Raking light

Also known as raking lighting. Category: Lighting and optics

Raking light strikes a surface at a low angle, typically 10 to 30 degrees, so every raised detail casts a long shadow. It reveals texture that frontal or overhead light flattens.

How PhotoRobot uses it

It is the key technique for showing pile direction and weave in carpet capture, combined with soft fill light so shadows do not go black. The raking light article in PhotoRobot Academy explains the setup.

See on photorobot.com

  • Pile-up: Carpet fibers that bunch or lift at the edges of a sample and show up badly under raking light.
  • Backlight: Light from behind the subject, used to brighten the background or outline the product.
  • Diffusion: Scattering light through a translucent material to make it softer and more even.
  • Carpet Photography Specialist: The PhotoRobot Academy specialty track for the Carpet Studio built on the Carousel.

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