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Studio lighting photography

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Studio lighting Week 2

Creating the Rembrandt inspired photos

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Studio Lighting Week 2

 Continued with studio lighting, focusing on each one of us bringing models in to create a Rembrandt effect.

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Week 8

Educational trip to the National Gallery and The Photographers Gallery.

I was excited to learn about Rembrandt’s inspiration on portraiture photography, especially Rembrandt Lighting technique during our course. His painting was the first, that I have looked for on our visit to the National Gallery.

Artists far and wide have been intrigued by Rembrandt’s work for several centuries now. His approach to painting and image making was ground breaking, and to this day artists look to his work for inspiration.

A hallmark of Rembrandt’s style was his focus on depicting reality, an openness revealed in his ample portraits of a diverse range of people and his self-portraits.

Modern painters inspired by Rembrandt we have learnt about

Hendrik Kerstens

Rembrandt’s influence is clearly evident in the work of this Dutch photographer, whose portraits exude elegance and the old master’s signature use of chiaroscuro. Hendrik is known for his tender and psychological portraits of his daughter Paula who he photographed as she grew. With subtly, his work challenges contemporary themes including the use of plastic, which is used in a startling and surprisingly beautiful way. Bold contrasts and compelling lighting add to the drama of his work. No wonder his work has appeared in esteemed publications including The New York Times Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar and Foam.

Sacha Goldberger

This French photographer channels Rembrandt in his photographic portraits that hark back to the 17th century and Flemish painting. Using traditional portraiture compositions, he’s also applied the use of high contrast to a compelling series of portraits of contemporary super heroes.

Ansel Adams

As a devotee of high contrast, the American landscape photographer, is likely to have been influenced by the Dutch master. His black-and-white photos of the American West have a distinctly Rembrandtesque tonal range.

In The Photographers Gallery

Julie Cockburn (b.1966, UK) had an exhibition. She is renowned for her creative re-imagining of found objects and vintage photographs, embellishing and reconfiguring the originals through carefully applied embroidery, montage or ceramics. Her inventive reconfigurations result in meticulously crafted contemporary artworks - each a unique piece.

For this exhibition, Cockburn references the semi-abstract paintings of Picasso and Leger, taking formal portrait, still life and landscape photography and transforming them through her signature interventions. Her aim is not to 'improve' the original photos - many of which have already been tinted and in Cockburn's view therefore already altered by a subjective process - but rather to add another chapter to its story and continue its journey.

Cockburn works directly and in response to each photograph, adopting different techniques accordingly. For some she translates painterly marks into embroidery, using a fading 'ombre' technique, which lends a delicate watercolour feel to the end result. For others she gaudily applies bold, colourful makeup, worn as face paint. By repeatedly layering her distinctive mask-like motifs over the subject, Cockburn creates a paradoxical un-masking, hinting at the integral character of a person or atmosphere of a place.

In offering up her personal, visual language in dialogue with the original, Cockburn highlights that we all bring our histories and perspectives to bear as we look or 'read' photos, and invites the viewer to become aware of, and empowered by, their own reading and response.

Her methods inspired me to be braver taking photos with daring compositions and to use Photoshop altering some of my images, adding more layers, filters, giving more meaning to them.

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Week 2 Still life photography

Still life photography is a form of professional photography that depicts inanimate objects or subject matters. Still life is a unique genre of photography. One thing that makes it so special is that often the subjects aren't very interesting.

8 Still Life Composition Tips for Photographers

Use Balance and Symmetry to Draw the Viewer's Eye.

Use Simple Shapes as a Template.

Use Overlap to Emphasise Volume and Depth.

Break the Monotony to Create Interest.

Create Frames to Compose Multiple Subjects.

Focus Your Still Life Composition Around a Hero Object.

Inspired by Paul Cezanne’s still life painting, I have created a modern image. Used a black backdrop on a kitchen counter, using a table cloth to add a bit of a different, modern feel to it, but tried to focus on the skull. Although I think the focus is on the bright orange fruit with the black background rather than the skull. The colour contrast is the main reason that takes the eyes of the viewers to the orange.

