Transcription
In today's video, I'm going to talk about the nine types of portrait lighting that all photographers need to know, whether they're on location or in the studio. You've probably heard or seen the phrase "lighting pattern" before. It's just a fancy way of describing how shadows fall on your subject's face. Understanding lighting patterns is fundamental knowledge that all of us need to have when choosing how to light our subjects.
And if you're a natural light shooter, don't think for a second that this is some fancy stuff only those of us flash photographers need to know. I'm also not really a fan of giving everything photographers do a name. Sure, it makes it easier to talk about, but let's be honest, your clients aren't going to come to you and say, "I absolutely love your Rembrandt lighting, can you do that for me?" Additionally, just because a technique has a name doesn't automatically make it good or suitable for every situation.
With that said, let's explore the nine different lighting patterns and how they can be used effectively. To better illustrate this concept, let's imagine a clock with the camera positioned at six, facing twelve, and the model standing right in the middle. The hours around the face will represent the different positions for our light sources. These sources could be a flash, or they could be the sun.
The first thing I want to talk about is split lighting. Split lighting involves setting a single light at either nine or three o'clock, resulting in one side of the subject's head being illuminated while the other side is in shadow. This technique can create interesting contrast, but it may not always be a flattering choice, especially if your subject has a lot of wrinkles. In fact, I must admit that I personally find this lighting pattern to be less than ideal, and to showcase my reservations about it, I had to delve deep into my archive to find an example. And surprisingly, the first image that I came to was a test image from 2019. So, you can see I'm really not a fan.
Backlight or Rim lighting. When the light is behind your subject at twelve o'clock, it can result in beautiful rim lighting. I love to pose my subjects in profile with a black foam board between them and a large octabox. If the light source is a lot larger than the card, you will probably get a catchlight on their eye. But if you don't get one automatically, there is a little trick that you can use. First, have the subject stand in profile facing your left, and then have them turn their head slightly towards the light. Then, if you shift over to your left, you can probably capture the perfect silhouette with light on their eyelids. Of course, you can have them face right and turn slightly left, and you can wiggle over to your right as well.
Butterfly lighting. Butterfly lighting results when you place a light source slightly above and in front of your model at six o'clock. The resulting shadow under their nose and their nostrils is said to resemble a butterfly, but let's be real, not everyone sees it. I know that I don't really see it. If you place the light too high, you could end up with dark shadows covering their eyes from their deep-set eye sockets, or there won't be any catchlights, which is a reflection of the light in their eyes. If this happens, just turn on the modeling light and lower the modifier until you see a reflection in their pupils.
Clamshell lighting. Clamshell lighting is achieved by combining butterfly lighting with a reflector or a light placed underneath as a fill light source. From the side view, it resembles the shape of an open clam shell. This technique creates flattering light for a lot of people because the fill source fills in the wrinkles.
Loop lighting. Loop lighting involves positioning the main light just above eye level at approximately five or seven o'clock. This creates subtle shadows on one side of your subject's nose and is generally pleasing for most people. If their nose bends to one side, you might get better results if you light on the side their nose bends towards. My nose goes very slightly to my right, so I always light myself from the right. That's the reason you always see me lit the same way.
The next thing I want to talk about is Rembrandt lighting. Rembrandt lighting is named after the Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. I think I guess that's why we always just call him Rembrandt. And it's achieved by placing the light closer to four or eight o'clock. The light source should be far enough away to allow the shadow from the subject's nose to extend towards the shadow from their cheekbone. This technique also results in an upside-down triangle-shaped light patch under the eye opposite of the main light. While not suitable for all faces, Rembrandt lighting offers a captivating and artistic look that I personally love, and I use it frequently alongside loop lighting.
Short lighting. Short lighting involves positioning the light source similarly to Rembrandt lighting, but you also turn the subject towards the light. This technique can have a slimming effect on the subject because most of their face will be in shadow.
Broad lighting. Broad lighting is similar to Rembrandt lighting, but the subject is slightly turned away from the light source. In this position, both eyes should receive light, and the face will likely appear broader by virtue of the fact that more of it will be illuminated from the ear to the nose tip. So, this might be good for male subjects and traditionally is not seen as a good thing for female subjects. For most female subjects, you'd want to short light them in order to make their face look slimmer by only illuminating this part of their face. I might have a little too much fill over here, but just know that that is the concept, and you'll see it in the examples.
The next thing I want to talk about is cross lighting. To achieve cross lighting, place the main light source at four o'clock or five o'clock and an edge light at ten o'clock or eleven o'clock, or you could flip it. This technique creates a dramatic image with a three-dimensional look.
Knowing these lighting patterns can be invaluable. However, it's important to remember that each technique should be employed thoughtfully, considering the unique characteristics of your subject's face, the desired mood, and the overall creative vision of your project. As a photographer, it's essential to experiment, trust your instincts, and let your creativity guide you. You will develop your own style as you adopt these techniques to suit your vision and the needs of each individual shoot.
And one last thing that I want to leave you with is this: the lighting patterns relate to how the light and the face interact. I saw someone on TikTok who was demonstrating a lighting pattern, and they were moving their face side to side, saying that this is loop lighting, this is loop lighting, this is short lighting, this is broad lighting. The light pattern changes based on how the face changes. It's not how the light relates to the body, but how the face relates to the light. So, just keep that in mind the entire time, and you'll be fine.
The other thing I just wanted to say is that if you enjoy learning from me in this video, you probably would also enjoy learning from me on my members-only platform, The Academy with John Grass. And on The Academy, you can watch me shoot in longer-format tutorials than what you see here on YouTube. You'll see me shoot almost in real time from multiple angles. You'll see me problem-solve and refine the final shot. You'll also be able to participate in two live monthly Q&A and critique sessions where you can ask me anything, and we can work together to solve the problems that you're having. If you're interested in checking that out, just go to johnress.com/academy or click on the link in the description. And there's a three-day free trial if you want to check it out with no obligation. Thank you guys so much for your time. If you have any questions or comments, just leave those below. And as always, stay safe, have a great day, and I'll talk to you soon.