Portraits Lightning Schemes
In this post we will speak about different lighting schemes for portrait photography. But first I recommend you reading Portrait Tips, where you will find very useful advice.
What is the best point to shoot a portrait?
- When you shoot head portraits, it is advisable to place a camera at the eye level.
- Place your camera at chin level for torso portraits.
- Shoot full-length portraits from the waist level.
First of all remember that an image will look more natural and soft, if the model sits or stands in a convenient pose. The model can look or not look in the camera, but in any case the photographer should focus the camera on the nearest eye. If it is in focus, everything can be a little bit out-of-focus and a final image will look all right. If the eye is out-of-focus, it is a fatal mistake.
Eyes of a model show a his/her intellect, reflects his/her personality and that is why they are of utmost importance nearly in any portrait. If we can’t see the eyes of a model, the photographer should focus on the nearest ear.
Most portraits require a narrow DOF, because we don’t want to distract the viewer’s attention from the main subject. The main subjects in the portrait are the eyes, lips, nose, etc, i.e. the face. Sometimes it is advisable to include other parts of body, for example hands. Often wrinkled hands of old people are used as a symbol of wisdom and hard work. In this case, it is better to make a photo more contrast.
Lighting schemes
Here comes some basic lighting schemes for portrait photography. It is recommended to use diffused lighting source. The best variant is a soft box. Often photographers use umbrellas as well.
Lighting Scheme 1. Place two lighting sources at an angle of 45 degrees and you will get three-dimensional images.
Lighting Scheme 2. One lighting source is directed from the camera level, an other is situated at an acute angle form a 2,5 – 3 meter height. The head of a model is illuminated with a narrow back light. Background is lightened with the force lighting source. That will help you to get an expressive high-contrast lighting scheme.
To create soft lighting, direct your lighting sources on the ceiling and on the wall, where there is a white screen. In this case the model is illuminated only by reflected lighting.
Lighting Scheme 3. You can use only one lighting source with a reflector – that is the easiest technique.
Lighting Scheme 4. Direct lighting from the camera. That is not the best solution, and recommended only for photos for documents.
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