(or relatively close to those positions). The one mistake that I see many pho-
tographers make is placing their lights too close to the subject’s head—basi-
cally with one light almost on top of the subject and the other directly
underneath, which produces a freakish horror-movie lighting effect. Both the
main light (over the camera) and the lower light/reflector should be in front of
the subject, not above and below the subject.
If you use a reflector as the lower light source, you can control the amount
of light being reflected by adjusting the angle of the main light. To increase the
light from the lower reflector, simply lower the angle of the main light and more
light will hit the reflector.
In some of the overview images, you will notice that I use a boom for my
main light in one of the camera areas. This is the area where we do most of our
butterfly lighting. While it is possible to use a regular light stand for the main
light and move the camera slightly to the side, it can be a real pain when you
get the correct angle for the subject only to find that the stupid light stand is
in the way. Booms can be expensive if you buy them new, but many times you
can find them inexpensively on eBay.Placing the main light on a boom simplifies
the process of creating butterfly lighting.