What is butterfly lighting?

Butterfly lighting is a form of studio lighting that is usually used within portraiture photography, as the name suggests the lighting used forms a butterfly shape under the nose of the subject of the image. This is because the light comes from above the camera and you face creates the shadow.

Why should you use it?

Butterfly lighting should be used in photography as it gives an appearance of the subject having a narrow face, on top of this, the camera is centred on the face and they are engaging with the camera, this is beneficial as it creates a different atmosphere than other images than usual, it not only is a great method for making the subject stand out but it also does so in a unique unusual way to what is normal making you images stand out from the rest.

Who created it?

Butterfly lighting was not created by one specific individual but rather developed over time in Hollywood back in the 1930’s, it was mainly used on a person called Marlene Dietrich who was a Hollywood star around that time.

How to create a butterfly lighting setup –

Lighting: Butterfly lighting requires a key light that can be a flash unit or continuous. If continuous, it can be artificial or natural. In other words, you can use strobes, speed lights, LEDs or even the sun.

A butterfly lighting effect refers to the setup and not to the quality of light – it can be soft or hard light depending on the effect you want.