Butterfly lighting is a lighting technique used in portraiture photography, created where the key light is placed above and pointing down on the subject’s face. It is characterised from a shadow created under the nose and chin that resembles a butterfly.

This technique creates shadowing under the subject’s cheekbones, making them look more defined. It is one of the most common lighting techniques in portraiture photography as it is flattering on almost anyone.

Lighting: Butterfly lighting requires a key light that can be a flash unit or continuous. If continuous, it can be artificial or natural. In other words, you can use strobes, speed lights, LEDs or even the sun. This technique can be utilised using hard or soft lighting depending on the desired outcome.

Here are some examples:

My experimentation with Butterfly lighting