add a reflector or a second light only when you can name the problem it solves. Buying gear to solve a problem you cannot describe rarely helps.
Good lighting fixes more problems than a new camera ever will. Here is why light beats gear and how to spend your budget so your videos improve fast.
Three point lighting sounds like a studio rule, but it works for one person too. Here is what the key, fill, and back light each do for a face in frame.
Soft light flatters faces and hard light adds drama. Learn what creates each one and how to pick the right look for the story you are telling on screen.
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