Portrait Lighting

Photography, in all its many forms, is about light. The word “photography” literally means painting with light . So in order to master any form of photography, portraiture included, you must have a thorough knowledge of lighting, and how to use it. For this reason, there is a vast amount of information available about photography lighting; way more than could fit into one article. Here, we will cover some of the basics.

Lighting Options

All photographers should begin by gaining an understanding of natural light. If you first learn how to control the light provided by Mother Nature, it will be much easier to transition into using studio lighting. The first and most important rule to learn is to avoid direct light. Whether it's coming from the sun, an on-camera flash, or studio lighting, direct light is harsh and unflattering to the subject. The best times to shoot outside are early in the morning, late in the afternoon or early evening, or when the skies are overcast. If you are shooting inside, try to use the natural light coming in through windows, if possible.

When shooting with available light, you may often want to add a bit more light to the subject. You may be tempted to use the pop-up flash on your camera. But remember, that would be direct light, and would ruin the otherwise soft lighting on your subject. Instead, here are a few options. If you have a hot shoe flash, why not use it, and reflect it off the ceiling if you're indoors.

This will provide more soft, diffused lighting. There are also a wide variety of flash modifiers available that will always provide amore pleasing result than direct flash. For those of you looking for a cheaper solution – Use a white 3x5 note card and attach it to your flash (with the flash pointed up). Either leave the 3x5 card straight up and allow the light to reflect that way, or bend it forward slightly to point more of the reflected light towards your subject. Different angles will produce different results. Other options for filling in shadows are reflectors, or just a piece of white foam core (which you can find at any craft store). Reflectors often have gold or silver sides. The silver side will reflect cooler tones and the gold side, warmer tones. However, a white piece of foam core will also work just fine, and is much cheaper.


After you've mastered the art of using natural light, you may wish to begin learning about studio lighting. Most studio lights will fall into one of two categories – continuous lighting or strobes. Most portrait photographers prefer strobes, although continuous lighting is growing in popularity. For many years the only continuous lighting available was “hot lights” – bulbs that would, quite literally, get hot and make the subjects uncomfortable. They were also not daylight balanced, giving a yellow cast to the photos. There are many lights like this still out there. However, there are more and more continuous lights becoming available that are daylight balanced fluorescent bulbs that don't get hot. If you should choose to use continuous lighting, this would be your best option. These types of lights, as well as the strobes, are good options for studio lighting.

It is just as important with studio lighting to avoid direct light. Reflectors still have a place in the studio and are often used in place of a fill-light. In addition, the studio light is generally either reflected or diffused, to give a softer, more pleasing result. Soft boxes are one popular tool used to diffuse the light. Umbrellas are another popular choice, and can be used to reflect the light, or diffuse the light, depending on the umbrella. Truly, there are a wide variety of options when you're working in the studio, all with differing results. You'll want to figure out what your own preferences are.


Basic Lights

These are the four main types of lights, and their purposes:

Main Light – This is the primary light source, the most powerful light on the subject. It is also sometimes called the Key Light.

Fill Light – This is the secondary light source, a less powerful light than the main light. It is used to fill in shadows created by the Main Light, and create a feeling of three dimensions. As was mentioned above, reflectors can often replace Fill Lights.


Background Light – This light can be used in two ways – either to light the background, or to light the back of the subject's head. This helps create a separation between the subject and the background, adding more depth to the photo. In some setups, such as high key photos with a white backdrop, you may wish to have two Background Lights, to ensure the background is lit enough.

Hair Light – This is a small light suspended above the subject (often on a boom stand) that casts a small amount of light on the head. This creates highlights in the hair, and, like the Background Light, serves to create separation between the subject and background.

Light Patterns and Setups

The possibilities of variations with lighting are endless. However, here are some of the more commonly used styles.

 

Broad

In Broad Lighting, the main light is used to illuminate the side of the face that is turned towards the camera

 

Short

Short Lighting is basically the opposite of Broad Lighting. The main light illuminates the side of the face that is turned away from the camera.

 

 

Butterfly

In Butterfly Lighting, the main light is positioned directly in front of the subject, and then raised to a level to create a shadow under the nose.

 

 

 

Loop

For Loop Lighting, position the light slightly above the camera and directly in front of the subject, like in Butterfly Lighting. Then move the light to the side slightly to create the shadows.

 

 

 

 

Clamshell

Clamshell lighting uses a main light and a reflector. The main light is placed directly in front of and above the subject. A reflector is placed under the main light, so as to reflect light up into the shaded areas created by the main light. Viewed from the side, this set up looks like a clam – thus the name.

 

 

 

 

Split

Split lighting is exactly what it sounds like – when the light splits the subject's face. Place the light far off to the side of the subject. The light should be at approximately the same height as the subject's head. This can be used to create dramatic portraits.

 

 

 

 

 

Rembrandt

Named for the painter who used this lighting in his work, Rembrandt lighting places the main light high on the side of the face that is away from the camera. This is also great for dramatic results.

 

 

 

 

 


For most lighting patterns (unless stated otherwise) the main light should always be slightly higher than the subject's head, to create the most flattering lighting. If you go too high, you will lose the catchlights in the eyes. Catchlights are important to create life in the eyes. Without them, eyes appear flat and lifeless.

Now that you are armed with some basic information about portrait lighting, go start shooting and applying it! And remember to have fun out there!

 

 

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