Basic portrait lighting
7 Essential Lighting Setups for Portrait Photography
Photo by Ilya Pavlov
Lighting is the foundation of any successful portrait photography, be it a corporate headshot or a character study. It’s key to not only flattering (or emphasising) a person’s features, but also expressing your creative intent and producing images that your clients will love.
There are almost infinite ways to set up portrait photography lighting, but most are variations or combinations of seven key styles:
- Split Lighting
- Loop Lighting
- Rembrandt Lighting
- Butterfly Lighting (& Clamshell Lighting)
- Broad Lighting
- Short Lighting
- Back Lighting
Each of these portrait lighting setups can be achieved with just a single light source, which you can easily modify, intensify or supplement to produce endlessly different effects.
Whatever your skill level, these different types of portrait photography lighting setups will equip you for a vast range of situations. Learn how, and what you need, to create each one.
Ambient, Flash or Continuous?
You can create most of these lighting styles using ambient light, but flash or continuous LED light is much easier to move and control.
See our Introductory Buyer’s Guide to Lighting.
Catchlights
Catchlights—a reflection of the light source in a subject’s eyes—are considered essential to any great portrait. Without the sparkle of catchlights, eyes tend to look somewhat dull and lifeless.
Being reflections, catchlights will take the same shape as your light source (e.g. square for softboxes, round for beauty dishes) so bear that in mind if you’re after a particular look.
Catchlights are also a good indicator of how high to position your light. Find out more under each heading below.
In most of these portrait photography lighting setups, you can change the angle of your camera relative to your subject without greatly affecting the overall pattern of light and shadow.
What’s important to achieving each look is where you position the light in relation to your subject.
Photo by Diego Sanchez
Split Lighting
What: Split lighting effectively ‘splits’ the face into two halves: one lit, the other in shadow. This creates a dramatic, even mysterious, look that you can emphasise by increasing the contrast between brightness and shadow.
Example of split lighting setup
How: To create split lighting simply place the light source at 90° to the subject.
For greater contrast between dark and light, increase the light source’s brightness or move it closer to your subject while minimising the amount of light that hits the shadow side.
For less contrast, dim the light source, position it further from your subject, and/or fill the shadows using a reflector.
Photos by Jurica Koletić (L), Ayo Ogunseinde (R)
Loop Lighting
What: Loop lighting is one of the simplest and most popular portrait lighting styles. It subtly defines facial features with soft shadows on the cheek opposite to the lighting.
Who: Loop lighting will flatter pretty much anyone.
Example of loop lighting setup using one large softbox
How: To create loop lighting position a soft light source (e.g. diffused sun, flash or continuous light) at about 45° to your subject, just above their eye level and angled slightly down.
Adjusting the angle and height of the light will change the appearance of your shadows, so play around until you’re happy with the effect on your subject.
To soften shadows, place a reflector or fill light on the opposite side of your subject.
Rembrandt Lighting
What: Rembrandt lighting takes its name from the Dutch painter whose portraits often featured this style of lighting. This portrait lighting technique is similar to loop lighting but with a distinctive triangle of light on one cheek, formed where the nose and cheekbone shadows join.
Photo by Emrecan Arık
Left: Example of one-light Rembrandt lighting setup
Right: Example of Rembrandt lighting with fill
How: To create Rembrandt lighting position your light at about 30° to your subject, a bit above their head and angled slightly down. Adjust the height and angle of the light to suit your subject’s face and bring catchlights to their eyes. (If using a fixed ambient light source such as a window, adjust your subject’s position until you get the same result.
)
For softer shadow edges, diffuse the light source with a scrim, softbox, umbrella or (if using a window) sheer curtain.
For harder shadow edges, try attaching a grid to your modifier. You could even try using no modifier at all.
To fill in shadow detail, place a reflector or dimmer second light on the opposite side of your subject.
Left: Butterfly lighting | Photo by Dmytro Tolokonov
Right: Clamshell lighting | Photo by Oz Seyrek
Butterfly Lighting (& Clamshell Lighting)
What: Butterfly lighting is distinguished by the butterfly-like shadow it creates under the subject’s nose, along with soft, subtle shadows under the chin and cheek bones. It’s ideal for glamour and beauty photography as it creates soft, even lighting while sculpting the shape of the face.
Who: Butterfly lighting best flatters subjects with slim faces and defined cheekbones.
Left: Example of butterfly lighting
Right: Example of clamshell lighting
How: To create butterfly lighting, place a strobe (modified using a softbox or beauty dish) or a large LED ring light right above and slightly behind your camera. It should be just high enough to produce catchlights in the subject’s eyes. To create more or less contrast, simply move the light slightly further from or closer to your subject.
If you want lighter shadows and a softer, higher key look, place a reflector or small softbox beneath the camera, with the base angled slightly up towards your subject. This lighting combination is known as clamshell lighting, as it resembles an open clamshell from side on.
Photo by Christopher Campbell
Broad Lighting
What: Broad lighting is any style of lighting—split, loop, Rembrandt—in which the brightest side of the face is angled more towards the camera.
This portrait lighting technique illuminates the majority of the face, making it suitable for high-key portraits.
Who: Because it effectively broadens the foremost side of the face, broad lighting is ideal for accentuating cheeks or widening a slim face.
How: To create broad lighting, angle the subject away from the main light source and photograph them facing the bright side of their face.
Example of broad lighting setup
Photo by Greg Sullavan | Taken using the Canon EOS R + Canon RF 85mm f1.2L USM Lens @ f1.2, 1/160 sec, ISO 640
Short Lighting
What: Short lighting is basically the opposite of broad lighting. It describes any lighting style—split, loop, Rembrandt—in which the darker side of the face is angled more towards the camera. Because it puts most of the face in shadow, this type of portrait photography lighting setup works well for low-key portraits.
Who: Short lighting has a slimming effect, making it flattering for most faces.
How: To create short lighting, angle the subject towards the main light source and photograph them facing the shadow side of their face.
