Rembrandt, Butterfly, Loop, Split
Rembrandt Lighting
Rembrandt lighting is a classic lighting setup that most portrait photographers can master with a little practice. Rembrandt lighting creates a dramatic, timeless look and it can be created with just a single light source. Rembrandt lighting is named after Dutch master Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, who often used this style of lighting in his painted portraits. Rembrandt lighting falls into the chiaroscuro art technique, where a photographer or painter uses the stark contrast between light and shadow to create dimension.
This lighting technique creates a triangle of light under the subject’s eye on the shadowed side of their face. This triangle of light should be a similar length as the subject’s nose and approximately the same width as the subject’s eye.
This lighting technique creates a triangle of light under the subject’s eye on the shadowed side of their face. This triangle of light should be a similar length as the subject’s nose and approximately the same width as the subject’s eye.
Butterfly or Paramont Lighting
Split Lighting
Loop Lighting
It is easy to create with just a single light source and is flattering on most subjects. This lighting pattern will create a shadow that loops down and around the side of the nose, and on the neck and under the chin. These shadows subtly help define the subject’s bone structure.