Lighting & Flash — 60 Terms Defined

Background Light Lighting & Flash f-stops (EV) A light aimed at the backdrop rather than the subject, controlling how bright or dark the background renders.

Backlighting Lighting & Flash Placing the main light source behind the subject, so it faces the camera rather than illuminating the subject's front.

Barn Doors Lighting & Flash Four hinged flaps mounted on the front of a light to cut its beam into a rectangle.

Beauty Dish Lighting & Flash cm A shallow metal parabolic reflector with a central deflector, producing light that is soft in transition yet crisp in its specular highlights.

Blue Hour Lighting & Flash degrees (sun elevation) The twilight period before sunrise and after sunset when the sun is below the horizon and the sky glows an even, saturated blue. Sun elevation ≈ −4° to −6°

Bounce Flash Lighting & Flash stops Aiming a flash at a ceiling or wall so the reflected light, not the direct beam, illuminates the subject.

Broad Lighting Lighting & Flash A portrait approach in which the side of the face turned toward the camera is the lit side.

Butterfly Lighting Lighting & Flash A portrait pattern with the key placed directly in front of and above the face, casting a small butterfly-shaped shadow beneath the nose.

Catchlight Lighting & Flash The reflection of a light source visible in a subject's eye.

Clamshell Lighting Lighting & Flash A beauty setup with one soft source above the face and a reflector or second source directly below, both facing the subject.

Colour Gel Lighting & Flash stops (absorption) A translucent coloured sheet placed over a light to change the colour of its output.

Continuous Lighting Lighting & Flash lux, W Lighting that stays on constantly rather than firing a brief burst, so its effect is visible before exposure.

CTO Gel Lighting & Flash fraction (¼, ½, full CTO) A colour temperature orange gel that warms a daylight-balanced source to match tungsten light.

Diffusion Panel Lighting & Flash cm A frame holding translucent fabric, used to enlarge and soften a light source placed behind it.

Feathering Lighting & Flash Aiming a light so the subject is lit by the softer edge of its beam rather than its centre.

Fill Light Lighting & Flash f-stops (EV) A secondary, weaker light or reflector used to raise the shadows the key light casts, controlling contrast. Ratio = key / fill

Flag Lighting & Flash cm An opaque black panel placed to block light from reaching a specific area.

Flash Duration Lighting & Flash seconds How long a flash's burst of light actually lasts, which sets its ability to freeze motion independently of shutter speed. t.1 ≈ 3 × t.5

Flash Exposure Compensation Lighting & Flash stops (EV) An offset applied to TTL flash output, in stops, independent of the ambient exposure compensation.

Flash Exposure Lock Lighting & Flash A control that fires the metering preflash in advance and holds the resulting power setting for subsequent frames.

Flash Sync Speed Lighting & Flash seconds The fastest shutter speed at which a focal-plane shutter is fully open, and therefore the fastest speed at which flash can light the whole frame.

Gobo Lighting & Flash An opaque cut-out or template placed in a light's beam to cast a shaped pattern onto a subject or background.

Golden Hour Lighting & Flash degrees (sun elevation) The period shortly after sunrise and before sunset when the sun is low, and its light is warm, soft and strongly directional. Sun elevation ≈ 0° to 6°

Guide Number Lighting & Flash m at ISO 100 A measure of a flash's power, equal to the product of the correct aperture and the subject distance at a stated ISO. GN = N × d