Example of short lighting setup
Photos by Molly Belle (L), Jay Young (R)
Back Lighting (Rim Lighting)
What: As the name suggests, back lighting (also known as rim lighting, hair lighting or edge lighting) involves lighting the subject from directly behind. Used effectively, whether in the studio or outdoors at golden hour, this creates a bright outline or ‘rim light’ that can really help define your subject.
Example of single-light back lighting setup
How: For maximum results make sure the light source isn’t visible in frame.
a) You can dramatically silhouette your subject by using just a single light and exposing for the highlights – i.e. manually basing your exposure on the brightest areas, or underexposing until everything is black except for the highlights.
b) To capture a more balanced exposure (with all of your subject’s details visible), place a reflector or soft second light (e.g. softbox) between your subject and camera (out of frame) to fill in shadows.
Final Word
As you can see, it takes little effort or equipment to create any—or all—of the different types of photography lighting above. And once you’ve mastered each style, you can dramatically change how it looks with a simple change of modifier, tweak in contrast ratio, or addition of other lighting.
With your portrait lighting perfected, you can devote the rest of your time to posing, framing and interacting with your subject.
Want more advice on lighting or portrait photography?
Just ask one of our experts.
6 Portrait Lighting Patterns Every Photographer Should Know
A Post By: Darlene Hildebrandt
If you want to capture flattering portraits, then you must master lighting. Fortunately, this is pretty easy, thanks to lighting patterns – that is, simple portrait lighting setups you can consistently use for nice-looking images.
In fact, portrait lighting patterns are great for beginners and advanced shooters alike; as an experienced portrait photographer, I use these patterns all the time in my own work.
Below, I share six useful photography lighting techniques that every portrait artist should know. I also include lighting diagrams, so you know exactly how to replicate the pattern in your own studio.
Are you ready to take your portrait shots to the next level? Let’s get started.
1. Split lighting
Split lighting looks the way it sounds; it splits the face into equal halves, like this:
Because this half-shadow effect is pretty dramatic, especially when the light is hard, it’s often used to create moody shots of musicians and artists.
To achieve split lighting, simply put the light source 90 degrees to the left or right of the subject (you can even move it slightly behind their head). In true split lighting, the only part of the “shadowed” face that should be lit is the eye (as shown in the photo above). Here is the simple split lighting diagram, though note that you can always spruce up a split-lit image with fill lights, rim lights, and background lights:
Also, make sure at least one of your subject’s eyes contains a catchlight (a bright spot of light that reflects from the light source). Otherwise, the eyes will appear lifeless, and the entire shot will likely be ruined.
2. Loop lighting
Loop lighting positions a small shadow from the subject’s nose across their cheek. Look at the photo below; see how the nose shadow falls slightly to the right of the nostril?
Loop lighting is probably the most common lighting pattern you’ll encounter in portrait photography.
Why? It’s easy to create, plus it flatters most people! That’s why some photographers consider it the absolute best lighting for portraits (especially if you’re a beginner).
Note that, in loop lighting, the shadow of the nose and the shadow on the cheek do not touch. That’s a different lighting pattern, as I discuss in the next section. Instead, keep the shadow small and pointing slightly downward (though don’t put the light source too high; otherwise, you’ll create odd shadows and lose the essential catchlights). Here’s another example, with a soft shadow falling to the right of the viewer:
To create loop lighting, place the light source slightly above eye level and about 30-45 degrees from the camera. The exact angle depends on the person’s face, so feel free to turn on your modeling lamp (if your light has one) or take several shots with the strobe positioned in different places. Over time, you’ll get better at reading people’s faces, and you’ll be able to identify the perfect loop-light position from the get-go.
The diagram below models the lighting conditions for the couple image I’ve shared above:
Note that the black backdrop represents the bank of trees behind the subjects. The sun is coming over the trees, and I’ve placed a white reflector at camera left to bounce light back into the subjects’ faces. In a standard studio setup, you would position a strobe instead of the reflector, though in this situation – with the natural light from the sun – a reflector works just fine!
And remember: Your light should be slightly above the subject’s eye level. Beginners mess this one up a lot by putting the light down low and angled upward. That lights the bottom of your subject’s nose, and the result isn’t so flattering.
3. Rembrandt lighting
Rembrandt lighting gets its name from the 17th-century artist Rembrandt, who used it in his painted portraits. It’s identified by a clear triangle of light on the subject’s cheek, like this:
Note that the shadow of the nose and the cheek do meet, which creates that little triangle; this is different from loop lighting, where the shadows shouldn’t touch.
Also note that Rembrandt lighting is more dramatic than loop lighting, so use it for moodier portrait sessions and not for standard family photoshoots.
To create Rembrandt lighting, place the light off to the subject’s side, and ask your subject to turn slightly away from the light. The light should be above their head so that the nose shadow falls down toward the cheek. Here’s a Rembrandt lighting diagram, with a window instead of a strobe (though you can, of course, use any type of light source):
Not every person’s face is ideal for creating Rembrandt lighting. If they have high or prominent cheek bones, it’ll probably work – but if they have a small nose or flat nose bridge, it may be difficult to achieve.
Keep in mind that you don’t always need to create this pattern exactly; as long as your subject is flattered and you get the mood you’re after, then the light is working.
4. Butterfly lighting
Butterfly lighting is named for the butterfly-shaped shadow that is created under the nose, like this:
The result is a very glamorous photo, with shadows under the cheeks and chin, so you’ll often find it in fashion magazines and shots of movie stars.
It is also flattering for older subjects as it deemphasizes wrinkles, as well as slim-faced subjects (whereas subjects with round, wide faces look better with loop lighting or split lighting).
Butterfly lighting is super simple to create. Just place the light source directly behind the camera and slightly above eye or head level of the subject:
If the shadow under the nose is too strong, you can place a reflector directly under the chin (your subject can hold it, if need be).
This pattern is tough to create using only window light or a reflector. You’ll often need a hard light source – such as the sun or a flash – to produce the more defined shadow under the nose.
