Fill Light characteristics: It should be half the intensity of the Key Light.

Fill Light characteristics: It should be half the intensity of the Key Light.

• A. It should be half the intensity of the Key Light.
• B. It should be twice the intensity of the Key Light.
• C. It should be used only on the subject's face.
• D. It should be placed behind the subject.

Answer: (A)

Fill light’s job is to soften the shadows created by the key light while keeping some contrast and dimension in the shot. The best balance is about half as bright as the key light, which lightly fills in the shadows enough to reveal detail without flattening the image. If the fill were twice as bright, the shadows would disappear and the scene would look flat; if it were used only on the face or placed behind the subject, it wouldn’t effectively fill the intended shadow areas.

Fill light’s job is to soften the shadows created by the key light while keeping some contrast and dimension in the shot. The best balance is about half as bright as the key light, which lightly fills in the shadows enough to reveal detail without flattening the image. If the fill were twice as bright, the shadows would disappear and the scene would look flat; if it were used only on the face or placed behind the subject, it wouldn’t effectively fill the intended shadow areas.