LIGHTSCHEMESStructured lighting intelligence

Camera axis

Lens filters

Lens-side modifiers and composition tools — ND, polarizer, mist, prism, and more. Filters pair with lighting setups in the library; they do not replace your light recipe.

Deep guides

Long-form lessons on filter families — each links to canonical setups and on-set tools.

GuideND filters and daylight exposureFixed ND, variable ND, and when high-speed sync replaces a filter — keep wide aperture in sun without lying about your light recipe.GuidePolarizer: glare, sky, and product reflectionsRotate a CPL to cut specular glare on product and foliage — and know when a flag or foam card is the honest fix instead.GuideMist and diffusion filters on the lensPro-Mist and Black Mist bloom highlights in-camera — when that beats a larger softbox or more fill.GuidePrism, star, and streak filtersIn-camera composition effects — rainbows, star points, and faux anamorphic streaks without moving a light.

Exposure & balance

Eat stops, slow shutter, or balance bright skies — exposure control on the lens axis.

  • Clear / protection

    Protects the front element — no intentional optical effect.

  • Woman in a white floral sundress in a wildflower meadow at sunset, warm backlight from frame-right making her hair glow against peach sky and hills.

    Fixed ND

    Uniform neutral density — eats stops so you can open aperture or slow shutter in bright light.

    3 library examples →

  • Graduated ND (hard)

    Hard split for flat horizons — seascapes and deserts.

  • Graduated ND (soft)

    Darkens bright sky with a soft horizon transition.

  • IRND

    Cinema ND that also blocks infrared, preventing the red/magenta shift in shadows that strong plain ND introduces (severity depends on the camera's sensor).

  • Reverse GND

    Strongest (darkest) density at the horizon, easing toward the top — for sunrise and sunset where the sky is brightest at the horizon line.

  • Dark grey sports sedan at a three-quarter front angle in a black studio, headlights on, long white highlight streaks brushed along the bonnet, roof and flanks.

    Strong ND (6–10 stop)

    Daytime long exposures — water and cloud blur, and empty streets.

    1 library example →

  • UV / skylight

    Blocks UV haze on film; marginal on modern digital sensors.

  • Blonde woman in a white ribbed tank outdoors among trees, soft daylight wrapping her freckled face while dappled sun sits bright in the path behind her.

    Variable ND

    Rotating density for run-and-gun stills and video when light changes frame to frame.

    1 library example →

Reflection & surface

Cut glare and deepen skies without moving lights.

  • Clear glass perfume bottle of pale amber liquid with a blank cream label and cork under a matte black cap, bright edge lines on a near-black ground.

    Circular polarizer (CPL)

    Cuts specular glare, deepens skies, and sees through water and glass.

    5 library examples →

Diffusion & halation

Bloom highlights and soften micro-contrast in-camera — a lens-side cousin to larger sources.

  • Man in a long dark overcoat on a wet night street looking over his shoulder, warm streetlamp glare at frame-right and cool shop light along the far sidewalk.

    Black Mist

    Mist halation with richer blacks — less milky than white mist.

    2 library examples →

  • Mist strength (1/8–1/2)

    Density tiers — start light and add only when the effect is still invisible at a glance.

  • Woman with waved dark hair and deep red lips in a wool coat over a cream collar, hard side light from camera-left on a dark textured wall.

    Net / wire diffusion

    DIY or commercial net — cuts harshness and adds highlight texture.

    1 library example →
  • Woman in cream linen sitting in profile by sheer curtains, bright window behind her so hair and shoulder glow while the near side of her face stays soft.

    Pro-Mist / white mist

    Lifts shadows slightly and blooms highlights for a polished skin and halation look.

    2 library examples →

  • Soft-focus diffusion

    Overall glow for vintage bridal and dreamy editorial.

  • Warm glow diffusion

    Combined warmth and diffusion — brand-specific character filters.

Flare & streak

Stars, prisms, and streak filters for in-camera composition effects.

  • Faux anamorphic streak

    Horizontal blue streak on highlights — sci-fi and neon portraits.

  • Gold wire / line filter

    Thin gold flares on high-contrast edges — fashion and beauty campaigns.

  • Curly-haired bearded man in a black bomber jacket, magenta spill on camera-left of his face and cyan on camera-right against a dark grey field.

    Handheld prism

    Refracts the frame — rainbows, duplicates, and edge artifacts for music-video composition.

    1 library example →

  • Kaleidoscope

    Radial repeats — experimental, low teaching priority.

  • Mounted prism / fractal

    Holder-based prism for repeatable streaks and splits.

  • Man with curly hair in a black zip jacket against a pale wall, hard front-left flash casting a sharp silhouette shadow behind him.

    Star / cross screen

    Turns point highlights into rays — city lights, jewelry, speculars.

    1 library example →

Color & conversion

Legacy warming and cooling glass — mostly replaced by white balance on digital.

  • Cooling (80A / 80B)

    Shifts tungsten toward daylight — historical correction filters.

  • Warming (81A / 81B)

    Shifts cool daylight toward warmth — legacy film; use WB on digital.

Macro & optical FX

Diopters and specialty optics that change magnification or focus planes.

