When someone says, "Softbox, camera right," what exactly

does this mean?

Is 'camera right' over your right shoulder? On a 45 degree angle? Pointing directly at a subject with you left of the subject?

The term 'camera left' could be more descriptive. Any ideas?

thanks,

dave

Right just means somewhere to the photographer's right if they are holding the camera and closer to the camera than to the subject. Closer in terms of angle, not distance.

It's referred to as 'camera' right because the camera might be on a tripod or stand while the photographer sits at a tethered computer across the room.

I thought it was an ellipses for left of teh camera

or if you are standing behind camera on the left

Camera right or left means the light is on those sides.

Anything to the left of the camera is camera left. To the right of the camera is camera right. It's not any more complicated than that.


If I have a softbox at camera left, which is the subject's right if they are facing the camera, then it just means that the placement and direction of the light source is from left of the camera's lens.

saying camera right/camera left is much like saying stage right/stage left

the stage isn't to the right or left, its the actors (lights) that are on the left or right side of the stage

WHAT??? exactly wrong.! The Black umbrella is CAMERA LEFT!!!

^^^
That's what he said

'Camera right' ignores how a subject is posed...to the right vs. to the left. It also ignores if the portrait sitter's face is flattered more with 'broad' lighting vs. 'short' lighting. Lighting for portraiture should be stated in terms of both the portrait sitter position and the need for 'broad' vs 'short' illumination of the face.

Only for inanimate objects should things be stated from the simplistic standpoint of 'camera right' or 'subject left'.

...which is backwards when applied to the diagram!

rhys216 wrote in post #10662404
^^^
That's what he said

He said 'camera right' in the paragraph following the illustration. Black umbrella is on the left of the camera.

[edit] What?!....he just changed it to say 'camera left', note the quote in my Post 9 only seconds ago.

rhys216 wrote in post #10662404
^^^
That's what he said

Look at the bottom of the post and you'll see small italic print that says "last editted by..." and a date/time that is after promocops post.

krb wrote in post #10662473
Look at the bottom of the post and you'll see small italic print that says "last editted by..." and a date/time that is after promocops post.

but note that at 14:27 when I quoted the post, it still said 'camera right' even though the last edited information says 14:08

glitch in the matrix?

krb wrote in post #10662551
glitch in the matrix?

was it the same cat or a different cat?

I guess you could say this is a photography forum so its from the photogs perspective

Hmm, I wonder if this big piece of juicy steak I'm eating is real...