5. Broad lighting
Technically, broad lighting isn’t a portrait lighting pattern; it’s a portrait lighting style, which you can use with loop lighting, Rembrandt lighting, or split lighting. However, it’s a useful lighting setup that’s often grouped with the patterns discussed above, and I definitely recommend you master it.
You get broad lighting when the subject’s face is slightly turned away from the camera, and the side of the face turned toward the camera is illuminated by the light, like this:
This type of lighting makes a person’s face look broader or wider (hence the broad lighting moniker) and works well when photographing subjects with very slim faces. But most people want to look slimmer, not wider, so this type of lighting would not be appropriate for someone who is heavier or round faced.
To create broad lighting, turn the face away from the light source, as shown in the diagram below. Notice how the side of the face nearer to the camera receives light, while the far side of the face remains in shadow.
6. Short lighting
Short lighting is the opposite of broad lighting; the side of the face turned toward the camera is shrouded in shadow, while the side of the face turned away from the camera is brightened.
It’s a useful lighting pattern for darker, moodier, and even low-key portraits.
Note that short lighting puts more of the face in shadow, is more sculpting, adds 3D qualities, and is very slimming and flattering for most people.
To create short lighting, ask your subject to turn slightly toward the light source, so that the shadows fall on the side of the face closer to the camera:
Portrait lighting setups: putting it all together
Once you can quickly create each of the different lighting patterns, you can start to learn when to apply them in your portrait sessions. You’ll eventually be able to determine the best portrait lighting simply by studying your subject’s face. And you’ll learn, over time, how different lighting patterns change the mood of the final shot.
Technically, you can create these setups with any type of light: window light, natural light, speedlights, continuous lights, or strobes. But note that it’s much easier to change the lighting pattern if you can move the light source, so it pays to begin with a portable studio light.
(Though if you can’t move the light source, you can always ask your subject to rotate in relation to the light.)
Portrait photography lighting patterns: final words
Now that you’ve finished this article, you’re well equipped to create beautiful portraits. Simply practice the lighting tips I’ve shared, learn to quickly form each lighting setup, and you’ll be good to go!
Now over to you:
Which of these lighting patterns is your favorite? Which style do you plan to use in your next photoshoot? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
GENERAL
15 Common Portrait Mistakes to Avoid
10 Ways to Direct a Portrait Shoot like a Pro
How to Photograph People: 7 Tips for Photographers Who Never Photograph People
10 Crucial Things You Need to Think About for Portrait Photography
5 Portrait Photography Rules You Should Probably Ignore
Five Budget Portrait Photography Hacks to Save You Money
8 Lessons Learned from My First Attempt at Portrait Photography
How Self-Portraiture Makes You a Better Photographer
The Photo Critique: Portrait Edition
10 Shots, 10 Portraits, 1 Focal Length: Take this Photography Challenge
How I Got The Shot: Portrait Style
PREPARATION
Tips for Preparing for a Portrait Session
8 Tips to Help Make People Comfortable for Their Portrait Session
Clothing for Portraits – How to Tell your Subjects What to Wear
How to Plan a Successful Sunset Portrait Session
5 Secrets for Finding Great Indoor Photoshoot Locations
10 Christmas Portrait Locations (with Bonus Lighting and Composition Tips)
How to Build a Bench Prop for Great Portrait Photos
A Beginners Guide to Taking Portraits of Elderly Clients: Part 1 – Preparation and Rapport
How to Scout for Portrait Shooting Locations
The Importance of Location for Outdoor Portraits
How to Choose Urban Landscapes for Portrait Photography
SETTINGS
The Best Camera Settings for Portrait Photography
How to Achieve Blurred Backgrounds in Portrait Photography
How to Bypass the Portrait Mode on Your Digital Camera and Get Great Portraits
Understanding the Focus and Recompose Technique
Overcoming Depth of Field Problems in Portraits
9 Ways to Ensure You Get Sharp Images When Photographing People
Stunning Portraits: Manipulating White Balance
Shooting for HDR Portraiture
How [Not] to Take a Self Timer Portrait
How Focal Length Changes the Shape of the Face in Portraiture
LIGHTING
5 Tips How to Set Up a Home Studio for Dramatic Portraits
Simple Portrait Setups You Can Create on a Tight Budget
How to Eliminate Reflections in Glasses in Portraits
Portrait Photography: How to Photograph People in the Harsh Midday Sun
4 Ways to Shoot Portraits in the Middle of the Day
6 Portrait Lighting Patterns Every Photographer Should Know
- 1.
Split lighting - 2. Loop lighting
- 3. Rembrandt lighting
- 4. Butterfly lighting
- 5. Broad lighting
- 6. Short lighting
- Portrait lighting setups: putting it all together
- Portrait photography lighting patterns: final words
- 1.
3 Lighting Setups for Photographing Headshots
6 Ways of Using Reflector to Take Better Portraits
How to Create and Shoot Night Portraits
How to Make Beautiful Portraits Using Flash and High-Speed Sync
How to Make a Low Key Portrait (Step by Step)
Fill Flash Photography: How to Get Beautiful Portraits (Even in Bad Light)
A Lighting Ratios Guide: How to Make (or Break) Your Portraits
How to Mix Ambient Light and Fill-Flash for Outdoor Portraits
How to Photograph Fantastic Portraits with One Flash
DIY How to Build and Use a Reflector to Take Better Portraits
Understanding Light for Better Portrait Photography
Tips for Doing Natural Light Headshots and Portraits
3 Reasons to do Headshots with Natural Light
A Beginners Guide to Taking Portraits of Elderly Clients: Part 2 – Lighting and Posing
How to Create Stunning Wide-Angle Portraits (Using an Off-Camera Flash)
Tips for Making the Most of Morning Light for Portraits
5 Ways to Use a Beauty Dish Light for Portraits
Beginners Tips for Sunrise Portraits : Part I
Getting to Grips with Fill Light in Portrait Photography
How to Use Flash for Night Portraits
What Size Beauty Dish is Right For Your Portrait Photography?
