Rembrandt lighting, named after Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, is a technique within portrait photography which refers to the way of lighting a face so that an upside-down light triangle appears under the eyes of the subject.

Using Rembrandt lighting instantly creates contrast and shadows in a photograph. The main characteristic of this style of lighting is the triangle of light which appears beneath the subject’s eye, used to draw the viewer’s attention to it.

History of Rembrandt Lighting

Rembrandt lighting was an effect created in the early 20th century in Hollywood by film director Cecil B. DeMille, who introduced spotlights to create more realistic effects of light and shadow into the studio lighting setup. This lighting effect has become widely used in promotional photographs of film stars, because of its ability to show film stars in a dramatic and eye-catching way.

Rembrandt Lighting Setup

Rembrandt lighting is created by positioning the light source at a 40 to 45 degree angle and higher than the subject. Both flashlights and continuous lights are used for this style of lighting. The type of lens used for Rembrandt lighting is 35mm or 50mm. A 50mm lens works nicely for portraits and will give a nice depth of field if you are shooting at a shallow aperture, whilst a 35mm lens will have a wider point of view and is good to fit more of the subject than just the head and shoulders.