Butterfly Lighting

Butterfly lighting is when there is a shadow on the face just below the nose shaped like a butterfly. It is a technique used by many photographers to achieve a very elegant and sophisticated image.

As you can see in this image, Butterfly lighting is achieved by placing the studio light above the photographers head pointing down toward the subject which is the model in this case. The reflector needs to be below the models face to allow the light to reflect upwards to which will create a more defined shadow underneath the nose.

My butterfly lighting portraits

Rembrandt lighting

Rembrandt lighting is where there is a triangle of light seen below the eye. Photographers use this lighting because it creates a dramatic yet natural image.

As you can see from the image above, to achieve Rembrandt lighting the studio light needs to be at one side of the model in this case the right side and the reflector needs to be facing the model at an angle on the opposite side. The model must also be facing the studio light slightly to achieve the triangle under the eye.

My Rembrandt lighting portraits

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Chiaroscuro Lighting

Chiaroscuro lighting is a high-contrast lighting technique that utilises a low-key lighting setup to achieve contrast between the model and the dark background. Photographers use chiaroscuro lighting to highlight the model and create depth to the background.

As you can see in the image above, to achieve the chiaroscuro lighting the subject needs to be facing straight in front of the camera and there neds to be a fill light on the right of the subject and a key-light to the right of the subject.

My chiaroscuro lighting pictures

I really like how the chiaroscuro pictures came out. I like how the model in the picture is highlighted and the background is extremely dark. However if I was to do it again I would aim to make the models face slightly brighter to really create the contrast between the highlights and the shadows.