How to Create Catch Lights in Your Natural Light Portraits
Tips for Using Golden Hour Light for Portraits
Side-by-side comparison between reflectors and diffusers for portraits
6 Tips for Taking Better Natural Light Classic Portraits
How to Use a Small Softbox With Your Flash to Transform Your Portraits
Simple Tips for Positioning Your Portrait Subject to Leverage Natural Light
The Importance of Shadows in Portrait Photography
So You Have No Model? Here are Ways to Practice Your Portrait Lighting With Toys
How to use Colored Gels to Create Unique and Creative Portraits
3 Steps to Professional Looking Headshots Using One Flash
How to Use Two LED Lights to Achieve Moody Portraits
Made in the Shade – Why Taking Portraits in the Shade Can be Ideal
What Is Good Light? (And How to Use It for Beautiful Portraits)
How to do Accent Lighting for Portraits
Tips For Great Indoor Portraits Using Natural Light
5 Reasons for Doing Natural Light Portraits
Review of the Westcott Eyelighter for Headshots and Portraits
How to Use Angle of Light in People Photography for Added Punch
High Speed Sync Versus a Neutral Density Filter to Overcome Bright Sunlight in Portraits
5 Creative Portrait Lighting Tricks Using Only Phone Light
How to Use Off-camera Flash to Fix Lighting Problems for Outdoor Portraits
How to Create Awesome Portrait Lighting with a Paper Bag an Elastic Band and a Chocolate Donut
Tips for Using Speedlights to Create the Right Lighting for Outdoor Portraits
How to use a Gobo to add Depth to Your Portraits with Subtractive Lighting
How to Use Hard Lighting to Create a Dramatic Portrait
Portrait Comparison – Flash Versus Natural Light
Stealing Light – Using Street Lights for Portraits
Five Places for Perfect Natural Portrait Lighting
How to See the Light for Portraits: A Quick Tip for Beginners
Shooting with Available Light – Lifestyle Portraiture
5 Ways to Light Your Christmas Tree Portraits This Festive Season
A Simple Lighting Technique for Couples Portraits
Awash In Light: High Key Portraiture
A Portrait Lighting Project for a Rainy Day
Simple Portrait Lighting Setup: Gorgeous Result
How to Achieve Great Portraits with Window Light
A Simple Exercise on Working with Natural Light in Portraits
Small Flash Portraits on Location with Adorama TV
Portraits on an Overcast Day? Use a Reflector
Tips for Using Flash for Beach Portraits
How to Find and Use Natural Reflectors for Portraits
How to Create Dramatic Portraits with Shadow Photography [video]
Tips for Portrait Photography in Overcast Weather [video]
How to Photograph People Outdoors Without Using a Reflector
How To Use an Outdoor Studio for Natural Portraits
POSING
Female Poses: 21 Posing Ideas to Get You Started Photographing Women
Glamour Posing Guide: 21 Sample Poses to Get You Started
Posing Guide: 21 Sample Poses to Get You Started with Photographing Men
Good Crop Bad Crop – How to Crop Portraits
How to Pose and Angle the Body for Better Portraits
Posing Guide: 21 Sample Poses to Get You Started with Photographing Groups of People
Posing Guide: 21 Sample Poses to Get You Started with Photographing Couples
Your Guide to the Best Poses for Engagement Photos
How to do Gentle Posing: A Collection of Prompts to Get You Started
Tips for Posing Large Families and Groups
How to Pose People for Headshots
Tips for Posing People in Outdoor Portraits
20 Tips for Getting People to Smile in Photos
How to Avoid Fake Smiles in Your People Photography
Tips for Posing Muscular Female Body Types
Your Posing Guide for Maternity Sessions
Handiwork: How to Pose Hands
Your Guide to Posing Bands in Photography
Posing Tip for Portraits – Which Way Should Your Subject Lean?
Posing Tips – Waistlines, Thighs and Bustlines
3 Posing Tips for Young Siblings
What Everybody Ought to Know About Posing for Portraits
Poser: Achieve Perfect Portrait Expression
Capturing Better Portraits Between Poses
A Posing Technique from A Girl With a Pearl Earring
Tips for Posing Men
COMPOSITION
6 Types of Portrait Backgrounds for Creative Images
6 Tips for Perfect Composition in Portrait Photography
How to Find Great Backgrounds for Outdoor Portraits
How to Make Colors Pop in Your Portraits – Without Using Photoshop
How to Use Foreground Framing to Improve Your Portrait Photography
How to Use Negative Space in People Photography
3 Simple Ways to Use Framing and Layering in Portraits
Is Portrait Formatting always best for Portraits?
Portrait Tip: Don't Fill the Frame
How to Use Portrait Angles More Creatively: A Visual Guide
How to Use Facial View and Camera Angle to take Flattering Portraits
GEAR
Comparing a 50mm Versus 85mm Lens for Photographing People
Comparing a 24mm Versus 50mm Lens for Photographing People
3 Tips for Taking Portraits with a Kit Lens
Best Fujifilm X-Series Kit for Urban Portraits
3 Ways to Get Killer Portraits Using a Tripod
Photographing Portraits with Classic Lenses (includes Example Images)
Portrait Photographers: Do You Really Need a 70-200mm Lens?
Essential Portrait Photography Gear You Need When Starting Out
Portable Portrait Studio in a Bag: Now You Can Take Portraits While on the Road
How to Choose the Perfect Portrait Lens
Which 50mm Lens is Best for Portraits?
