Butterfly lighting is where there is a small shadow usually under the model’s nose. It was first used by Marlene Dietrich who at the time was a German silent film actress in the 1920s and 30s and her director von Sternberg started to use the technique as it seemed to extenuate her strong features. The main reason butterfly lighting is used is because it makes for a very flattering portrait your features tend to stand out more and the lighting tends to be softer.
Here is an example of how to actually set up your lighting to create a butterfly effect
- You want your light source to be quite light up and centered above the model’s face
- you will need to be below the light source and slightly higher than central to the model face so maybe forehead level level
- and then having a reflector underneath the model will help
This is what butterfly lighting can look like