Pat Flynn’s still life photography is a better way of using a skull as the main focus.

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Week 7

We have learned how to create a selection, work with popular selection tools, and fine-tune the edges of a selection in Adobe Photoshop.

A selection isolates part of an image so you can work on that area without affecting the rest of the image.

What we have learned: Using the  Rectangular Marquee tool

The marquee tools let you select rectangles, ellipses, and 1‑pixel rows and columns. Makes a rectangular selection (or a square, when used with the Shift key). Makes an elliptical selection (or a circle, when used with the Shift key).

In the Tools panel, select the Rectangular Marquee tool. Drag a rectangular selection onto the image. The area inside the animated border represents your selection.

To select more press Shift and drag. To select less, click the Subtract from selection icon in the options bar or press Alt and drag.

Select a layer you want to adjust. Then try applying some adjustments (Image > Adjustments). With a selection active, adjustments affect only the selected area of that layer. The same is true if you were to apply a filter, paint, fill, copy, or make other edits.

What we have learned: Using the Quick Selection tool

In the Tools panel, select the Quick Selection tool.

Drag over an area you want to select. This tool tries to find image edges and automatically stops the selection there.

After your initial selection, this tool automatically switches to its Add to Selection option. To select more, drag over other areas.

To select less, hold the Alt key as you drag over areas to remove from the selection.

Experiment with adjusting the size and hardness of the Quick Selection tool in the options bar.

I did have to enlarge my image to be able to select the “hat” as it was nearly the same colour as the background, which made it very difficult. I reduced the size of the tool to be able to select the exact image and go along the border lines. Then I have created a layer mask, selected Solid colour, chosen a nice blue and I have applied it. On the Layer Mask I have chosen Colour, so it didn’t look artificial anymore but changed the colour on the selected object with the details showing. I also had to use the Lasso Tool, described below because the hair got some blue tint as well, so I have removed it by colouring it black. I really liked using this tool as it made it possible to change an object very easily.  

Using the Lasso tool

The standard lasso tool is great for chaotic, unpredictable, or random selections of objects. If you want to add a stain to a carpet, add clouds to a sunset, or change the hue of the inside of a seashell or flower or the lens of an eye, this is the perfect tool to use. This tool is also useful for cleaning up a selection that you started with another tool.

In the Tools panel, select the Lasso tool. 

To add to a selection made with any tool press Shift and drag around the area you want to add.

To subtract from a selection, select the Subtract from selection option in the options bar or press Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) and drag around the area you want to remove.

Press Control+D to deselect or Control+Z to go back.

I have used the same technique with this Portraiture image as well. It didn’t turn out as I have expected because the necklace and the bottom of the scarf got selected as well and it got coloured the same purple, that I have coloured the jumper to. If I had time, I would have used the Lasso Tool to select and change the colour back to the original one on the scarf and the necklace.

Fine-tune a selection 

 What we have learned: To enhance a selection

Make a selection with a selection tool, like the Quick Selection tool.

In the options bar, click Select and Mask to open the Select and Mask workspace.

Go to the View menu on the right side of the workspace and choose one of the view options, like Overlay, for a more accurate view of your selection. In Overlay view, the selected area is clear and the non-selected area is translucent red by default.

In the Tools panel, select the Brush tool. Paint on the image where you want to add to the selected area. If you want to subtract from the selected area press Alt. 

On this image, I have used the Object Selection Tool and selected the man sitting on the bench. I have added a Brightness/Contrast Layer and I was able to increase both the Brightness and the Contrast. This made the man stand out more and it drew the eye to it when you looked at the image.

This image has been manipulated by creating the Layer Mask using the Hue and Saturation option. I have adjusted the Cyans in the photograph by increasing the Hue, Saturation and Lightness levels. I have also selected to adjust the Red colours. Pressed on the small hand to choose the blue in the sky and all the blues on the image has been increased by adjusting the level on the Hue and Saturation bar.

