Six kinds of portrait photography lighting that must be understood

Lead: Lighting is a key step in the process of photography. How to master the lighting has a great influence on filming. Here are some indispensable lighting methods for portrait photography. Hurry up and learn!

I believe everyone knows that light is the basic and necessary element of photography, and good light can significantly improve the quality of photos. For the most typical indoor portrait photography, appropriate lighting settings and lighting are the key. The following is shared by photographer Darlene Hildebrandt. They are the six most basic lighting, which must be recognized.

Before learning lighting, you should know what catchlight is:

You can see that the light source is reflected in the baby's eyes. It seems that his eyes are very magical. If you look carefully, you will find that it is a hexagonal lamp. In fact, the photographer put a hexagonal soft mask on the flash and then hit the light source.

1) split lighting.

Gu Ming is incredible, that is, dividing his face into two parts, one bright and the other dark, will create a strong sense of drama, which is suitable for people with strong personality or temperament, such as artists and musicians. Of course, masculinity will be heavier.

In order to create this effect, the light source is placed at 90 degrees on the left or right side of the object and can be moved forward or backward slightly to adapt to different shapes. Note that the light must change with the face of the object, and the light will change with the rotation of the head.

2) Loop lighting

This is to let the nose cast some shadows on the cheeks. To achieve this effect, the light source should be slightly higher than the eye level, 30-40 degrees inside the camera. (depending on everyone's face)

Pay attention to the effect of the above picture. The light source is slightly higher than the eye level, and the projection of the nose is not connected with the shadow of the cheek, but slightly downward. At the same time, the light source should not be too high, which will lose the spotlight. The picture below is a simulation of the above photo. The black background represents the forest, and the photographer hits the sunlight on the object with a white mirror. This is a very common technique, but the common mistake is that the reflector is placed too low and the light hits the nostrils, which can not produce the ideal effect.

3) Rembrandt lighting

The name comes from the lighting technique commonly used by the painter Rembrandt, and the triangular light level on his face is the mark. Different from circular lighting, the nose is connected with the shadow of the cheek, but more importantly, the eyes on the other side of the shadow still have eyes to keep the face bright and the photos are dramatic.

When shooting, the subject should turn his back slightly to the light source, and of course the position of the light source should be higher than the head, so that the shadow of the nose is connected with the shadow of the cheek. However, not everyone is suitable for this kind of lighting. People with large cheekbones will be ideal, while people with low noses will be more difficult. Therefore, lighting should choose the right object and cannot be generalized.

4) Butterfly lighting or Paramount lighting.

The name of this cloth lamp comes from the butterfly-shaped symmetrical shadow made under the nose. The positive light of the light source set behind the camera will create the shadow of cheeks and chin, so it will highlight the cheekbones of both cheeks, make the face look thinner and the chin sharper, which can enhance the charm of the object. However, sometimes a reflector or even the object itself is used to fill the light.

5) Wide lighting

This is not a specific lighting setting, but a style that can be used by teachers, rings and Rembrandt. In fact, the method is very simple, that is, turn the light-receiving surface to the lens, so that the light-receiving surface will look wider, and then the whole face will look bigger and wider, suitable for people with thinner faces.

6) Short lighting

Contrary to wide light, the darker side faces the camera, which makes the face look sharper, more stereoscopic and atmospheric.

Now you can try these different light distribution methods. Don't worry too much about the texture of the light. Learn these skills first. Of course, the first thing is to understand the face of the "reading" object and their requirements, and shoot beautiful works that can bring out the right mood and atmosphere. In addition, pay attention to the light source. If it is artificial light, it can be easily moved around. If it is natural light/window light, it is necessary to move the model and use these basic lighting as flexibly as possible.