Two point lighting is the most versatile lighting design for shooting fashion or beauty on the street. Having a back light elevates the pictures to a more polished state. Take a look at any CSI tv show or 24 etc and freeze frame as you go. You will see two point lighting on just about every scene if not every shot.

Two point lighting in photography

The two point light principle is simplicity itself with the subject being lit from two opposing directions with the light sources are 180 degrees apart.

The crucial concept to understand when using 2 point lighting is that the light sources point directly towards each other and the subject is placed between the two.

Examples of 2 point lighting in photography:

In this you can see 3 images that were arranged and taken with the 2 point lighting technique which is used to make a subject standout to the background, which is usually more darker and shadowed.

My two point lighting images:

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For these 4 images, I used 2 point lighting setup to make the model standout in the headshot. I believe it is a very effective way of portrait photography because it shows most of the detail of the models face without casting many shadows. After choosing the images I wanted to use, I used lightroom to edit them by changing features such as the exposure and clarity. Out of these 4 images my favourite is the one at the bottom left because I think the orange t-shirt stands out really well in front of the grey background and has a very good effect.

For this comparison I chose a photo, from one Photoshoot which I though was the most successful and edited it in Adobe Lightroom in a similar way to Oliver Dorans work.

Throughout this Photoshoot, which we also did with Oliver Doran in the second week, this is where we focussed on producing photos using the 2 point lighting technique and flash which I have explained in a previous blog post.

Images which have used 2 point lighting and flash –

Photos –

I really enjoyed this photoshoot as I was able to experiment a lot of different angles with my model, which range from; the side, front on and zoomed in. This photoshoot also helped to show different shadowed lighting techniques which were used when creating these pictures which can influence the mood/atmosphere which is created along with the variety of facial expressions which the model uses. I will choose one of these photos to edit within Adobe Lightroom, so that I can fine tune the smaller details and lighting.

Best shots –

On Adobe Lightroom I selected the images which I think are the most successful when using the 2 point lighting technique with Oliver Doran.

I really like these pictures because the background is really dark yet has texture from the curtain, like a night sky, which creates the illusion that the model is out during the night and a large contrast has been made with the tones due to the 2 point lighting which I used as well as the butterfly technique. I also like how some of these experiment with different angels such as up close, from the front or too the side as we get to see different features which are highlighted through lighting of the model.

Editing –

For this edit, which I started in Lightroom, I adjusted the lighting slightly so that it appeared darker. I did this by starting off by bringing down the exposure a small bit, to cast a darker tone of grey over the image. Then I used contrast to bring the light tones on the models face up, so that it would make the details on her face stand out more. This was accentuated through using the whites and highlights which made them stand out well on her face.

Then I went to the “Effects” section where I used the “Texture” this helped to soften the parts of the models face then looked quite dark and rough through the lighting, using the opacity I controlled this more to make it a subtle effect. Then I brought up so that the glare from the lights, I did this because it drained the black and white tones from the image, which I didn’t like, so it made them stand out well. Finally, on Lightroom I used “Vignette”, this effect casts a darker shadow around the models face, which helps to draw your attention to it well as it makes it look centred even if you have taken the picture from an angle, I really like the darker, subtle effect which this adds as it makes the background darker which contrasts highly against her face.

Then I brought the picture into Photoshop, this was because I wanted to fix the smaller details such as the hair which was on her face which I didn’t like because I wanted her face to appear clean and soft. I used the healing brush tool and spot healing brush tool which helped to remove the hair which was on the parts of her face as it replaced it with what could be there instead, which was her skin underneath. I really liked how well this worked as I was able to remove most of it without any difficulty and it made the picture look less messy.

Final Evaluation –

I really liked how this turned out because I think that it creates the effect of a painting which has been made by an artist, which makes it look detailed and professional. This is due to how I edited it on Lightroom which created this softer, yet contrasted tones of black, white and grey which work well with the models face. This is because the lighting which I used was 2-point with a butterfly effect to cast that darker shadow underneath and around her nose. This was my favourite lighting technique to use, which we were taught by Oliver Doran because it highlights the whole face well and makes certain parts highlighted brightly against the darker tones, in the future I think that I will use this technique again because I like how it creates a subtle yet toned effect on the face.

Therefore when I moved I moved in to Photoshop, I saved the picture as a JPEG and then opened it, I only used photoshop to help me tidy up and refine the smaller details of the hair which I wanted to remove because of how it was making the photo look quite messy which I didn’t like.

