What angle of light does portrait photography usually use?

It is best to use side backlight, which can better reflect the concave-convex feeling and shadow of the face.

Silver reflector: Because the silver reflector is bright and smooth as a mirror. It can produce brighter light. Silver reflector is the most commonly used reflector. The effect of this reflector is easily reflected in the eyes of the subject, thus producing large and bright eye light. When the weather is cloudy and the light mainly comes from above the head of the subject, put it directly under the subject's face, so that it is just out of the camera's field of vision, and reflect the light from the top to the subject's face. Under cloudy light conditions, the white reflector does not have such a strong effect.

Gold reflector: use gold reflector to fill the light in the sun. Like a silver reflector, it reflects light like a smooth mirror, but in contrast to a cold-tuned silver reflector, it produces light with a warmer hue. Gold reflector is a common main light. Take a portrait with backlight in bright sunshine, and reflect the light to the subject's face from the side and a little higher. This reflector has two functions: first, it can get directional light that can shine on the subject's face, and it can also increase the exposure of the subject's face for one block; Second, it can reduce the exposure difference from the background to the foreground, so that the background will not be seriously overexposed.