Normally your main light source would be positioned in front of and above
the subject at a 45 degree angle, and the fill light would be below and behind
the main light.
Loop Lighting.Loop lighting helps broaden the face and works very well
with narrow faces and ruddy skin. It can be created with a simple variation of
the Paramount setup: the main light is simply moved slightly to the side of the
subject. This creates a characteristic oval shadow that extends from the sub-
ject’s nose toward the corner of the mouth.
Split Lighting.Split lighting occurs when the main light illuminates only
half of the subject’s face. It is ideal for slimming a wide face. For a very dra-
matic effect, it can be used with no fill.
Rembrandt Lighting.The Rembrandt lighting pattern is named after the
famous Dutch painter who used skylights to illuminate his portrait subjects.
This type of lighting emphasizes texture and in portraiture, it is traditionally
used for full, rounded faces. In glamour photography, this type of lighting is
more commonly used, regardless of the subject’s face being narrow or round,
as it relies on a very dramatic effect: a triangle of light formed below the eye.
As a general rule, the triangle of light should be as long as the nose but no
wider than the eye.
The classic Rembrandt lighting pattern is created by placing the main light
high and to the side of the subject. The fill light is positioned opposite the
main light. When the light is in the correct position, there will be a triangularFor this headshot of Elite Agency
model Jenni, I chose a horizontal
format and used cool colors in the
background to offset her natural
red hair. Jenni was illuminated with a
single Hensel Integra 500 Pro Plus
monolight fitted with a Chimera
Super Pro Plus soft strip box that
had a Lighttools 40-degree grid on
its front. I also had the assistant,
Ryan, hold a silver reflector under-
neath the softbox, angled up toward
the model’s face. This helps bring
out her blue eyes, another contrast
with her hair. The hair light accents
were from a nearby window. Note
the highlight on the model’s right
cheek; this is characteristic of the
Rembrandt Lighting.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II fitted with a
Canon 85mm f/1.2L USM lens. SET-
TINGS:85mm effective focal length,
(^1) / 200 second shutter speed, f/10,
white balance at 6000K, ISO 100)