What is Butterfly lighting?

Butterfly lighting is a form of lighting technique used mainly in a studio where artificial light can be used to create the effect. The lighting technique got its name from the butterfly-shaped shadow that appears under the nose when the light comes from above the camera.

Like Rembrandt, Butterfly lighting found its origins mainly in Hollywood. Additionally referred to as ‘Paramount lighting’ or ‘glamour lighting’, its earlier and still current use was on model stars, its purpose was to highlight the models beauty in detail. such as Audrey Hepburn modelling here, under this lighting technique:

Why use Butterfly lighting?

By having the light positioned above the camera onto the subject, this highlights the cheekbones which then creates shadows underneath the nose and neck, this makes the subject look thinner. Overall it good for taking flattering portraits and create a beautiful symmetry.

(The shadows on this model creates an eye-catching symmetry)

How to create Butterfly lighting:

Light –

To create the Butterfly lighting effect, either natural or artificial light can be used, as well as either hard or soft light. If soft light is being used, modifiers such as a beauty dish is useful to help distribute the light evenly on the skin. In order to create an effective butterfly lighting effect, the subject must be facing the light.

(Examples of Soft light VS Hard light)

Lens –

A 55mm is a good lens for a close up of the subjects facial features, For this lighting technique, its purpose is for a subjects face so this lens is best applied to this.

optional add-ons:

Additional experimentations can be made with the use of reflectors to soften shadows either on the chin or the face.

Examples of own work:

When using lighting you must think of the following when creating a desired outcome:

• Intensity of the light
• Direction of the light
• Temperature of the Light (Warm or cold + white balance)
• use of ” the golden hour”
• Using reflectors (silver/gold)

I have tried to mimic the Walker Evans style by matching the monochrome theme and soft textures of the Polaroid SX-70 that he used by reducing the dehaze and texture.

I also wanted to lightly emphasise the shadow so I have increased the blacks over the whites.

Additionally, I have attempted to centre the subjects on a vertical axis to match Walker Evans positioning as well.

Walker Evans usually centres his subject as a line or a grid which I think I could have developed on.

Our ISO, shutter speed and aperture were too high for our lighting setup which resulted in some images being dim, grainy and way too under exposed.

We used a studio table top setup with 1 point continuous lighting.

In this image I have used the wider side of the object to create parallel lines that give the image some shape.

Standing the subject on its side gave the photo some depth because of the shadow cast by the single static light.

By crossing the cutlery it created an interesting shape.

Environmental portraits are photographs used to capture a subject in their everyday workplace or home. It highlights the subjects surroundings and life style in a very direct way.

Environmental portraits can give the subject an ambiguous private identity but will give a simple notion towards the subjects work identity.

Mood Board

Arnold Newman

Arnold Newman makes use of shadows to create a 50/50 split of light and dark.

Some of his work is quite flat and bleak and the only dimension is the shadows on the people in the photograph.

In this image Arnold Newman creates an idea surrounding Agnes de Milles’ choreographing and dancing career by blurring people in the background which gives motion to the image.

Additionally, a lot of his environmental portraits use lines to add dimension and shapes to the photograph.

In most cases we can make use of natural or available / ambient light, but we must be aware of different kinds of natural light and learn how to exploit it thoughtfully and creatively. We can do this by looking at the:

• intensity of the light
• direction of the light
• temperature of the light (and white balance on the camera)
• making use of “the golden hour”
• Using reflectors (silver / gold)

There are different types of studio lighting that we can use such as Rembrandt, butterfly and chiaroscuro.

Rembrandt Lighting

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

Chiaroscuro Lighting

Chiaroscuro, Italian for lightdark, is bold contrast between light and dark. It first appeared in 15th century paintings in Italy and Holland. However, true chiaroscuro began during the 16th century in Mannerism and Baroque art. Dark subjects are dramatically lighted by a shaft of light, creating a split of light and shadow.

Butterfly Lighting

Butterfly lighting is a type of portrait lighting technique used mainly 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. It is also sometimes called ‘paramount lighting’ or ‘glamour lighting’.

What is Studio Portrait Photography?

Studio portrait photography is a type of photography that focusses on the individual in the photography rather than the background.

These photos could involve props to allow the individuals personality to be expressed more. Furniture is also a common prop to be used as it will allow the photographer to get different angles of the individual, for example, sitting on a chair facing away from the camera but twisting your body to capture the face in the photograph. The photographs are taken in an indoor environment where various types of lighting is accessible. this would most likely be a photography studio. Like in usual photography photoshoots, studio portraits can take up to several hours or less than a hour. As well as this, photographers will aim to take as many photographs as they can to ensure they get the right outcomes from their shoot. they do this for reasons such as: many photos wont have focuses and will come out blurry, the lighting might have no looked right in some photos and the individual may have not been prepared for some of the shoots. Studio portraits usually have better outcomes when the individual and photographer are comfortable with each other. this is a good advantage as it gives the photographer the confidence to direct the individual during the photo and it also gives the individual the chance to express themselves and feel secure enough to be involved.

Studio set up for photoshoot

A similarity between my photos and Davey’s is that we both only focus on one person. This means that the main view point is just on one particular place.
as well as this, a lot of my photo involve warmed toned colours like hers does. In these two photos, the mix of dark reds and forests green with the sunlight shining through creates a really warm tone in Davey’s photo. Though my photo has more brighter tones, use of wood, creams and browns also give across a warming feel to the photo.

One big comparison between our photos is that Davey’s photos are taken on a more personal level than mine. She photographs her children in their day to day lives. The photo above is taken from one of her projects which focuses on her daughter Alice. In contrast, my photos are simply focussing on people’s professions in their own work places. You can tell that Davey puts more effort into taking her photos than I do. She takes time controlling the lighting and props, whereas mine are just taken in the moment and as they are people who I am disturbing I try to be quite quick taking them.

Photoshoot 1:

Photoshoot 2:

Photo shoot 3:

Photoshoot 4:

Photoshoot 5:

Photo shoot 6:

Photoshoot 7:

Photoshoot 8:

Some of my favorite photos:

Annotated Ones: