Lighting a Portrait Photograph

Preparation for my music magazine

photo shoot

Preparation for my Photo Shoot

As part of the preparation for my music magazine photo shoot, I have done some research into lighting. As I will be taking the images for my front cover first, I am going to research into lighting a portrait photograph because this is the type of image I will be taking.

Lighting a Portrait Photograph

According to Darlene Hildebrandt, a professional photographer, there are four main lighting patterns that can be used when taking a portrait photograph: split lighting, loop lighting, Rembrandt lighting, and butterfly lighting. In addition to these patterns there is also broad lighting and short lighting which are defined more as lighting styles, and can be used with any of the four different types of portrait lighting.

CatchlightsWhen taking any portrait photograph, it is important to have a catchlight in at least one of the subject’s eyes to give them some life and ‘sparkle’. Catchlight also helps to lighten the iris and brighten the eye overall. Without the catchlight, the subject will appear dull, dark and lifeless.

But what is a catchlight?A catchlight is a reflection of the light source used to create the photograph in the subject’s eyes.

Split LightingSplit lighting splits the face into two halves, making one half of the face appear well-lit and leaving the other half in shadow. It is usually used to create dramatic photographs, especially of musicians and artists, so this is a lighting technique which I will definitely attempt when I take my photos. However, it is mainly used on men over women and therefore might not look quite right on my female model, but there are no set rules of this pattern and I will be able to play around with the lighting by controlling the brightness and using other lights, until it looks right.

How to Achieve Split Lighting

To achieve split lighting, simply place a light source 90 degrees to the left or right of the subject, and possibly adjust it so that it’s slightly behind their head. How far away you place the light from the subject will depend on their face. Just keep trying different positions and adjusting accordingly. In true split lighting, only the eye on the shadowy side of the face picks up any light, and if by rotating their head slightly to achieve this their cheek also picks up some of the light, it is possible that their face just isn’t ideal for split lighting.

Loop LightingLoop lighting is made by creating a small shadow of the subjects noses on their cheeks. To create loop lighting, the light source must be slightly higher than eye level and about 30-45 degrees from the camera but this does vary from person to person and I will have to make some adjustments according to my subject’s face. I will need to keep the shadow small and slightly downward pointing, but be aware of having my light source too high which will create odd shadows and cause loss of the catchlights. Loop light is probably the most common or popular lighting pattern as it is easy to create and flatters most people. For this reason, it is another lighting pattern which I will attempt to use when taking my photographs.

Reflectors and Loop Lighting

As shown in this diagram, it may be easier to use a white reflector to get the light to come in at the angle you want it to. Changing the placement of the reflector can change the lighting pattern. However, don’t have the reflector low and angle it up as this lights up the bottom of your subject’s nose which isn’t flattering!

Rembrandt LightingRembrandt lighting is named after Rembrandt, the painter, as this is the pattern of light that he usually used in his paintings. It can be identified by a triangle of light on the cheek. Unlike in loop lighting where the shadow of the nose and cheek do not touch, in Rembrandt lighting they do meet which is what creates the trapped little triangle of light in the middle . To create proper Rembrandt lighting, I need to make sure the eye on the shadow side of the face has light in it and specifically a catch light, otherwise the eye will be “dead” and not have a nice sparkle. Rembrandt lighting is more dramatic, so like split lighting it creates more mood and a darker feel to your image. I may also attempt to use this lighting technique as I want to create an image with a sense of mood.

How to Achieve Rembrandt Lighting

In order to achieve Rembrandt lighting, the subject should turn slightly away from the light. The light must be above their head so that their nose can create the triangular shadow. Not every person’s face is ideal for Rembrandt lighting, but if they have prominent cheek bones, it will probably work, but if they have a small nose or a flat bridge of the nose it may be difficult to achieve. If you are using window light and the window goes down to the floor, you may have to block off the bottom portion with a gobo or card, to achieve this type of lighting.

Butterfly LightingButterfly lighting is aptly named for the butterfly shaped shadow that is created under the nose by placing the main light source above and directly behind the camera. Essentially, the photographer is shooting underneath the light source for this pattern. It is most often used for glamour style shots and to create shadows under the cheeks and chin. It is also flattering for older subjects as it emphasizes wrinkles less than side lighting. I will steer clear of this type of lighting when I take the photographs for my music magazine to prevent it from looking like a glamour magazine.

How to Achieve Butterfly Lighting

As mentioned previously, to create butterfly lighting, the light source needs to be directly behind the camera, and slightly above eye or head level (depending on the subject). It is sometimes supplemented by placing a reflector underneath your subject’s chin, which they sometimes even hold themselves! This type of lighting suits people with a slim face and prominent cheek bones the best. A hard light source is usually required to create this lighting pattern.

Broad LightingBroad lighting isn’t so much a lighting pattern as a lighting style. It is often used alongside lighting patterns. It is specifically when the subject’s face is slightly turned away from centre, and the side of the face which is toward the camera appears broader as it is in the light because this angle produces a larger area of light on the face, and a shadow side which appears smaller. Broad lighting is sometimes used for “high key” portraits as it can make a person’s face look broader or wider (hence the name) and can be used on someone with a very slim face to widen it. Most people however want to look slimmer, not wider so this type of lighting would not be appropriate for someone who is round faced.

Short LightingShort lighting is another lighting style, and it is essentially the opposite of broad lighting. Again, the subject is turned slightly away from centre but the face is turned towards the light source this time, putting the side turned towards the camera (that appears larger) in more shadow. As it is putting more of the face in shadow, it is more sculpting, and it can add 3D qualities. It is often used for low-key, darker portraits and is slimming and flattering for most people.

Broad and Short LightingI will experiment with both broad and short lighting during my photos shoot to see which style of lighting suits my model’s face best, although I suspect it will be short lighting as I want my photographs to be well sculpted with a lot of definition.

My Photo ShootTo take my photographs I will be using a Canon Eos 400D camera. I will be starting with it mounted onto a tripod to create a well-framed, stable shot, but I expect to take it off as the shoot progresses so that I can get a better close up shot by getting closer to my model’s face without the tripod. Having the camera hand-held when it is so close up to my model’s face should also be less intimidating for her, allowing me to get a more natural shot. However, I will need to take extra care when holding the camera to make sure that I don’t move my hands so that I can focus the image properly. I will also be using three hard lights and a soft light to create my lighting patterns, although I will not use hard and soft light together as they do not work well together when photographing people. I also have a silver light reflector to help me to create some of the different lighting patterns. In addition to this, I will position my model in front of a blue screen so that I can edit the background of the photograph for my music magazine.