Front Lighting

Front lighting

You have probably heard the old saying about keeping the sun at your back. 

The type of lighting created when the sun is in back of the photographer is

 called front lighting. This over-the-shoulder lighting was probably the first

piece of advice you ever heard from someone who was a more experienced

photographer. This may seem to be a universal recipe for good photography.

But it is not. The case against over-the-shoulder lighting is it produces a

flattened effect, doing nothing to bring out detail or provide an impression

of depth. The human eye sees in three dimensions and can compensate for

 poor lighting. A photograph is only two-dimensional. Therefore, to give an

 impression of form, depth, and texture to what you are shooting, you

should ideally  have the light come from the side or at least at an angle.