When it comes to shooting techniques, the defining feature of a great portrait is great lighting. It’s certainly possible to achieve superb portrait lighting using nothing more than window light or the naturally occurring diffuse daylight on overcast days. However, shooting consistently outstanding portraits indoors, whether in the studio or your living room, requires some kind of artificial lighting setup. These lighting outfits are either based on continuous light sources, such as floodlight or spotlights or instantaneous light sources, like strobes. These units are complemented with a variety of umbrellas, reflectors, and diffusers, plus an assortment of light stands to let you to position and aim them.The great advantage of using continuous light sources, especially for those new to portraiture, is that you can see the effects of lighting and lighting changes directly, or by looking through the viewfinder. To help you pre-visualize lighting effects with strobes and position them for the lighting you want, many of these units incorporate modeling lights.
The most important concept to understand about all the traditional or classic “studio lighting” concepts covered here, is that they were initially intended to mimic the effects of natural light—that is, to capture the look and feel of daylight. Obviously, you can throw any of the rules and suggestions that follow out the window if your goal is creating portraits that are wildly creative, deliberately unflattering, creepy, or comical. However, as with all creative undertakings it’s best to begin by mastering the basics first. While it’s not possible to provide anything like a complete course in portrait lighting in this small space, we hope you’ll find that the following suggestions are useful and point you in the right direction.
1. The Key Light, or Main Light functions like the sun in any lighting setup, and it can be positioned high and aimed directly at roughly 45 degrees to the subject from the right of the camera to produce classic glamour lighting, or moved progressively lower, and farther to the right of the subject to produce more directional lighting effects that make the face look slimmer. However, the Key Light should never be positioned below the height of the subject’s head unless your goal is to produce an “unnatural” effect.
2. The Fill Light is a secondary or supplementary light, weaker than the Key Light, that in many cases, is placed on the other side of the Key light (e.g. aimed at the subject from the shadow side) to moderate shadows and shadow lines and produce better modeling of the subject’s contours. In many cases the Fill Light is set or positioned to deliver about ½ to 1/3 the illuminations level of the Key Light. For the classic glamour look the Fill light can even placed directly under the Key light and both lights aimed at the subject, with a reflector positioned on the opposite side of the subject to fill in the shadows.
3. The Hair Light or Kicker should generally be placed above the subject to throw highlights on the hair only and not to fall on the subject’s face. It is almost always pointed in the opposite direction from the Key Light.
4. The Background Light, if you use one,should be placed low and behind the subject to it throws a semi-circular light pattern on the background so it’s lighter in the center and gets progressively darker toward the edges of the frame. This technique is especially effective with seamless backgrounds that are uniform in color.
5. Soft Light or Diffuse Light sources are much easier to control. While veteran pros that take a traditionalist light approach often use parabolic reflectors on their light sources to create striking effects, diffuse light sources created with a softbox, diffusion discs, or by bouncing the light into an umbrella, are far easier to control and their placement is far less critical. Indeed, so many professionals that shoot studio portraits today rely on diffuse light sources, it has become the dominant style. If you decide to go the traditionalist route with harder light sources, it definitely helps to master soft lighting beforehand.
3 Basic Portrait Lighting Setups
Butterfly Lighting, aka Glamour Lighting: Place the Key Light high and aim it directly at the front of the subject’s face. Place the Fill Light right below the Key Light, and use a reflector opposite both lights and close to the subject to fill in the shadows. Optional: Add a hair light directly above the subject aimed at the hair, and a background light aimed at the background from a low angle. If you do it right you’ll see a butterfly-shaped shadow just below the subject’s nose.
Rembrandt Lighting: Place the Key Light at a nearly 90-degree angle and slightly in front of the left side of the subject’s face, and place the Fill Light on the opposite side of the camera from the Key Light, close to the line between the camera and the subject. Kickers are often used to bring out the sides of the face and define the shoulders.
Split Lighting: gets it name from the fact that the Key Light illuminates only half the face, and it yields a dramatic effect when no Fill Light is used at all. The Key Light is aimed at one side of the subject’s face (typically the left) at nearly right angles but positioned slightly behind the subject. A weak fill light can be positioned on the other side, close to the camera to minimize facial defects, If you use hair light and background light place them above and behind the subject respectively, and aim the latter at the background.
Gear for Portrait Lighting:
Flashpoint 620M Portrait Wedding Monolight Kit: This value bundle comes with everything you need to get started; 2 Flashpoint 620 Monolights and standard accessories, a Flashpoint Snoot, Flashpoint 9.5-foot Air Cushioned Light Stands, a Glow 40-inch silver/black umbrella, and a sturdy padded carrying case. The kit includes the Flashpoint Guide to Studio Lighting. Adorama price: $499.96.
Smith-Victor K6RC 3-light Home Portrait Lighting Kit: This economical lighting kit includes 2 versatile 10-inch 660W reflector lights that accept #1 or #2 flood lamps, light stands and umbrellas. The stands come complete with UL certified 3/8-inch female threads to mount the Adapta-Light socket cord and handle sets. It also includes a Light Cart on Wheels carrying case. Adorama price: $279.95.
Lowel Blender 120/240v LED Light Head: This unique light lets you adjust the color temperature of its output to match or contrast with virtually any daylight or artificial light source. Its 2 arrays of high CRI LEDs can be adjusted to cover a remarkable 2800K (tungsten) to 6000L (daylight) range, and the unit is small enough to mount on a pistol grip, and puts out a robust 56 W of light. It comes with 4 diffusers for a variety of softening effects, mounts on a 5/8-onch stud, and can be powered by a battery, or the included AC adapter. Weight: 1.2 pounds. Adorama Price: $489.85.
Westcott Erin Manning Home Studio Lighting Kit: A complete lighting kit with everything you need, it includes 2 Westcott uLight Constant Lights with standard ceramic bases, a 12-foot 3-prong AC cord, 2 20-inch collapsible soft boxes, 2 6.5-foot light stands, 2 85-Watt fluorescent lamps, and an educational DVD by noted pro Erin Manning. Adorama price: $299.90.
Lowel PRO Power DaylightLED 3-Light AC Kit: If you’re serious about truly professional portraiture and want to invest in the best, this is the kit for you. It includes 3 complete PRO Power LED light with 2-way barndoors and AC adapters, 3 8-foor Uni TOI light stands, a softbox, a gel frame with accessory gel set, a 27-inch Tota-bralla, and a TO-84Z hard case. The lights have high CRIs of 95, a 5000K daylight color balance, and a focusing range from 43 to 10 degrees. Other features: Built-in dimming control and power control switches. Adorama price: $2,246.50.
Adorama Cool Kit: A value bundle, this AC-powered kit includes 2 Flashpoint Cool Light 1 units with 10.5-inch reflectors, 2 Flashpoint Nano 7-foot air cushioned light stands, and a Slinger BigBagLighting Bag. Adorama price: $149.95.
Lowel I E1-92 Ego Two Light Set: The primary use of the popular Lowel Ego Light is as a tabletop lighting unit to provide a diffuse source of illumination for photographing eBay items and collectibles. However, when it’s used as a 2-light setup as pictured it’s also great for shooting close-up head-and-shoulders portraits or talking head videos. The Kit includes 2 Lowel Ego E1-92s complete with high CRI lamps and a Lowel E120 EGO Sweep Table-top Background Support Stand. Adorama price: $209.95.
