Digital Photographer - UK (2019-12)

This is a typical beauty shoot setup that creates soft images

Clamshell lighting

Commonly used in beauty and fashion

photography, clamshell lighting takes glamour

lighting and softens it out further, creating

clean, soft and flattering images.

The core of this technique is the use of two

frontal lights (one key, one fill) to create a

‘clamshell’-looking setup, where the lights act

as the shells and your subject is the clam. It

utilises two lights to eliminate shadows and

create an overall high-key portrait.

The key light is placed above the model,

angled down, but not so high that all catch

lights are removed. This technique is similar

to butterfly lighting, as moving the light up will

re-engage that shadow shape under the nose.

By moving the key light down, the light is more

direct on the model. A secondary light is added

under the model and tilted upwards. You are

effectively shooting through the two lights.

The lower light should be at a slightly

lower power than the top light to avoid an

unflattering fill, but play around to see what

you like. Turning down the bottom light will

allow the shadows created by the top light to

show and will make the subject’s face look

more harsh – an approach that might work

better with male subjects.

Unlike the butterfly lighting, this setup

should give your model a little more freedom

to move and use hands near the face, as the

two lights create a flatter light that won’t

encourage harder shadows when the model

changes pose. But you’ll want to keep your

subject at the same relative distance from the

lights, otherwise you will have to constantly

change the power to compensate.

Any number of light modifiers can be used,

but typically you are looking for ones that

help soften and diffuse the light, as the hard

light would work against the desired effect. I

like to use a beauty dish with a 90-centimetre

octabox or two softboxes with all the diffusion

layers in place. Remember, closer and larger

softboxes will create softer light, and if you

go big, you’ll entirely eliminate the shadows.

A beauty dish with honeycomb gives a more

defined shadow. Whatever you chose, you’ll

want to make sure that the larger of the

modifiers is used on the key light.

You could replace the secondary light with

a reflector, but this may limit your movement

as well as the model’s, as the reflector will be

less effective if the model moves out of the

bounced light.

A further version of the setup literally flips it

on its side, moving the lights to either side of

the model rather than above and below.

Below

Shooting

through

You can see

how the

position of

the two lights

allows me to

shoot through

to the model

Right

Depth with light

Stepping the model

away from the

backdrop stops

the light from the

clamshell falling

onto it as much,

creating more

depth in the image

Caption location

depth with light

stepping the model away from the

backdrop here stops the light from the

clamshell falling onto it as much, creating

more depth in the image

Caption location

shooting through

here you can see the position of the two

lights allows me to shoot through to the

model

Left below

One-light

glamour

In this image the

clear butterfly-

shaped shadow

can be seen

below the nose,

created using

one light

Left

Easy

setup

This image

shows the simple

setup used to

achieve butterfly

light. One light

on a beauty dish

is used

STUDIO LIGHTING TECHNIQUES

Thisisatypicalbeautyshootsetupthatcreatessoftimages

Clamshell lighting

Commonlyusedinbeautyandfashion
photography,clamshelllightingtakesglamour
lightingandsoftensitoutfurther,creating
clean,softandflatteringimages.
Thecoreofthistechniqueistheuseoftwo
frontallights(onekey,onefill)tocreatea
‘clamshell’-lookingsetup,wherethelightsact
astheshellsandyoursubjectistheclam.It
utilisestwolightstoeliminateshadowsand
createanoverallhigh-keyportrait.
Thekeylightisplacedabovethemodel,
angleddown,butnotsohighthatallcatch
lightsareremoved.Thistechniqueissimilar
tobutterflylighting,asmovingthelightupwill
re-engagethatshadowshapeunderthenose.
Bymovingthekeylightdown,thelightismore
directonthemodel.Asecondarylightisadded
underthemodelandtiltedupwards.Youare
effectivelyshootingthroughthetwolights.

Thelowerlightshouldbeataslightly

lowerpowerthanthetoplighttoavoidan

unflatteringfill,butplayaroundtoseewhat

youlike.Turningdownthebottomlightwill

allowtheshadowscreatedbythetoplightto

showandwillmakethesubject’sfacelook

moreharsh–anapproachthatmightwork

betterwithmalesubjects.

Unlikethebutterflylighting,thissetup

shouldgiveyourmodelalittlemorefreedom

tomoveandusehandsneartheface,asthe

twolightscreateaflatterlightthatwon’t

encouragehardershadowswhenthemodel

changespose.Butyou’llwanttokeepyour

subjectatthesamerelativedistancefromthe

lights,otherwiseyouwillhavetoconstantly

changethepowertocompensate.

Anynumberoflightmodifierscanbeused,

buttypicallyyouarelookingforonesthat

helpsoftenanddiffusethelight,asthehard

lightwouldworkagainstthedesiredeffect.I

liketouseabeautydishwitha90-centimetre

octaboxortwosoftboxeswithallthediffusion

layersinplace.Remember,closerandlarger

softboxeswillcreatesofterlight,andifyou

gobig,you’llentirelyeliminatetheshadows.

Abeautydishwithhoneycombgivesamore

definedshadow.Whateveryouchose,you’ll

wanttomakesurethatthelargerofthe

modifiersisusedonthekeylight.

Youcouldreplacethesecondarylightwith

areflector,butthismaylimityourmovement

aswellasthemodel’s,asthereflectorwillbe

lesseffectiveifthemodelmovesoutofthe

bouncedlight.

Afurtherversionofthesetupliterallyflipsit

onitsside,movingthelightstoeithersideof

themodelratherthanaboveandbelow.

Below

Shooting

through

Youcansee

howthe

positionof

thetwolights

allowsmeto

shootthrough

tothemodel

Right

Depthwithlight

Steppingthemodel

awayfromthe

backdropstops

thelightfromthe

clamshellfalling

ontoitasmuch,

creatingmore

depthintheimage

Left below

One-light

glamour

In this image the

clear butterfly-

shaped shadow

can be seen

below the nose,

created using

one light

Left

Easy

setup

This image

shows the simple

setup used to

achieve butterfly

light. One light

on a beauty dish

is used

STUDIO LIGHTING TECHNIQUES