The direction of light

Move around a subject and the light changes character entirely, without the light itself changing at all. Three broad positions, three different photographs.

Front light

The light behind you, falling on the subject’s face.

Even, uncomplicated, easy to expose. It also flattens: with shadows falling directly away from the camera, there is nothing left to describe shape or texture.

Useful when you want information rather than atmosphere. It is why identification photographs are lit this way.

Side light

The light coming across the subject.

Shadows fall across the surface, which reveals texture and shape. Stone looks like stone; a face gains structure.

It is also the most demanding to expose, because the lit and shadowed sides can differ by several stops. Either accept the contrast, or add fill light to lift the dark side.

Back light

The light behind the subject, facing you.

backlighting rims edges with brightness, separates the subject from its background, and makes translucent things — leaves, hair, glasses of water — glow.

It also guarantees a fight with the meter. The camera reads a very bright frame and underexposes the subject. Use spot metering or positive exposure compensation unless a silhouette is what you wanted.

Watch for flare. Light striking the front element directly washes out contrast; a lens hood, or a hand held just outside the frame, usually fixes it.

Choosing

You want	Use
Clarity and information	Front
Texture and shape	Side
Separation and atmosphere	Back

You usually cannot move the sun. You can almost always move yourself, or the subject.

Key takeaways

• Front light is even and flat; side light describes shape; back light separates and glows.
• Side light is the most demanding to expose and often needs fill.
• Backlighting reliably fools a meter — compensate or spot-meter.
• Changing direction usually means moving yourself, not the light.