In these photoshoots, I focussed on developing my technique of using 1 point lighting which I’d known as the “Chiaroscuro” technique in photography.

The Chiaroscuro technique is often described as using high contrast lighting to create an image in black and white photography.

Here’s a guide to it.

Here are some examples of the Chiaroscuro technique in photography. I think that this technique is unique and edgy because it creates a harsh, yet soft, contrast between the model and the background as they become very defined due to the lighting which highlights them as if they are under a spotlight which is due to the fact of using 1 point lighting which helps to create this effect quite well. I think that this will be a good technique to experiment with because you can use it to create dramatic portraits in black and white, which I haven’t done before, which changes the atmosphere entirely of a photo.

Photoshoot –

I enjoyed this Photoshoot with Oliver Doran because he showed us how important different angles and positioning of the model and lighting can be when creating a picture in black and white and how well it can help develop a photo well. He valued our opinion and kept asking how we would like to position the lighting and our model, so that we thought about it well so that we could create as good of pictures that we could.
I feel like these have reflected the Chiaroscuro technique well to an extent but when working in Adobe Lightroom I will be able to develop the lighting more to create that “high contrast” effect.

Best shots –

Using sub-selection on Adobe Lightroom with the letter “Z” I went through my photos which I took with Oliver Doran’s help and I chose these photographs as my best shots. This is because I like how they are positioned with the model remaining mostly in the centre of the picture, meaning that you can see them clearly. I will choose 1 of these pictures to focus and edit well on in Adobe Lightroom so that I can develop the Chiaroscuro technique into my work more.

Editing in Adobe Lightroom –

Here is the photo I decided to edit slightly on Adobe Lightroom to bring in more “Chiaroscuro” influence to the picture. I started off by Bringing the exposure down to make the lighting and tones darker even if we photographed in black and white, like Oliver Doran, I wasn’t happy with how light it still was so I wanted to change it.

Then I brought the contrast, so that the darker colours worked well against the lighter tones which I used the highlights and whites filters to make sure that this happened by brining them up. This helped to bring out the details in her face, similar to chiaroscuros, through the lighter tones as well as making them look soft and not too harsh on her face.

This was my final edit which I really liked how it turned out in the 1 point lighting and Chiaroscuro technique with help from Oliver Doran because, it isn’t so dark that the model isn’t able to be seen which can happen in some Chiaroscuros which creates a nice balance within the highlights and darker tones as they Willkie work well together to make sure that the picture is able to highlight her facial features while also hiding them away through the darker parts of her face such ads her hair or underneath her chin where there is a heavy influence of dark tones.

Portrait photography mood board of various photographers work –

These are the camera settings which I will experimented with for the photoshoots:

Camera settings (flash lighting)
Tripod: optional
Use transmitter on hotshoe
White balance: daylight (5000K)
ISO: 100
Exposure: Manual 1/125 shutter-speed > f/16 aperture
– check settings before shooting
Focal lenght: 105mm portrait lens

Camera settings (continuous lighting)
Tripod: recommended to avoid camera shake
Manual exposure mode
White balance: tungsten light (3200K)
ISO: 400-1600 – depending on how many light sources
Exposure: Manual 1/60-1/125 shutter-speed > f/4-f/8 aperture
– check settings before shooting
Focal length: 50mm portrait lens

The earliest photography studio opened in march 1840 in New York. Alexander Wolcott opened a Daguerrean Parlor for mini portraits.

Louis Daguerre invented the first procees of photography.

Robert Cornelius was the first photographer to take a portrait over a year after the first image of a human being.

this is the first selfie ever taken ( by Robert Cornelius)

after this early portraiture people got much better at taking photos that show something and have meaning, they do this is through using light and shadow in a new way.

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn painted shadows on his portrait painting.

this was then adapted to photography

this shows the Rembrant light and the triangle is highlighted to show that this triangle under the eye is a key part of a Rembrandt light.

Oliver Doran is a commercial photographer

this is of Oliver Doran’s most famous portraits of Robert De Niro this image is very good he uses a modified Rembrandt light with slightly more of the face than just the triangle on one side. it is good that this image is black and white because it fits the subject well.

