What is Rembrandt lighting?

Rembrandt lighting is a technique that is used in portraiture which is named after named after Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn who was a Dutch painter. It is a method of lighting the face which in doing so makes it so an inverted light triangle is created under the eyes.

Why should you use it?

Rembrandt Lighting should be used because it makes the subject the main focus of the image by creating a lit up face and a dark background, in doing so the eye of the subject of the image is the first thing that you will see giving a unique view point of the image. Using this style of creative writing is something that will help the portrait that you have taken stand out while still being something different from what people usually expect.

Who was Rembrandt?

Rembrandt (born July 15, 1606, Leiden, Netherlands—died October 4, 1669, Amsterdam) was a Dutch painter, he was a very talented artist and was well known for being able to catch people moods in his portraits, he was also well known for the use of shadows in his work.

How to create a Rembrandt Lighting set up –

Light: Lighting styles are determined by the positioning of your light source.  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.

Lens: Use a 35mm or 50mm if space is at a premium – or if you’re looking at including more of the subject than just the head and shoulders. A 50mm works really nicely for portraits and will give a nice depth of field if you’re shooting at a shallow aperture. But a 35mm will give you a wider point of view and is great to fit more of the body in of your subject.

Camera settings (flash lighting)
Tripod
White balance: daylight (5000K)
ISO: 100
Exposure: Manual 1/125 shutter-speed > f/16 aperture
Focal length: 105mm portrait lens

Camera settings (continuous lighting)
Tripod
Manual exposure mode
White balance
ISO: 400-1600 – depending on how many light sources are used
Exposure: Manual 1/60-1/125 shutter-speed > f/4-f/8 aperture
Focal length: 50mm portrait lens