what is Rembrandt lighting?

Rembrandt lighting came about in the 20th century and was created by film director Cecil B. DeMille, he did this to created much more realistic effects instead of just having your average studio lighting that was pretty generic. this type of lighting became much more common in films and promotional photographs to make them more interesting and eye catching. In conclusion, this sort of lighting is supposed to make a triangle under the eyes with shadows on the subject in the photo.

why use Rembrandt lighting?

when using Rembrandt lighting you can create an eye catching photo as it can create an image that looks natural but could also look dramatic.

Rembrandt can be used with either hard or soft lighting depending on how the photographer wants to portray the subject in the photo.

hard light

soft light

as shown in these two photos there is always a triangle of shadow being created when using the Rembrandt technique.

how to create Rembrandt lighting:

light- for the lighting you are going to need one source about 45 degrees away from them (about five feet) that’s also higher than them to create the technique.

lens- A 35mm to 55mm is the best range when taking a Rembrandt photo as these provide a nice wider point of view capturing more of the subject or it can be more zoomed capturing more detail of the subject (good depth).

Photos i have created: