Top Portrait Photography Lighting Styles

There are many different lighting styles when it comes to portrait photography. Really, the lights can be adjusted so much, placed in so many different locations, that it just comes down to the photographer’s preference and creative vision. But, for the photographer just getting started in a professional photo studio, whether at home or in a photography studio rental, here’s a little help. There are five basic lighting styles used in portrait photography in professional photo studios: Rim, Paramount, Loop, Rembrandt and Split.

Rim Lighting

This dramatic style is also known as profile lighting and it’s often used when your model’s head is turned at a 90-degree angle from the lens. Rim lighting is used to accent a person’s elegant features. The key light sits behind the model to illuminate their profile and to produce a highlight on the edge of their face. In addition, the key light highlights their neck and hair. Try to make sure the center of the accent is on the face though. The fill light is placed on the same side as the key light and the shadows are filled in with a reflector. You can also use a hair light opposite the key light to separate the model’s hair from the background.

Paramount Lighting

This type of lighting may also be known as butterfly lighting. It’s basically a feminine style which provides a symmetrical and butterfly type of shadow underneath the nose of the subject. It typically emphasizes the skin and high cheekbones. Paramount lighting isn’t used often when photographing men since it can make their eye sockets and cheeks appear too hollow. In paramount lighting, you place the key light directly in front of the model’s face and high up parallel to the vertical line of their nose. The fill light should be positioned at head level of the subject and right underneath the key light. Both the fill and key lights are on the same side of your camera so a reflector should be placed opposite them and close to your subject as this will fill in any deep shadows on their shaded cheek and the neck. The hair light is placed opposite the key light and should be used to light just the hair and not the face. The background light will be behind your subject and lower down.

Loop Lighting

This type of lighting is basically a version of paramount lighting and is often used for subjects with oval or average-shaped faces. The key light will be lower and to the side of your subject to create a shadow under their nose which resembles a small loop on the shadowed side of the face. The fill light is positioned on the opposite side of the key light and closer to the subject-camera axis. Make sure the fill light doesn’t cast a shadow. The background and hair lights can be used the same as in paramount lighting.

Rembrandt Lighting

This style is named after the famous Dutch artist Rembrandt, who illuminated his subjects with skylights. In portrait photography, the shadowed cheek of your subject will show a small triangular-shaped highlight. This dramatic lighting style is commonly used with male models and is often used with a weak fill light as this will accentuate the highlight on the shadowed-side. The key light is placed further away from and lower to the side when compared to paramount and loop lighting. The fill light will be similar to loop lighting, but the hair light is generally a bit closer to your subject to create more brilliant hair highlights. The background light will be placed in the standard position, but kickers can be utilized to delineate the sides of your model’s face and add brilliant highlights to their shoulders and face. Just be sure that the lights aren’t shining directly into the lens of the camera.

Split Lighting

The key light will illuminate just half of the subject’s face in split lighting. This style has a good slimming effect as it can appear to narrow a wide nose and/or face. Facial irregularities can also be hidden when used in combination with weak fill light. If you use split lighting without a fill light it can be quite dramatic. The key light will be moved further to the subject’s side and lower down. The fill, hair, and background lighting are used in the normal positions. Split lighting will basically divide the subject’s face in half with one side being shadowed and the other highlighted.

3 Studio Light Schemes with Just One Strobe

Sometimes a project doesn’t have much room in its budget and you find yourself working with the bare essentials in a professional photo studio, with little to no idea of how to make it work. Don’t lose hope though because those small budget projects can be just as creative with a little imagination! A strobe light for instance is not only affordable but it can also create hundreds of looks. So rather than scroll through page after page of people’s ideas and tips, why don’t you find out what the best three are right now?

The Softbox Position

If you are a fan of Benoit Linard’s use of lighting then you might be pleasantly pleased to hear that his simple yet strikingly soft lighting look can be created with relative ease. This isn’t the only plus point though as all you need to create the look is a bare strobe light positioned far right of the camera and a softbox positioned far left. The look is easy to recreate by having your model stand close to the softbox.

The Suntan Position

The suntan position is a fantastic strobe light setup that can create stunning portraits. It creates powerful up-close shots by its use of continuous light which is reflected onto the subject. The look is created by having the subject surrounded by three reflectors in the suntan positions. The suntan positions are to both sides and one right at front. The bare strobe light needs to be positioned to either side of the reflectors. This particular positioning of the reflectors creates shots that illuminate the eyes and features of the subject.

The Blind Position

Sometimes it can be hard to create a great lighting look when you are working in a small space. However that doesn’t mean that it can’t be done. If you are shooting on location then there will be a whole range of objects you could use to manipulate the light. If you are working in a professional studio then you will have props. One of the best props to create a stunning image is a blind. Placing your strobe light behind a partially open blind and cutting out all other lights will create a striking visual look. These are just three of hundreds of ideas out there that can help you turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. A strobe light might not seem like much but once you have fully unlocked your creative demon then you will realize in some situations it’s actually all that you need. Often the best creative works start out as simple ideas and once those ideas flourish so do the finished products. Letting your imagination get the better of you is how great ideas are born and that’s why, with just a strobe light you can create something magnificent. It doesn’t matter whether you chose a professional photo studio or a filming location; your strobe light really could become your best friend.