  • Close-up diopter

    Macro magnification without a dedicated macro lens.

  • Split-field diopter

    Half near, half far in focus — narrative product and cinema.

Specialty

Niche and experimental filters — teach honestly, tag sparingly.

  • Fog resin filter

    Baked-in low contrast — overlaps mist; teach as variant not separate lesson.

  • Infrared pass (R72)

    IR-only fine-art look — surreal foliage and skies.

  • Light pollution

    Cuts sodium and mercury glow for astro — outside portrait core.

Example setups

Schemes tagged with an on-lens filter — open the board to see lights, diagram, and the filter note.

Dark grey sports sedan at a three-quarter front angle in a black studio, headlights on, long white highlight streaks brushed along the bonnet, roof and flanks.

Strong ND (6–10 stop)

Automotive Light Painting

With scheme: strong ND enables long shutter light painting while strobes or torches trace the car.

Clear glass perfume bottle of pale amber liquid with a blank cream label and cork under a matte black cap, bright edge lines on a near-black ground.

Circular polarizer (CPL)

Black Card Transparent Bottle Control

With scheme: CPL can reduce stray reflections on glass when black cards define the edges.

Man in a long dark overcoat on a wet night street looking over his shoulder, warm streetlamp glare at frame-right and cool shop light along the far sidewalk.

Black Mist

Cinematic Outdoor Night

Composition: light Black Mist halates practicals and neon while the key/fill recipe stays the same.

Curly-haired bearded man in a black bomber jacket, magenta spill on camera-left of his face and cyan on camera-right against a dark grey field.

Handheld prism

Colored Gel Background Portrait

Composition: handheld prism adds edge refraction — gel colors and key angle unchanged.

Woman in cream linen sitting in profile by sheer curtains, bright window behind her so hair and shoulder glow while the near side of her face stays soft.

Pro-Mist / white mist

Dreamy Backlit Window

Composition: 1/8 Pro-Mist blooms window rim without changing bounce fill placement.

Woman with waved dark hair and deep red lips in a wool coat over a cream collar, hard side light from camera-left on a dark textured wall.

Net / wire diffusion

Film Noir Fresnel

Composition: loose net diffusion takes edge off hard fresnel beam for a period-film texture.

Stack of golden pancakes with banana, blueberries and walnuts under maple syrup on speckled ceramic, keyed soft from frame-left on a dark wood table.

Circular polarizer (CPL)

Food Window Daylight

With scheme: CPL cuts window glare on plates and glassware while keeping window key direction.

Woman in a white floral sundress in a wildflower meadow at sunset, warm backlight from frame-right making her hair glow against peach sky and hills.

Fixed ND

Golden Sun Reflector Portrait

With scheme: light ND (2–3 stops) can tame noon sun so reflector fill does not fight clipping on skin.

Blonde woman in a white ribbed tank outdoors among trees, soft daylight wrapping her freckled face while dappled sun sits bright in the path behind her.

Variable ND

Handheld Scrim Sun Portrait

With scheme: variable ND helps when scrim position changes effective sun brightness between frames.

Blonde woman in a black tank at sunset, warm light on her face and a bright sun rim on her hair against orange sky and hills.

Fixed ND

High-Speed Sync Sunset Portrait

With scheme: graduated or mild ND can balance sky while flash holds subject exposure at sunset.

Woman in a white linen shirt and tan trousers outdoors, hard sun from frame-left bright on her near shoulder and cheek against a soft blue sky.

Fixed ND

HSS Daylight Wide-Aperture Fashion

With scheme: 6-stop ND is the daylight alternative to HSS when you want wide aperture without high-speed sync.

Macro of a round diamond solitaire on dark stone, sharp facet sparkle in the centre stone and a bright highlight along the polished band.

Circular polarizer (CPL)

Jewelry Macro Bounce Tent

With scheme: rotate CPL to tame metal speculars without losing tent wrap on stones.

Matte black over-ear headphones leaning on a black box beside a case and coiled cables, soft light from frame-left on dark grey.

Circular polarizer (CPL)

LED Panel Tabletop Product

With scheme: CPL removes packaging glare so the LED key and fill cards read clearly on labels.

Woman in a black blazer holding a small mirror by her temple, a hard golden slash of light across her eye and nose on a grey stone wall.

Circular polarizer (CPL)

Mirror Bounce Sun Fashion

With scheme: CPL deepens sky and controls mirror-punch specular on skin.

Man with curly hair in a black zip jacket against a pale wall, hard front-left flash casting a sharp silhouette shadow behind him.

Star / cross screen

On-Camera Direct Flash Fashion

Composition: star filter on background practicals — flash key position stays direct on axis.

Full-length woman in a camel coat and black trousers on charcoal, soft side light from camera-left bright on face and near lapel.

Pro-Mist / white mist

Parabolic Full-Length Fashion

Composition: 1/4 Pro-Mist rolls highlight on satin and hair; parabolic key placement unchanged.

Woman in a black leather biker jacket between two lit tubes in frame, cyan at camera-left and magenta at camera-right; magenta on her face, cyan edging her hair.

Black Mist

Tube Light Neon Room

Composition: Black Mist softens tube bloom; tube positions remain the teaching focus.