BLOG QUESTION ADV: USING FLAGS ON SET

1. What is the purpose of flags? How can they be used to shape light?

2. What are cookies? How do they affect the image?
3. How can you combine these instruments to shape your light?

Flags are used to cut off any spill from lights, either in your environment or on your subject. They can also be used as a negative fill to cut some light that is bouncing onto a subject's face. They can be used to shape light by bringing more contrast to your image. Cookies are boards that are shaped in certain ways to give shadows a more interesting shape. Common kinds of cookies include a "window shutter" or "tree branch". They affect an image by breaking up the light. You can combine these instruments to create a more interesting shot, and to bring more attention to your subject/backgrounds.