5 Ways to Light People - Nina Carrington Photography

Where we place light and shadow in our photographs of people completely changes how the image feels.

Photograph of beautiful young woman dressed in black with blond curly hair — Light and shadow have been used to create impactful portraits for centuries

Here are 5 lighting patterns that have been used by artists for centuries. Photographers and film makers have adopted them because they look really, really good.

1. Loop Lighting

Loop lighting is where the shadow from the nose forms a loop to the side of the nose. The loop can be large or small but shouldn’t normally go down onto the lips.

young woman with intense gaze, blonde hair blowing — The “loop” is to the left of Kerry’s nose (her right)

2. Rembrandt

This is a favourite among dramatic portrait photographers and is incredibly beautiful. The pattern is named after the painter, Rembrandt, who used it a lot. One half of the face is in light and the other half is in shadow except for a small triangle of light on the cheek under the eye. This allows you to use a lot of shadow, but to retain a catchlight in both eyes (which brings eyes to life).

young boxer training and reflected in the mirror — The hard light in this image clearly shows the triangle of light on William’s cheek

3. Split Lighting

This is exactly as it sounds, one half of the face is in shadow and the other in the light. Unlike Rembrandt light, one eye will be so much in shadow that the eye on that side will have no catchlight. It’s often used in films to show a character has two opposing sides to their nature or is divided about a course of action.

https://youtu.be/DopWmQSZbQ0

4. Butterfly Lighting

Butterly lighting creates a little shadow under the nose which looks a little like a butterfly. Again, you want to try and keep this shadow above the lip.

young man in the woods, direct gaze — There’s a small shadow underwear Paul’s nose that creates the shape of butterfly

5. Beauty Lighting

You light the person from above and below or from either side in almost equal intensity so there’s minimal shadow. It’s very flat light which means a round face will look even rounder, but it’s a good way to make a thin face look fuller.

There’s very little shadow in this image because Georgia is lit from above and below

It’s used a lot in beauty photography for cosmetics because it makes the skin look flawless, because there’s little shadow. It won’t flatter everyone though.

Why Light and Shadow Matter

Photography is 2D – that is, you view it on a flat screen or a flat photograph. The transitions from light to dark are what creates the 3D effect. Shadows can look really ugly if they’re not where you intended them to be. I cover the dark circles under my eyes almost every day, but it’s very easy to end up creating shadows in the very same place in a photograph. Learning where and how to direct light and shadow creates beautiful portraits.

Light and shadow also help build story – you’ll notice gangster films use a lot of shadow whereas romcoms flood each frame with light.

I’m Nina Carrington, a portrait photographer based in Kent. If you’d like help taking some beautiful portrait images for you or your business, please email nina@nincarrington.com.