ADVANCED GUIDES
13 Tips for Improving Outdoor Portraits
Create Beautiful Indoor Portraits Without Flash (NSFW)
10 Tips for Photographing Great Headshots
3 Simple Ways to Create Stunning Eyes in Your Portrait Photography
11 Tips for Photographing High School Senior Portraits
Tips for Doing Fall Portraits
6 Tips for Photographing Large People
7 Tips for Black and White Portrait Photography
How to Create Environmental Portraits (Tips and Examples)
Capturing Unenthusiastic Teens: Forget the Perfect Pose and Get Photos You Truly Love
Tips for Taking the Torture out of Extended Family Portrait Sessions
Self Portrait Photography Tips
What the Mona Lisa Can Teach You About Taking Great Portraits
5 Tips for Musician Portraits (So You Can Hit All the Right Notes)
5 Tips to Help You Take More Natural Looking Portraits
15 Tips for More Powerful Portraits
How to Create Dramatic Portraits in Your Garage
9 Tips that Make Couples Happy During a Portrait Session
5 Tips for Taking Better Portraits in Nature
Snow Portrait: Behind the Scenes
Tips for Creating Dance Portraits
How to Take Better Beach Portraits at Any Time of Day
The Introverts Guide to Photographing People
6 Ways to Take a Candid Portrait of Somebody You Know
3 Body Language Hacks to Improve Your Portrait Photography
5 More Tips for Making Better Black and White Portraits
Tips for Planning and Capturing a Creative Portrait
5 Tips for Creating Romantic Portraits of Couples
10 Tips to Create Emotive Portraits
7 Tips for Photographing a Bridal Portrait Session
3 Lessons I Learned by Doing a Self-Portrait Project
The Ultimate Guide to Photographing People for the Shy Photographer
Tips for Getting Yourself to Relax as a Photographer and Have More Successful Portrait Sessions
Tips for Taking More Natural Engagement Portraits
6 Tips for Better Portraits on Location
7 Ways to Take Advantage of Autumn in Your Portrait Photography
7 Tips and Etiquette for Taking Portraits in Public
How to Make a Unique Portrait in the City at Night
3 Tips for Creating Outstanding Portraits, Inspired by the work of Dutch Artist Van Gogh
5 Keys to Taking Beautiful Maternity Portraits
Photographing People: To do Styled Portraits or Not?
7 Steps to Capturing Truth in Your Portraiture
Engagement Portrait Shoots: 7 Professional Tips to take your Engagement Shoots to the Next Level
Personalities and Portraits – and Getting Them to Mix
3 Reasons to Have Your Own Portrait Taken
5 Tips for Photographing Portfolio-Worthy Costume Portraits
3 Critical People Skills Portrait Photographers Need
The Essence of Masculinity – Portraits of Men
5 Corporate-Style Portrait Techniques
5 Tips for Doing Portrait Photography in Busy Locations
Tips for Great Beach Sunset Portraits
CREATIVE TECHNIQUES
How to Create Portraits with a Black Background
How Using Props in Portraits Can Make Your Photos More Interesting
How to Take Unique Crystal Ball Portraits
How to Create a Hollywood Film Noir Portrait
How to Create this “Fight Club” Inspired Portrait using One Light
Dragging the Shutter for Creative Portraits
5 Secrets for Creating Perfect Silhouette Portrait Photography
How to do Tilt-Shift Portraits
Copper, Prisms, and Orbs, Oh My! – 3 Creative Techniques for People Photography
Portrait Tip: Add Interest and Movement into Your Shots with Wind
Glitter Portrait: How I Took It
How to Create a Unique Bokeh Portrait for Under $10
5 Ways to Use a Piece of Glass for Unique Portraits [video]
Room with a View: How to Create this Window with Blinds Portrait Anywhere
7 Steps to Perfect White Portrait Backgrounds in the Studio
How to Make Unique Portraits Using Light Painting
POST-PROCESSING
11 Steps for Basic Portrait Editing in Lightroom – A Beginner’s Guide
Five Common Portrait Retouching Mistakes to Avoid
How to Create a Dramatic Cinematic Style Portrait Using Photoshop Color Grading
How to Edit Corporate Headshots in Lightroom
How to Create a Dark and Moody Rembrandt-Style Portrait In Lightroom
How to Retouch a Portrait with the Adjustment Brush in Lightroom
Photoshop: Red Eye Fix for Difficult Cases in People and Pets
3 Steps to Photoshop Retouching for Natural Looking Portraits
How to do Frequency Separation Portrait Retouching in Photoshop
Basic Portrait Post-Processing Workflow Tips to Help You Save Time and Stay Organized
How to Add a Grunge Effect to Your Portraits Using Lightroom
How to Create Twinkle Lights for Christmas Tree Portraits in Photoshop
How to Enhance Portraits Using Gray Layers to Dodge and Burn in Photoshop
How to Blur the Background of a Portrait Using the Magnetic Lasso Tool in Photoshop
How to Use Photoshop Blending Modes for Fine Art Portraiture
Stylized Techniques for Editing Portraits Using Lightroom
How to Make a Bubble Portrait using Photoshop CS3
Creating a Black and White High Contrast Portrait Edit in Lightroom
How to Create a “Soft Portrait” Preset in Lightroom 4
Basic Photoshop Tutorial – How to Add Creative Overlays to Your Portraits
3 Essential Photoshop Tools for New Portrait Photographers
How to Make Creative Lightroom Develop Presets for Portraits
5 Reasons to Use Lightroom for Portrait Retouching
Advanced Portrait Retouch on a Male Subject in Lightroom 4 – Part 1 of 3
3 Ways to Make Selective Color Portraits Using Lightroom and Silver Efex Pro 2
Correcting For Under Exposure and Boosting Dynamic Range with an Environmental Portrait in Lightroom 4
How to do Portrait Retouching With Luminar
Tips for Portrait Processing with ON1 Photo RAW 2018.
5 5 Tips to Cut Your Portrait Editing Time in Half
BUSINESS
Portrait Consultations: Two Questions That Make A Big Difference
How to Shoot a Self Portrait to Support your Brand Identity
INSPIRATION
5 Examples of Beautiful Simple Portraits
DISCUSS: When you Photograph People in Black and White, you Photograph their Souls
21 Inspirational Natural Light Portraits
24 Photos of Perfectly Posed Portraits
19 More Creative Mirror Self Portraits
18 Stunning Self Portraits
Interview with Fine Art Portrait Photographer Bill Gekas
11 Influential Portrait Photographers you Need to Know
Black and White Portraits a Set of Images to Admire
Nadav Kander on Portrait Photography [VIDEO]
21 Spooky Portraits
Inspiring Portraits of Women – a Collection of Images
12.