To create this image, I have used similar technique as above. I have created a Layer Mask, clicked on Hue/Saturation layer. Under properties I have changed the Hue levels to turn the yellow leaves orange and increased the saturation to make them more vibrant. Lightness has also been increased a bit to see more details on the leaves. 

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Light trail photography is a type of long exposure photography that highlights the movement of light. By keeping the camera shutter open for a long period of time, you can collect more light and — in this case — show how that light moves across the frame.

I was playing along for hours after college, experimenting with different shutter speed and settings I was very excited having to learn about all. Panning has especially captured my attention.

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We have worked with Photoshop's Dodge and Burn tools, both of which are found in the Tools palette. The terms "dodge" and "burn" refer to techniques that were used to either lighten (dodge) or darken (burn) specific areas of a photo by increasing or limiting the exposure in those areas. The Dodge and Burn tools in Photoshop are the digital versions of these techniques and are often used to either lighten underexposed areas of a photo or darken overexposed areas.

The best way to work in Photoshop is to keep your original pixel information intact so you always have the original photo to fall back on. 

Some potential uses for dodge and burn include:

creating contrast in the image;

lighting highlights

darkening shadows

enhancing leading lines

creating space through light or dark

enhancing focal points

Perhaps the main point of Dodging & Burning is to emphasize the primary subject in your landscape photograph, or where the viewers eye should be lead. Often when shooting landscapes there is a compositional device which leads the viewer’s eye to the subject. This could be anything such as a road, curved path or river, which can be manipulated to be brighter or darker, helping the eye along to the main show piece – perhaps a mountain in the distance. Similarly, the main focus area can be exaggerated by either lightening or darkening it, again to draw attention to that focal point of the image. So if it was a mountain with snow, light areas could be dodged and rocks burned in order to create contrast and strengthen the view.

Step 1: Add A New Layer

Open the image you need to work on in Photoshop, then create a duplicate layer. On top of the page click on Layer and find Duplicate layer, that way you are not damaging the original photograph. By adding as many layers as you want or delete them without compromising the original image. Then right click on the Background Copy and click on Clipping Mask so the layers sink in together. After that selecting Luminosity on the layers panel is important because we are only working on the light and dark areas. This stops any oversaturation of the areas edited.

Step 2: Grab the dodge tool, set to around 5% Choose highlights. Also can adjust the size of the tool, which I did in this case to 55px.

Step 3: Started dodging the pre-determined areas of the photograph which would benefit from lightning.

Step 4: Reviewed as I was going along, by clicking the visibility of the layer. If I have dodged too much, I can either undo or create a layer mask and selectively undo certain areas by painting with a black brush on the mask.

Step 5: Grabbed the Burn tool and started brushing over the very bright part of the image, adding some shadow, darkened that part. I have put exposure higher, so the intensity of the darkness would go up.

Step 6: I have increased the Brightness/Contrast to 45 on the adjustment panel so the whole image has brightened up. 

Step 7: On the adjustment panel I have played around controlling the black/grey/white part of the image. Created an interesting image as you can see it on the phone box image.

Step 8: By adjusting the Curves on the Adjustment panel I got more details through. I have changed the Input to 48.

Step 9: By using the smudge tool, I have created an interesting twirling effect on the window panels of the phone boxes.

Step 10: I have used Vibrance Saturation to make the leaves stand out more, make the more vibrant by increasing my vibrancy and saturation levels.

When I was happy with my image I have flattened it down. That has turned all layers into one.

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Panning is a creative technique that can convey a real sense of movement in action photos. If you use a fast shutter speed to freeze a fast-moving subject, the picture can lack some of the drama that was there at the time, because the subject will look like a statue. But if you use a slower shutter speed and move (or pan) the camera at the same speed as your subject, then you can get the moving subject sharp in the photo while the background and any static objects become a smooth blur.