Multiple exposures are photographs in which two or more images are superimposed in a single frame, and they’re super easy to create using your analogue camera. Set an image of a train against a field of flowers, or prop your friend’s face against an image of a city skyline to create enchanting and surreal images.

examples

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to achieve these images, I had to upload the original image and duplicate it, and then lower the opacity of the imaged and move it slightly so that the image is multi exposure. In the bottom one I adjusted the hue of the image so that it showed as purple.

Portraiture photography is a type of photography aimed toward capturing the personality of a person or group of people by using effective lighting, backdrops, and poses.

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Portraiture is a very old art form going back at least to ancient Egypt, where it flourished from about 5,000 years ago. Before the invention of photography, a painted, sculpted, or drawn portrait was the only way to record the appearance of someone. – But portraits have always been more than just a record. They have been used to show the power, importance, virtue, beauty, wealth, taste, learning, or other qualities of the sitter. Portraits have almost always been flattering, and painters who refused to flatter tended to find their work rejected.

A notable exception was Francisco Goya in his apparently bluntly truthful portraits of the Spanish royal family. – Getting painted portraits done used to be exclusive to families in the upper classes of society.

That all changed when photography came into existence. In 1839, Robert Cornelius shot the first successful portrait, a self-portrait using the venerable daguerreotype. Cornelius took advantage of the light outdoors to get faster exposure. Sprinting out of his father’s shop, Robert held this pose for a whole minute before rushing back and putting the lens cap back on.

However, shooting with the daguerreotype required between 3 to 15 minutes of exposure time depending on the available light — making portraiture incredibly impractical if not impossible. But that’s not to say no one dared to experiment and use “Daguerreotyping,” as it was called, as an aesthetically satisfying form of creative expression. Scottish artists David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson incorporated heavy influences of Rembrandt painting styles, particularly intentional lighting, hand placement, and posing to their photos. The portrait below shines a welcome light of liveliness and grace against the stiff and cold subjects of the first daguerreotypes.

Louis Daguerre

Daguerre experimented for years with increasing the sharpness of the lens in the camera obscura and working at discovering the reaction of various light-sensitive materials when applied to different surfaces. With Nicephore Niepce, who was engaged in similar efforts, he worked on this. 

By 1835, word got around Paris that the city’s favorite master of illusion and light had discovered a new way to enchant the eye. In January of 1839, the invention of a photographic system that would fix the image caught in the camera obscura was formally announced in the London periodical The Athenaeum.

Louis Daguerre called his invention “daguerreotype.” His method, which he disclosed to the public late in the summer of 1839, consisted of treating silver-plated copper sheets with iodine to make them sensitive to light, then exposing them in a camera and “developing” the images with warm mercury vapor. The fumes from the mercury vapor combined with the silver to produce an image. The plate was washed with a saline solution to prevent further exposure.

Daguerreotypes offered clarity and a sense of realism that no other painting had been able to capture before. By mid-1850s, millions of daguerreotypes had been made to document almost every aspect of life and death.

Henry Fox Talbot

Shortly after the invention of the daguerreotype was announced in 1839, Talbot asserted the priority of invention based on experiments he had begun in 1834. At a meeting of the Royal Institution on 25 January 1839, Talbot exhibited several paper photographs he had made.  These showed his ways of chemically stabilizing his results, making them insensitive to further exposure that direct sunlight could be used to imprint the negative image produced into the camera, onto another sheet of salted paper – creating a positive. 

The calotype was then introduced in 1841 – it used paper coated with silver oxide. The calotype process produced a translucent original negative image from which multiple positives could be made by simple contact printing. This gave it an important advantage over the daguerreotype process, which produced an opaque original positive that could be duplicated only by copying it with a camera.

Julia Margaret Cameron

Julia Margaret Cameron, 11 June 1815 – 26 January 1879 was a British photographer who is considered one of the most important portraitists of the 19th century. She is known for her soft-focus close-ups of famous victorian men and for illustrative images depicting characters from mythology, Christianity, and literature. She also produced sensitive portraits of women and children.

Cameron’s portraits are partly the product of her intimacy and regard for the subject, but also intend to capture “particular qualities or essences—typically, a genius in men and beauty in women”. Mike Weaver, a scholar who wrote about Cameron’s photography in a work published in 1984, framed her idea of genius and beauty “within a specifically Christian framework, as indicative of the sublime and the sacred”.  Weaver supposes that Cameron’s myriad influences informed her concept of beauty: “the Bible, classical mythology, Shakespeare’s plays, and Tennyson’s poems were fused into a single vision of ideal beauty.”