5 Years of Daily Self Portraits [VIDEO] Interview with Self Portrait and 365 Photographer – Anna Gay
Triptych Portrait Series
8 Striking Portraits from Photograph Einar Erici [Shot in 1930]
An Interview With Underwater Portrait Photographer Sacha Blue
Masters of Photography – Yousuf Karsh Portrait Photographer
21 Fun Images of People Laughing
RESOURCES
Portrait Photography: Secrets of Posing & Lighting [Book Review]
The Luminous Portrait: Book Review
The Portrait Photography Course by Mark Jenkinson – Book Review
The Perfect Portrait Guide – How to Photograph People – Book Review
Improve Your Portraits with these Courses from Ed Verosky
People Photography and Portraits: Best Resources Toolbox
Read more from our Tips & Tutorials category
Darlene Hildebrandt
is an educator who teaches aspiring amateurs and hobbyists how to improve their skills through free articles on her website Digital Photo Mentor and online photography classes.
She also teaches all about photo editing using Lightroom, Photoshop, and Luminar Neo and has courses available on all three.
Classic Portrait Lighting
Continuing the previous topic, together with Liveclasses we recorded a class about classic portrait lighting. This is a detailed hands-on demonstration of how to set up and work with all the main light sources: key, fill, backlight and backlight. In fact, the classic portrait lighting scheme is, one might say, the “mother of all schemes”: you will understand how it is assembled and then, based on this knowledge, you can set any light at all. Link to main article.
Here, traditionally, I decided to add some useful tips and explanations to the class.
1. About “light schemes”
In the beginning, I would like to note that, in fact, there are no clear “light schemes” that many photographers like to talk about so much. Yes, it sounds paradoxical, especially in this post. But believe me, it is! Therefore, when someone says that he will now show the “light scheme”, and even calls it something special, then this can only be taken with a certain stretch.
And if this someone also starts talking about the angles of setting the light and about the settings on the devices, then that's it, put out the light...
In fact, everything is simpler and more complicated at the same time. It's easier - because there are no clear rules on how to set the light, any setting of the light is done for a specific task. Problem solved? Excellent. No matter how it was done. Not resolved? Scroll through the settings. And it’s more difficult, because, alas, there are no clear recipes, all these “place the device at an angle of 45 degrees to the model” are quackery. All people are different, it is possible that such an angle is quite suitable for someone, but absolutely not for someone. To get the result, you need to understand the physics of how light works, you need to know how the equipment works and have experience in setting up light.
In principle, the wording "light scheme" can only be taken as a set of general tips on the use of devices, and nothing more.
Like, like this: “we need five devices, one will play the role of drawing, the second will fill, we will use two more devices for backlight, and the fifth will go as a source for background illumination.” Only in such a context can the phrase "light scheme" be used, perhaps. Okay, we're done with this intro, let's move on to classic portrait lighting.
2. Background
By the way, just as there are no clear schemes of light, there is no clear definition of what “classic portrait lighting” is. In the general case, it is considered that this is the kind of light that we often see in the works of famous portrait painters. Quite unfounded, I must say. We are accustomed to painterly portraits looking a certain way:
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn | Self-portrait (detail) | 1661
And habit, as you know, is a very strong thing. In turn, its formation was influenced by several factors:
First, under most typical conditions, we only have light from one source.
Indeed, in real life, light really comes either from the Sun (during the day) or from the Moon (at night). When the moon is visible during the day, there is no light from it. Yes, there are cases with artificial lighting, there is a reflection of light from different objects, but in general - most of the time we have only one light source. We are used to it.
Second, our light, as a rule, comes from above. The sun, the moon and even the lights in the rooms are all located on top. Situations under the light from below (from a fire, for example) practically do not count, because they are extremely rare and almost never occur in portrait works. Therefore, the most typical lighting for us is when the light comes from somewhere above, maximum from the side.
Moreover, the light from below gives such shadows that look rather atypical for us (we do not encounter such a distribution of shadows in life) and this often causes rejection or even hostility and / or fear. Which, by the way, is quite often used as a technique.
From scaring people with a flashlight that illuminates the face from below, to illuminating the villains in the movie with the help of low light (negative characters should be atypical and this is emphasized by lighting, among other things):
classic portrait lighting, most often painted their portraits in the studio, setting / seating / laying their model next to the window. It was practically the only source of good light:
Jean Alphonse Roehn | Le Peintre et son modèle
We don't take into account all kinds of torches, candles and other torches, you could do such a thing with them that then you would have to redo everything. Even now, with artificial light, everything is not so smooth, what can we say about the old times, when the idea of a classic portrait was just being formed?
Windows in our houses are usually located at a height from the waist and above. Below the belt, windows were not made in houses; windows in the ceilings also appeared relatively recently.
It is these architectural traditions that set the understanding of height for the main source of light (drawing). Its location is perceived as "classic" if it is not too high (not quite on top, because there were no windows in the streams before), and not too low (we have windows from the waist up).
I must say that photographers at first also used windows as the main lighting tool for portrait photography. Photo studios were often located on the top floors of buildings or in attics, there were many windows and photographers opened or closed them as needed to create the right lighting:
Putting all three factors together, it turns out that classic portrait lighting is what we used to see the works of the masters of the past, and they, in turn, wrote their work with one source of light, which was most often a window. Therefore, the imitation of light from a window in a wide variety of options will be thus “classic portrait lighting”.
3. Settings
It is appropriate, I think, to repeat the basic starting settings for shooting in a studio with impulse equipment.
They are:
shooting mode - manual (M)
shutter speed - 1/100 (plus / minus)
ISO - minimum (100 or 200)
aperture - f / 8 (further adjustable at discretion)
power device approximately 80%
But here, of course, there are some nuances.