I was trying to create that image by standing on the side of the river path, waiting for cyclist to come by. I pointed my camera at them and trying to stand as still as i could, i rotated my shoulders following them cycling by while taking a few shots. It should have been set to continuous shots but i did manage to capture in single shot mode. My settings were aperture TV f/20, shutter speed 1/60 sec, ISO 3200. It was a cloudy day, so i had to higher the ISO from 100 to 1600 then 3200 so i can make my image brighter. I was not in manual mode, only adjusted the ISO but next time i will stay at a lower ISO, 100 or 200 and lower my aperture instead.

If i had used a bit higher shutter speed 1/120 sec, perhaps the cyclist on the photo would have been more still, creating less blur. If i had gone lower to 1/4 second for example then the cyclist would have been blurrier. At night possibly would have created a light trail.  

Some subjects may require a faster shutter speed to prevent them becoming a complete blur. For example, a racing car will probably need a faster shutter speed than a cyclist. I can still record a lot of blur using a shutter speed of 1/200 or 1/400 sec if the subject is moving quickly and i succeed in tracking it as it moves.

Also setting the Drive mode to Continuous helps having a better chance of capturing the important moment, that will also minimise camera shake from pressing the shutter button.

Experimenting with it going on a trip to the cable cars. My settings were F2.4, 1/10 sec and ISO3200. I got the shutter speed on the right setting, I managed to get the cable car in focus but could have gone a bit lower on the ISO, not making it too bright. But I only had 10 minutes as my son had no more patience. 

It was quite difficult to get the settings right as when I captured the car towards the bright lights, it was too bright. If I captured it away from the lights, towards the dark river, the image came out too dark.

Sitting on the cable cars and trying to do something similar as panning was a challenge. My photos are nowhere near perfect or how I would have liked them to turn out but I liked learning about all the different settings and I enjoyed the experience very much. I have managed to keep the main long red light in focus and have the background blurred. It was raining so it added an interesting effect. My settings were  F2.4, 1/20 sec, ISO 1600.

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Week 5 Composition 

Composition is the structure of a photograph. It’s how you arrange the elements in your image to create the look you want, and it can make or break an image. If you stumble upon an interesting subject — no matter how good the light is, or how unusual the conditions are — you still need to compose the photo well if you want a successful result.

You have an absurd amount of power to change the composition of a photo. Move forwards and backwards, left and right. Change your lens — zoom in, zoom out. And pay attention to which elements of the scene you’re including, as well as the ones you’re not. Done right, composition takes your subject and presents it to your viewers as effectively as possible. It is the mechanism for conveying a message with your photos.

5 basic rules (which are meant to be broken)

Rule of Thirds 

Imagine that your image is divided into 9 equal segments by 2 vertical and 2 horizontal lines. The rule of thirds says that you should position the most important elements in your scene along these lines, or at the points where they intersect. On my camera i had the option to use Grid View to see these lines on the LCD screen. This was my favourite rule to use. 

On this photographs the seagulls forming a circle in the centre and i also have the bridge in the background on the grid line horizontally.

Framing

The world is full of objects which make perfect natural frames, such as trees, archways and holes. By placing these around the edge of the composition you help to isolate the main subject from the outside world. The result is a more focused image which draws your eye naturally to the main point of interest. I have implemented this in my image where i have used the bridge arch as the frame to highlight/frame the line of row boats on the river.

On my image below, that I have taken in Budapest on the first week of December, also implemented the framing technique, using the columns to hug the photograph.

Leading Lines

When we look at a photo our eye is naturally drawn along lines. By thinking about how you place these leading lines in your composition, you can affect the way we view the image, pulling us into the picture, towards the subject, or on a journey "through" the scene.

There are many different types of line - straight, diagonal, curvy, zigzag, radial etc - and each can be used to enhance our photo's composition. I have used this technique in these photographs.

Symmetry and Patterns

We are surrounded by symmetry and patterns, both natural and man-made. They can make for very eye-catching compositions, particularly in situations where they are not expected. Another great way to use them is to break the symmetry or pattern in some way, introducing tension and a focal point to the scene. 