Oliver Doran

Oliver Doran is an internationally acclaimed commercial, editorial, and portrait photographer, Oliver Marshall Doran divides his world between Jersey, London, and Dubai. With more than 15 years of experience, Oliver is often found at the crossroads of cinematic and theatrical explorations of human conditions, as he photographs some of the most recognizable faces on the planet.

With more than 15 years of experience, Oliver is often found at the crossroads of cinematic and theatrical explorations of human conditions, as he photographs some of the most recognizable faces on the planet.

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Celebrating personality and amplifying uniqueness while always striving to be real and relatable is Oliver’s calling card. Being a strong advocate of organic creativity, he has quite the reputation for his skillful use of light and mood to create striking visual breakthroughs that also strike the right chords and achieve diverse briefs and business goals.

His passion for travel, meeting new people, and appreciating cultures different from his own lights the fire beneath everything he does. His roster of experiences includes working for the royal families in Bahrain and Dubai, an honor that he cherishes. Some find working with famous people intimidating, but for Oliver, the experience has made him empathetic to the innate human spirit.

Oliver creates vibrant, cinematic images using both flash, natural light, and a mixture of both. He is comfortable in and out of the studio with complex lighting setups as well as working with ambient light in any location; day or night.

Lighting

Studio Lighting types

Chiaroscuro is a film lighting style that emphasizes shadow and light. Chiaroscuro first emerged during the Renaissance art movement – as a painting technique used to create tension between the light and dark elements in portraits and other still life. It was developped by Leornardo Davinici, Caravaggio, Vermeer, and Rembrandt. Today this technique is used both in photography but also in film and tv – it played a big role in the film genre of noir movies.

Rembrandt lighting is a studio portrait-lighting technique where a small inverted triangle of light is visible under the subject’s eye. It creates beautiful and compelling portraits with very little equipment. The origins of Rembrandt lighting came from Pioneering movie director, Cecil B DeMille is credited with the first use of the term. While shooting the 1915 film, The Warrens of Virginia, DeMille borrowed some portable spotlights from the Mason Opera House in downtown Los Angeles and “began to make shadows where shadows would appear in nature.”

When business partner Sam Goldwyn saw the film with only half an actor’s face illuminated, he feared the exhibitors would pay only half the price for the picture. After DeMille told him it was Rembrandt lighting, “Sam’s reply was jubilant with relief: for Rembrandt lighting, the exhibitors would pay double!”

Butterfly lighting is a lighting pattern used in portrait photography where the key light is placed above and pointing down on the subject’s face. This creates a dramatic shadow under the nose and chin that looks like a butterfly. In order to create butterfly lighting, position your main light above and in front of your subject. Some photographers also add reflectors under their subject’s chin to minimize the strength of the shadow. This type of lighting is named after the shadow it produces under the subjects’ noses. It vaguely looks like a butterfly – it is also sometimes called Paramount or Hollywood lighting.

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Portrait photography, or portraiture, is a type of photography aimed toward capturing the personality of a person or group of people by using effective lighting, backdrops, and poses. A portrait photograph may be artistic or clinical. Frequently, portraits are commissioned for special occasions, such as weddings, school events, or commercial purposes. Portraits can serve many purposes, ranging from usage on a personal web site to display in the lobby of a business.

The relatively low cost of the daguerreotype in the middle of the 19th century and the reduced sitting time for the subject, though still much longer than now, led to a general rise in the popularity of portrait photography over painted portraiture. The style of these early works reflected the technical challenges associated with long exposure times and the painterly aesthetic of the time. Hidden mother photography, in which portrait photographs featured young children’s mothers hidden in the frame to calm them and keep them still, arose from this difficulty. Subjects were generally seated against plain backgrounds, lit with the soft light of an overhead window, and whatever else could be reflected with mirrors.

Advances in photographic technology since the daguerreotype spawned more advanced techniques, allowed photographers to capture images with shorter exposure times, and work outside a studio environment.

this image features the butterfly shadow under his nose. the image focuses on his eyes that are hidden by shadow producing a mysterious portrait.

this image is a side profile, where I edited in a lighter purply tone to create contrast from the background.

I experimented with this portrait uses a ring light coming from beneath lighting up the face. this is very hard lighting. the subject is making a strange face to create a more interesting image.

this image uses props to create an effect it has been changed to black and white because I feel it looks better.