Tips You Are Looking For Studio Lighting Techniques
Every photographer knows that light is the main instrument to create a great portrait. Here we offer you a simple classification of studio lighting schemes that will help you to achieve the best results. You can also read our Tips on Portrait Lighting Schemes.
Types Of Light Sources
- Fill, fill-in light. An
additional light sources with soft boxes, diffusers, etc. You can also
use reflector panels, background light, kicker and hair light
for filling effect. Often barn doors should be used to prevent different unnecessary reflections or illumination of the area you need
to stay in the dark.
The Order Of Setting The Flashes Up
First of all you need to set up the background
light and then hair light. This order will allow you to see what
effect these light sources produce. Next step can be setting up your fill light and the last step - key light. It's also important to see what effect each of the source creates, turning off other flashes.
There are several types of lighting up a model's face: broad lighting and short lighting (and frontal, side, back and 3/4 light as their variants)
I. Broad Lighting - full lighting of the face side that is turned to the camera.
variants of broad lighting
1. Three-Quarter Lighting: Broad. Universally located key light for official photography with different
types of faces. The lighting source is set near the camera so as to
light up turned to the camera side of the face. The shadow is minimized
because it's appearing on the "narrow" side of the face. It's the most
appropriate lighting type for normal and narrow faces. It's also
acceptable to use it if the face isn't turned out of the camera.
2. Paramount (butterfly, glamour lighting). Its name comes from the famous Paramount studio. It is a soft and "female" key light, directed straight to the model's
face, which allows to idealize the skin to a maximum.
The key light is placed right above the eye level, the fill-in one -
below the key light. Reflector can also be put from the side. A
symmetrical shadow from the nose is formed, which should reach half of
the length to the lips.
3. Loop (a variant on Paramount lighting).
Loop lighting causes the shadowing to form a subtle loop on the cheek
closest to the key light. Your Key Light should be lower than that used
with Paramount Lighting and moved in closer toward the background. The
Fill Light should be even with the camera and up higher while remaining
opposite your Key Light.
Loop Lighting helps broaden the face and works very well with narrow
faces with ruddy skin. The loop from the nose area should not touch the
shadow area on the side of the face. It is the most flattering light
scheme. At the same time, it creates a nice three-dimensional effect of
model's face and body.
II. Short lighting - full illumination of the face side turned out of
the camera; partial (narrow) illumination of the face side, turned to
the camera. These schemes are useful when photographing wide faces. A short light is more dramatic since the viewer sees more shadow. It also thins the face slightly.
 3/4 light  side lightback light
variants of short lighting
1. Three-Quarter Lighting: Short.
The lighting is in 3 quarters: universal arrangement of the key light
for different facial types. The key light is set up to illuminate the
side of the face, turned aside from the camera. Minimizing of the
illuminated side visually narrows the face. It is an acceptable
lighting solution, even if the model turns the head during shooting
aside.
2. Rembrandt (45 degree lighting).
Dramatic, "male" lighting in mood. The source of the key light is
placed on the level of the cheek. It is not a bright light. On the
shadowing side of the face a typical light triangle is being formed with the height, approximately equaling to the height of the nose and width of an eye.
3. Split. The lighting creates the effect similar to a burning candle: only one part of the face is illuminated. Key light is on the level of the nose and moved off a bit. The fill
light can be lifted up or shifted closer to the camera. It is also
effective for a significant "narrowing" of the face, nose, hiding any
facial defects.
4. Profile/Rim.
Profile/contour lighting. The key light (when shooting a model's
profile) is placed behind the object (a person looks at the reflector
or at the source of the fill light).
Profile/Rim.
You should create a contour lighting with the help of the key light. When using the fill light
to highlight the hair-cut, the light source is usually lifted up a bit.
More about light as an artistic instrument read in our article 5 Photo Composition Hints. The Fifth Element - Light. Also read this article that describes 16 lighting schemes more.
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