Repetition

A good composition is one that has just enough detail. Too few elements is bad because it robs the work of art of necessary detail that makes correct interpretation possible. It also ruins the balance of an image. And too many elements can be very distracting as well.  And it creates an even more dramatic effect by breaking the repetition as seen in this photo inspired by Steve McCurry.

I was inspired by Ansel Adams whose dramatic monochrome photography is very inspirational.

I have taken these images below in Hungary, thinking of my assignment and the things I have learnt during the course. Ansel Adams was a big influence as I always have admired the sky, loved the beautiful contrast when shooting in black and white. Keeping the Rule of thirds in mind, been blessed with magnificent clouds, these images were born.

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Week 4 Butterfly Lighting

Butterfly lighting is distinguished by the butterfly-like shadow it creates under the subject’s nose, along with soft, subtle shadows under the chin and cheek bones. It’s ideal for glamour and beauty photography as it creates soft, even lighting while sculpting the shape of the face. Butterfly lighting best flatters subjects with slim faces and defined cheekbones.

To create butterfly lighting, place a strobe (modified using a softbox or beauty dish) or a large LED ring light right above and slightly behind your camera. It should be just high enough to produce catchlights in the subject’s eyes. To create more or less contrast, simply move the light slightly further from or closer to your subject.

When I have tried to create this butterfly lighting effect on my model, I have asked her to hold a reflector (fill light) on her lap, positioning it upwards, which had created a square in the eyes. While I had the soft box high above the camera pointing downwards, which created a nice shadow on both cheeks and under her nose. My settings were ISO 400, f stop 5.0 in AV mode. We were in the studio, so the ISO 100 would have created too dark of an image. 

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Week 4 Portrait Lighting techniques

Lighting is the foundation of any successful portrait photography, be it a corporate headshot or a character study. It’s key to not only flattering (or emphasising) a person’s features, but also expressing your creative intent and producing images that your clients will love.

There are almost infinite ways to set up portrait photography lighting, but most are variations or combinations of these 5 key styles:

Split Lighting

Rembrandt Lighting

Butterfly Lighting (& Clamshell Lighting)

Broad Lighting

Short Lighting

Each of these portrait lighting setups can be achieved with just a single light source, which you can easily modify, intensify or supplement to produce endlessly different effects.

Whatever your skill level, these different types of portrait photography lighting setups will equip you for a vast range of situations. Learn how, and what you need, to create each one.

Split Lighting

Split lighting effectively ‘splits’ the face into two halves: one lit, the other in shadow. This creates a dramatic, even mysterious, look that you can emphasise by increasing the contrast between brightness and shadow.

To create split lighting simply place the light source at 90° to the subject.

For greater contrast between dark and light, increase the light source’s brightness or move it closer to your subject while minimising the amount of light that hits the shadow side.

For less contrast, dim the light source, position it further from your subject, and/or fill the shadows using a reflector.

Rembrandt Lighting

Rembrandt lighting takes its name from the Dutch painter whose portraits often featured this style of lighting. This portrait lighting technique is similar to loop lighting but with a distinctive triangle of light on one cheek, formed where the nose and cheekbone shadows join.

Top set up image is an example of one-light Rembrandt lighting setup

Bottom set up image is an example of Rembrandt lighting with fill

How: To create Rembrandt lighting position your light at about 30° to your subject, a bit above their head and angled slightly down. Adjust the height and angle of the light to suit your subject’s face and bring catchlights to their eyes. (If using a fixed ambient light source such as a window, adjust your subject’s position until you get the same result.)

For softer shadow edges, diffuse the light source with a scrim, softbox, umbrella or (if using a window) sheer curtain.

For harder shadow edges, try attaching a grid to your modifier. You could even try using no modifier at all.

To fill in shadow detail, place a reflector or dimmer second light on the opposite side of your subject.

Broad Lighting

Broad lighting is any style of lighting—split, loop, Rembrandt—in which the brightest side of the face is angled more towards the camera. This portrait lighting technique illuminates the majority of the face, making it suitable for high-key portraits.