First of all, in classic portrait lighting you often have to deal not with one light source, but with several at once (at least: with key, fill, backlight/modeling and background light). Power settings, of course, for each device will be individual. Not only that, some devices will fold (both drawing and filling), and some will be with attachments that “eat up” part of the light (with softboxes and / or with honeycombs). Therefore, it is rather pointless to memorize the power installed on different devices. It makes sense to understand the physics of the work of light and then apply this knowledge when setting up devices. I talked about this in detail in this class: How light works in photography.
Secondly, the "stove" from which they dance should be a drawing light source.
The more powerful it is, the easier it is to build all the other components of the black and white pattern later. This situation is due to the fact that not all studio monoblocks have a large degree of adjustment (some are not regulated at all, by the way). If the drawing light is weak, then when setting the fill and / or back / modeling light sources, you may encounter such a situation that you would like to reduce their power, but this is no longer possible - the fixtures are already at a minimum, but still look pretty bright about drawing!
Thirdly, you need to remember that some nozzles can "eat" the light quite noticeably. A softbox, for example, lets in less light, simply because it usually has several layers of diffusion fabric in its construction. In the same way, honeycombs put on reflectors also delay part of the light flux. When building light, this must be taken into account along with the general methods of lighting control (distance and pulse power adjustment).
For more details on working with light sources, see the class itself.
Well, on the plus side, other posts are on the way, in which, I hope, it will be possible to discuss all the subtleties of working with light. Stay with us!
Portrait Lighting: Classic Mistakes
In this article, I'm going to talk about the top five things portrait photographers do wrong. Although there are no hard and fast rules in photography, it is like a slightly out of tune instrument or an oversalted dinner. For experienced photographers, these things may seem obvious, but for beginners they often go unnoticed.
I should also mention that, like any other art form, photography is subjective, so there will always be people who agree or disagree with my classification of “mistakes”. History lectures tell that the Berlin Wall fell at 1989, mathematicians teach that 2 + 2 = 4. We call these facts . But in the world of art, everything is not so rigidly limited and not so simple.
Of course, there are situations in which you can break the "rules" for artistic reasons, but if you want to achieve a commercial level, it is worth paying attention to the topics discussed in the article, as I have been teaching portrait photographers how to work in the studio for years. My students, who listened to the advice, noticed a significant increase in filming fees.
You may or may not listen, but if you avoid such disadvantages when working with clients (and if they are not photographers themselves), you are guaranteed to be able to increase your income.
1. Glare
This error is very easy to avoid if you know what to look for. It is also easy to notice in the finished photo. Of course, this is the absence of glare in the eyes. Glare appears due to the direct reflection of the main light. If they are, then you are shaping the eyes. Otherwise, the eyes will look empty and lifeless.
I've seen CGI used in filmmaking to remove glare from the eyes, thus emphasizing the death of a character. Highlights are undoubtedly a powerful indicator of life, so if you position the light above the head of the model and move it forward a little, you will get a properly lit face and eyes will get a sparkle.
If you imagine a wall clock, the highlights should appear at 10, 11, 12, 1, or 2.
When they get below 9 or 3 o'clock, a backlight from below is created, which is another mistake.
The eyes in this photo look very dark and lifeless because no light is shining on them. As a result, there are no glare.
Here we have clear, visible highlights, and the model's face has become less menacing.
There are many reasons why you can't get glare on your eyes, but it's usually because the model is looking down or the lamp is too high.
By lowering the height of the lamp so that it is directly above the camera, you will get enough light and your eyes will get the right shine.
2. Downlight
Downlight occurs when the lamp is placed under the subject relative to the camera. When shooting horror films in the 60s, if it was necessary to make a monster or creature more scary, it was lit from below. The reason is that we are used to seeing the surrounding people when the light falls from above. We go outside and the sun illuminates us from a height, and when we go into the room, we fall under the light of the lamps on the ceiling.
It is so ingrained in our visual perception of the world that illuminating the face from any other point automatically signals to the brain that something is wrong. While this is painfully obvious and few people will try to light a model from below, I still see this problem quite often when photographers decide to use a fill light.
Downlight effect appears if there is more fill light than main light. I see this mistake all the time, and even professionals often make it. Not too long ago, a corporate executive from one or the leading camera companies posted a portrait shot with terrible backlighting. Therefore, not only enthusiasts make mistakes.
Fortunately, the problem is easy to fix. Just turn down the power of the lamp used to create the fill light. Yes, that's all. It is enough to turn down the brightness. In practice, if you are not sure, it is worth taking a few test shots with different lamp power, and then taking the best shot as a standard. It's very easy to pick the best shot when they're side by side.
There is no fill light in this shot. This is a pretty good shot and the lack of fill light is much better than its excessive abundance.
Here I have switched on the fill lamp. If you place two photos side by side, it becomes obvious how bad this one looks. However, this may not be noticeable during operation, so be careful.
For the last frame, I reduced the power significantly. If you hadn't seen the original shot, you wouldn't even have noticed the extra lamp. This is the kind we always want.
A simple small softbox on the floor was all that was needed to add a little fill light.
Tip: If you are photographing several people in turn, for example, taking a series of portraits for a company, pay attention to each person. If you want to photograph a 2 meter male first and then a 1.6 meter female, adjust and move both lamps accordingly. Otherwise, the lady will be much closer to the fill light than to the main light. Guess what will come of this? Horrible bottom lighting effect just because you didn't change the position of the light.
3. Separating the model from the background
This point is debatable and is more based on preference. I've seen good results in both cases, but as a rule of thumb, if you're just starting out with lighting, it's best to avoid this. The essence of the technique is to show the shape and form with the help of shadow or lack of light. For example, if you photograph a model with only one lamp and put it too far from the background, then the background along with the shadowed side of the face will be very dark.
In this case, the background and the shadow side become visually indistinguishable and the eye cannot understand where the subject ends and the background begins. Very often this leads to the fact that in the frame the model seems larger than it really is. This technique is not necessarily a mistake, but a better result can be achieved.
If you have only one light source, place the model and equipment closer to the wall, allowing the light to diffuse into the surrounding area and making the background brighter.
