Three-point lighting

Three lights, each with a job. The key is the main source, off to one side of the camera and above eye level, and it decides where the shadows fall. The fill sits on the opposite side, dimmer, opening those shadows so the dark half of the face keeps some detail. The backlight goes behind the subject aimed at the back of their head, drawing a bright edge that lifts them off whatever is behind them.

The ratio between key and fill is what you actually control. A fill close in brightness to the key gives a flat, clean look, and a much dimmer fill gives something moodier. A window and a bounce board will do the first two jobs, so this is a way of thinking rather than a shopping list.