Because it effectively broadens the foremost side of the face, broad lighting is ideal for accentuating cheeks or widening a slim face.

To create broad lighting, angle the subject away from the main light source and photograph them facing the bright side of their face.

We have been experimenting using these techniques. I have chosen broad lighting for my model. She sat a bit far from the white background so it looks a bit greyish. If I had chosen to position her closer to the backdrop, it would have been white on the image, not greyish. I have taken the photos in AV mode, f stop 5.0, ISO 400. I have established what I was aiming for with these settings. Prior to that, the ISO 800 made the image too bright. Used a reflector on the ‘short’ side of my model, which added fill light. We used the main light to light the ‘Broad side’ of the model which was closest to the camera.

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Week 3 PORTRAITURE

Using low lighting conditions, trying to achieve lights in the eyes. The above images were inspired by Hendrik Kersten’s photograph below.

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week 3

Influenced by Hendrik Kerstens

Since 1995, Dutch photographer Hendrik Kerstens has been photographing his daughter, Paula. His photographs have been collected by museums around the world.

Initially Kerstens' photographs were created out of the artist's desire to capture something of the fleeting moments that fade of childhood. The pictures recorded everyday events – his daughter's sunburn, the child's bath. However, one day there was a moment of revelation when Kerstens not only saw her in relation to the events of her own life, but also projected on her his interest in the Dutch painters of the seventeenth century. As Kerstens recalls, "One day Paula came back from horseback riding. She took off her cap and I was struck by the image of her hair held together by a hair-net. It reminded me of the portraits by the Dutch masters and I portrayed her in that fashion. After that I started to do more portraits in which I refer to the paintings of that era. The thing that fascinates me in particular is the way a seventeenth-century painting is seen as a surface which can be read as a description of everyday life as opposed to the paintings of the Italian renaissance, which usually tell a story. Northern European painting relies much more on craftsmanship and the perfect rendition of the subject. The use of light is instrumental in this."

A number of the portraits of Paula are clearly reminiscent of Johannes Vermeer. The austerity of the photograph, its clarity, the serene expression on the young girl's face, and not least, the characteristic "Dutch" light, all combine to create this impression. However, Kerstens was not just imitating painting. As the series progressed, he became increasingly interested in the game of creating a conceptual and humorous dialog between past and present. The titles give the game away. "Napkin" looks like a maid's bonnet. In "Bag", a plastic grocery bag is shaped to look like a lace hood. In other pictures no pretense is made to imitate 17th century clothing but Paula's face and Kerstens' light turn a thoroughly modern hoodie into a classic and timeless garment.

I quite like Hendrik Kersten's work as he takes very simple photos that are very effective when taken at the right angle and using the right material. I also like his work because I have never seen any work like his so it makes it quite interesting to look at.

I am a huge fan of the way Hendrik Kersten references the very formal, luxury portraits from the 17th century with the dramatic lighting and the way he directs his model. Here are some portraits by Johannes Vermeer, a highly regarded Dutch classics painter:

The portraiture seen here by Vermeer is completely serious, likely of highly regarded individuals and exactly how a lot of portraits were painted during this era. What Hendrik Kersten has done is taken the serious work done by artists such as Vermeer and added a layer of satire by replacing the luxurious headwear with unlikely items. The most notable example of this is Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' that has been directly copied by Kersten in this image. A famous work of art has been responded to with a great deal of humour by using a bauble as the pearl earring.

The orientation of the frame, the plain (often black) background forces the viewer to concentrate the entirety of their attention on the model. Lighting and facial expression are consistent throughout.

On a purely logical level, I see the value of these images as an example of a way to create a coherent set. If a photographer takes multiple images of a single subject in the same setting, with consistent lighting, altering only the clothing and perhaps the posture… they are guaranteed to hang together as a set.

