Rembrandt Lighting: Rembrandt lighting is a technique for portrait photography. It refers to a way of lighting a face so that an upside-down light triangle appears under the eyes of the subject.

Why is Rembrandt Lighting Used?
Rembrandt lighting instantly creates shadows and contrast and with the triangle light beneath the models eye. Which is the main focal point of the image.

This is how you would setup your camera, light and person if you were trying to do Rembrandt lighting. Because the camera is at an angle facing the person, with the light at the opposite side, so half of the face gets shadowed but because of the angles of each object it creates a triangle underneath the persons eye depending what side each of the objects are on.

Rembrandt lighting is created by the single light source being at a 40 to 45-degree angle and higher than the subject. Use cans use both flashlights and continuous lights.

Butterfly Lighting: Butterfly lighting is a type of portrait lighting technique used primarily in a studio setting. Its name comes from the butterfly-shaped shadow that forms under the nose because the light comes from above the camera.

Why is Butterfly lighting used?
It is used for taking flattering, glamorous portrait photos. The lighting is soft on the face. It forms a butterfly-shaped shadow under the subject’s nose, which is the source of the name. It is ideal for portraits as it highlights the subject’s main features, like the nose and cheekbones.

To do this setup, position the reflector under the subject’s face. Start at waist level and see how it looks. If the shadows are still strong, move it closer to the face and so on.

Chiaroscuro Lighting: Chiaroscuro refers to the way light and shadow are used to create realistic three-dimensional images on flat two-dimensional surfaces. Chiaroscuro uses the contrast between light and dark to spotlight images for dramatic effect.

In this photo of our studio setup, we were trying to use Chiaroscuro by putting the flash light directly on one side of the model, the camera facing the model straight on and in the middle and with the reflector to try get a small brighter reflection on his left side of his face.

Why is Chiaroscuro Lighting used?
The effect uses light and shadow to highlight a subject and create additional depth in the background. It can be used to add shadow to make an object rise off the page, or side lighting to create a painterly effect. To create realistic three-dimensional images on flat two-dimensional surfaces. 

Chiaroscuro is using one key light and a variation using a reflector that reflects light from the key light back onto the sitter.