How can i reduce harsh shadows with 3-point lighting and a softbox?

[Madison_J]

I’ve been trying to get a clean, professional look for my interview subject by using a three-point lighting setup, but I can’t seem to eliminate the harsh shadows under their chin and eyes no matter how I adjust my key and fill. My fill light just isn’t softening things enough, and I’m wondering if my choice of a softbox for the key is part of the problem.

[Jack.T]

From my experience with three point lighting I found the key being soft is not enough if the fill position is off. I used a large softbox and then noticed the shadows under the chin stayed sharp because the fill angle pointed too high. I moved the fill farther out and lowered it a bit so it wrapped across the jawline more evenly, and I added a diffusion panel to soften. Still not perfect but a noticeable improvement.

[PaulGJ]

Another trick I tried was bouncing the fill off a white card on the opposite side. The light becomes more gentle and the under chin line softened. It is a bit fiddly to keep the subject from looking flat, but the skin tones read better in the frames I kept.

[Mark_C]

I did a quick test with a bigger key and a very soft umbrella plus a separate hair light. The shadows moved around but never quite vanished, and the chin line still showed a bit of bite. It felt like the face and head position were fighting the lighting a bit.

[LaylaAT]

Maybe the real problem is the pose or the lens angle rather than the lights. I shot a few frames with the subject slightly turned to reduce that downward shadow and still no big change. Do you think the angle is the real culprit?