This satirical touch is something I was looking to add to my work. I have used a book and a beauty dish on my model’s head to create a similar image, inspired by Hendrik Kerstens. I have used a tripod and my settings were shutter speed 1/10, ISO 400, f4.5. I was trying to achieve to have my model to sit at an angle and looking straight at me, aimed to focus on the eyes. Highlighting the darkness and moodiness of the image, I have also used a black backdrop. I did not use the reflector as there was enough light in the studio. 

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AskWeek 2

Rembrandt Lighting Technique

Rembrandt lighting is a standard lighting technique that is used in studio portrait photography and cinematography. Rembrandt lighting is characterized by an illuminated triangle (also called "Rembrandt patch") under the eye of the subject on the less illuminated side of the face.

Rembrandt lighting will draw the viewer's attention where the light triangle is from. This is because of the contrast between the dark and the light. Rembrandt lighting is used to create a mysterious or moody portrait. The viewer's attention should be drawn to the triangle of light on the subject's cheek. Typically this lighting was used for portrait subjects with round or full faces because it creates a slimming effect.

Rembrandt lighting can be achieved with one key light that is placed approximately 5 feet from the model at an angle of 45 degrees to the side of the camera and roughly 2 feet above their eye level angled downwards.

My settings were for the image shutter speed 1/10, ISO 400, f 4.5. We not only used a soft box, which helped to even the skin tone and reduced the yellow tone but a reflector as well. Unfortunately that made the face too bright. So we continued to work without the reflector. If I was to lower the shutter speed, I would have created a brighter image also which I didn’t want to do. Also needed to use a tripod to make the image sharp and not blurry. The lower the aperture, the more chance I have getting a blurry image which I wanted to avoid. Inspired by Rembrandt’s paintings, I have tried to achieve that in my photographs. I have aimed to create as dark of an image as I could so I would give the image a moody or mysterious feel and creating a lot of depth. Focusing on black, I have chosen black background. Half the face was in shadow, creating a triangle under the eye. 

It is very important that the triangle doesn’t extend below the subject’s nose but stops just at the tip of it. To be technically correct, you don’t want the triangle to be any longer than that. So when you’re taking your test shots, be sure to adjust your lighting as needed so the triangle falls just short of the nose-tip level.

Rembrandt lighting takes its name from the famous Dutch painter Rembrandt  Harmenszoon van Rijn. He was a master of the chiaroscuro technique. And he often used this kind of light in his paintings, particularly in his self-portraits.

If you look through some of Rembrandt’s paintings, you’ll notice many of them have the something in common–a small inverted triangle of light under the subject’s eye.  As you can see in his paintings here:

Rembrandt Lighting Setup

Now that we’ve got a little bit of the history and technicalities covered, let’s get to the fun part.

You will need three things for a Rembrandt Lighting Setup:

A light source

Reflector

and a model

Rembrandt Lighting Diagram

Finally, we’ve arrived at the most critical part–the lighting setup.

Step 1: First, place your light source (key light) at a 45-degree angle facing towards the subject. Make sure the light is just above the subject’s head, you may need to raise or lower it. Do so in small increments until you have it just right, and don’t be afraid to make adjustments to it as needed throughout the shoot.

Step 2: Next, put the reflector on the opposite side of the subject, at about the same height as the light source.

Step 3: Stand between the reflector and the light source. The subject should be directly in front of you, but facing a bit towards the light source.

Rembrandt lighting is one of the most iconic lighting setups. It’s easy to use to add a unique twist to your low key portraiture.

Rembrandt lighting suits both male and female models. Especially if you soften the contrast in the chiaroscuro with a fill light. You can use it with both color and black and white photography.

Looking at  contemporary sources for Rembrandt Lighting:

Paulina Duczman’s main goal is to capture her client’s emotions, their soul, their timeless feeling-the reverie. The best way to achieve that is by using a “one light” set up. As a result, the leading light will illuminate the face, taking the viewer’s attention straight over there. As her portraits are mostly intense, atmospheric and even dramatic, the Rembrandt’s lighting technique is the best choice to enhance those feelings, as seen in her photographs below.