This is a very simple technique that becomes obvious once explained, but it is also effective and makes a huge difference, especially if you only have one light source.
This lighting is not a technical error, but it makes it almost impossible to see the separation between model and background. It's not very good.
This image stands out much more visually, and the model looks more attractive due to the context provided by the background.
This is how the arrangement looks for a darker background. The lamp and the model are placed at a considerable distance from the wall, so the result is much less detail.
Sometimes you don't need more equipment to improve your shot, it's smarter to use the tools you have. Thus, with the same arrangement and lighting, you can create a completely different picture. Just move the model and lamp closer to the wall and let the light diffuse to create a nice backdrop.
4. Shadows
This bug is subtle and often hard to get rid of, but it's always worth remembering.
My basic lighting rule is that you should always strive to create "pure light". Pure light doesn't scream "hey look, I'm using 6 bulbs", it complements the model and nothing more.
Remember I talked earlier about adding a fill light? It greatly improved the picture, but at the same time remained almost invisible. That's what I call pure light.
If you want an example of the purest light, you can ask automotive photographers. High-quality shooting of cars is one of the most difficult disciplines to master in our field. If the lamps are not positioned correctly when lit, the shiny surface of the body will instantly lose its clear lines and shape. Automotive photographers never use extra lamps, and those that are available are placed with absolute precision. I have seen some people place the lamps so that the glare appears only on the wheel cover, but in no case on the body of the car. These guys are very patient!
It takes a little more time to learn how to create "pure light", because at first it is not entirely clear what exactly we are looking for.
First, pay attention to the shadows on the face of the model. Here you can see that the shadow from the nose does not merge with the shadow on the cheek. Because of this, the nose visually appears larger.
Sometimes you don't even need to change the position of the lamps, just work with the model's pose. By simply turning your head, you can correct the position of the shadows by merging some of them and getting a cleaner shot.
This is a very simple arrangement to show that the problem becomes much more obvious when using hard light sources such as tubes.
It is worth mentioning that often it is not even necessary to adjust the position of the lamps. It is enough to ask the model to slightly change the pose. For example, I asked her to turn her head further away from the lamp to unify the shadows. Or she could, on the contrary, turn closer to the light and then all unwanted shadows would disappear.
Fortunately, getting the right shadows is a lot easier than it looks.
You just need to keep an eye on it. For the example above, I used one lamp to prove my point, however, each additional light must be placed with equal care. One thing that portrait and car photographers have in common is that our subjects move a lot, but with the right approach, this can be used to our advantage.
In the image above, I've focused on the shadow of the nose. It is very clearly visible that the shadow ends, then light falls on the cheek and a shadow appears from the cheekbone. I find this kind of lighting messy and creating more distracting elements than needed. When I asked the model to turn its head slightly to the right, the gap between the shadow areas disappeared. This creates the feeling of a single shaded area and it is this lighting that I call "clear".
Of course, I could have asked her to turn her head to the left and remove the shadows altogether. This option could also be called pure light.
It seems like a small thing, but imagine a situation where you have a fill light, hair lamp and background light installed at the same time.
In such a situation, the lighting will very quickly become sloppy and awkward.
Pay attention to additional shadows and, if possible, adjust the lighting to avoid them, or better yet, ask the subject to change position or location.
5. Improper hair lighting
The placement of hair lights is another example of a situation where everything looks good until you are shown that it can look better. First you need to know why you are going to highlight your hair. Are you trying to emphasize the shape of the hairstyle, or do you just want to clearly separate the subject from the background? These are all logical reasons, and with a little care, good lighting can help you achieve your goals.
Most of the time, unless it's a specific hair-focused shoot where I need to place multiple lights for additional lighting, my main goal is to create a clear separation between model and background. Imagine that the studio has a dark background and the model has very dark hair.
You will quickly notice how they merge. A simple solution in this situation would be additional lamps.
Now that we know why we need hair highlights, how do we do it right? The first step is the location of the lamps. This is very important, since you need to change their arrangement for different subjects. As an initial rule, you can remember the following - the lamp should be behind your back and directed forward, being turned to the edges of your head.
Next, place the lamps far enough away so that the light does not hit the face and does not create glare on the tips of the nose or lips. This may sound obvious, but notice how many shots have hair highlights that create annoying highlights that detract from facial features. Ask yourself, “Which photo looks better, the one that has a lot of highlights on the face or the one that doesn’t?” The mistake will become incredibly obvious, but you'd be surprised how many professional photographers make it.
Another key factor is lamp power.
I usually try to use the minimum amount of light. Remember, flash shooting is never a "watch how many bulbs I use" approach. The light needs to complement the subject, so often the extra lights are less powerful than you might think.
In this photo we have a classic main and fill light setup. Just like in the bottom highlight section, there is some fill light here that softens the shadows under the jaw, but the hair looks flat.
Here I have placed two lamps behind the back of the model and they are facing the camera. Because of this, a lot of excess appears in the picture. Yes, we lightened the hair, but, in addition, we got multiple highlights that distracted attention.
Here I have only adjusted the hair lights. The difference is obvious. We gave the hair shape and detail, but got rid of unwanted highlights on the face.
This is a classic simple arrangement before adding hair lights.
We want to make the hair more voluminous and detailed, so we add a couple of lights.
Unfortunately, along with highlighting the hair, we illuminated the face of the model, as the lamps are too close.
This problem is easily solved by moving the lamps further and directing them as shown in the screenshot.
Conclusion
Here they are, typical lighting mistakes. I find them very easy to avoid with the right light. Again, this is all quite subjective and there are always cases where you can neglect the "rules" of lighting. However, if you're just starting out or just feel like your skills are lacking, these 5 tips will definitely help.
At the beginning of the article, I also mentioned the commercial value of my advice. I rarely do this because photography is an art form and art has very few rules. But I noticed that these rules became a big part of the introductory lighting course I did for beginners, so I thought I'd share them.
Everyone takes pictures for different reasons, but professional photographers rarely take pictures for other photographers, so you need to keep in mind the client's vision of a "great" shot.
