Lighting and composition guide
The photographic vocabulary that image models respond to, plus a prompt that turns a mood into a concrete lighting and composition spec.
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1Lighting vocabulary
Key light: the main light; say where it comes from ('from upper left'). Fill light: softens shadows; 'low fill' = moodier. Rim/back light: outlines the subject, separates it from the background. Softbox / diffused: soft shadows, flattering. Hard light / direct sun: crisp shadows, drama. Golden hour: warm, low, long shadows. Blue hour: cool, soft, after sunset. Overcast: even, soft, low contrast. Rembrandt lighting: a small triangle of light on the shadowed cheek; classic portraits. High-key: bright, few shadows, cheerful. Low-key: mostly dark, dramatic. Practical lights: lamps or neon visible in the scene.
2Composition vocabulary
Rule of thirds: subject on a third line, not centred. Centred / symmetrical: formal, powerful. Negative space: empty area, useful for copy. Leading lines: roads, rails or edges pointing to the subject. Framing: subject seen through a doorway or foliage. Foreground interest: something close to the lens for depth. Camera height: eye level (neutral), low angle (powerful), high angle (vulnerable), top-down (flat lay). Lens feel: 24mm wide (spacious, distorted edges), 50mm (natural), 85-135mm (compressed, flattering portraits). Depth of field: shallow (blurred background) or deep (everything sharp).
3Turn a mood into a spec
Use this prompt in any chat model, then paste the spec into your image prompt.
Subject: {{subject}} Mood I want: {{mood}} Where the image will be used: {{use_case}} Translate the mood into concrete photographic decisions: key light (type, direction, colour temperature), fill level, rim light (yes/no), time of day or setting light, camera height, lens feel, depth of field, subject placement and negative space. Explain each choice in one short clause. Then give a 40-60 word image-prompt fragment I can append to my subject description.
Example input
A woman reading on a window seat; cosy, nostalgic, rainy Sunday; wide newsletter header.
Example output
Key light: soft, cool daylight through a rain-streaked window from the right (overcast, gentle). Practical: a warm tungsten lamp behind her for a cosy contrast. Camera: eye level, 50mm feel, shallow depth of field; subject in the right third with the rainy window filling the left two thirds as negative space for the masthead. Fragment: soft cool overcast window light from the right, rain streaks on glass, warm tungsten lamp glow behind, low fill with gentle shadows, eye-level 50mm perspective, shallow depth of field, subject in right third, calm negative space on the left, muted nostalgic film tones.
Troubleshooting
- Conflicting lighting terms (e.g. 'high-key' and 'dramatic shadows') produce muddy results; pick one lighting approach.
Known limitations
- Models approximate photographic terms; expect variation, especially with mixed light sources.