Topics - Lighting Basics (Mood)
Using Lights and Colors to Create Mood and Make a Scene Visible
Light Direction
One of the easiest ways to immediately affect is by controlling the placement and direction of lights in a scene.
Without any change to light color or intensity, we can simply move the light source around and get different feelings for our scene.
Front Lit - Relative to the camera, the lighting faces primarily toward the object’s front. Tends to give a feeling of being “open and approachable” if used as the primary light.
However, as we see here, it can also quickly make the scene feel a bit flat and uninteresting. Without supporting lights, all the primary shadows and contrast are hidden from the viewer.
Back Lit - Relative to the camera, the lighting faces primarily from the object’s back. Tends to give a feeling of being “dark and dangerous” if used as the primary light.
Side Lit - Relative to the camera, the lighting faces primarily toward the object’s side. Really accentuates existing shadows, which can provide a sense of 3-dimensionality and exaggerated personality if used as the primary light.
Top Lit - Relative to the object or environment, the lighting faces primarily from the ceiling. The conveyed mood varies A LOT depending on shadows and usage. Can range anywhere between “standard office lighting” to "interrogation."
Bottom Lit - Relative to the object or environment, the lighting faces primarily from the floor. Once again, conveyed mood varies A LOT depending on shadows and usage. Can range anywhere from “scary/intimidating” to “peaceful nighttime reflection of lighting against water” to “futuristic cyberpunk neon glow flooring”.