5 Classic Lighting Positions for Portrait Photography
We get a lot of questions here at dPS headquarters about lighting subjects. Just today someone emailed asking the difference between Rembrant Lighting and Split Lighting.
In the following video Jay P. Margan demonstrates 5 different types of lighting:
- Rembrant Light
- Split Light
- Broad Light
- Butterfly Light
- Loop Light
While Jay’s using some great studio gear in this video many of the principles will apply with different sources of light. Of course these are not the only ways to position lights – as mentioned in the video the way you light a subject will vary from person to person and these positions are more presented as ‘departure points’ from which you’ll create your own techniques.
56 Responses to “5 Classic Lighting Positions for Portrait Photography” - Add Yours
November 8th, 2011 at 7:56 am
Great video on studio lighting! I really liked the ending.
November 8th, 2011 at 8:03 am
The End is just Fun as hell ! Great review of simple lightning, thx for the video !
November 8th, 2011 at 8:21 am
Great info and AWESOME ending!
November 8th, 2011 at 9:00 am
This video helps me understanding lighting a subject a bit more.
Well explained and funny.
Thank you.
November 8th, 2011 at 9:38 am
Amazing. Just in time for a shoot! Thanks!
November 8th, 2011 at 10:06 am
Enjoyed the video, and I now envy anyone with all this equipment even more!
But I did learn today, while taking photos of a toddler outside, you can get catchlights from your clothing too, I was wearing a lime green tshirt, and in the photos there is a light in the eye from where I was positioned.
I was pretty impressed with my acidental achievement. : )
November 8th, 2011 at 10:27 am
Wow… just going to buy those equipment. May I know what is the minimum size of softbox recommended?
Thanks?
November 8th, 2011 at 12:14 pm
Awesome video & very well explained.
I must admit I did not see the end coming at all!
I always like when people don’t take themself too seriously.
November 8th, 2011 at 12:45 pm
Hahaha! I read the first comment before watching the video, so I was expecting something, but that was still unexpected and funny!
Great video! Jealous of the lighting equipment. I hear eBay calling.
November 8th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
Thank you,
I have always been scared when it comes to lighting. This video has helped me understand it much better.
Thanks
November 8th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
Hi
Thanks for the great tips… here is a result
A Bit of Boudoir
http://kerstenbeckphotoart.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/boudoir-shoot/
November 8th, 2011 at 6:19 pm
Very well explained… No jargons which flies over the heads of beginners like me. Looking forward to many such videos…
Thanks a lot!!!
November 8th, 2011 at 8:32 pm
Very informative. More toys to my growing list, although i think I will hold off a bit on the lighting … so much to learn.
November 8th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
Ha haa, that was an excellent video and a really good lesson on all aspects of lighting.
November 9th, 2011 at 12:35 am
Great video! Loved the ending!
November 9th, 2011 at 1:14 am
Hah, what an ending. At first I thought it was really an accident but it’s brilliant
And the tips are useful as well.
November 9th, 2011 at 1:56 am
This is a fantastic, informative & well made video! The ending is perfect
November 9th, 2011 at 1:58 am
Great lesson on lighting, Loved the ending.
November 9th, 2011 at 6:24 am
Great! Thank you…
Portrait from satyr
http://hansgemacht.wordpress.com/2011/11/08/satyr/
November 9th, 2011 at 6:42 am
Thanks for the great information. I’ve been working on portraits lately–with no budget for lighting gear, just natural light. This is exactly the kind of tutorial I needed to understand how to improve my shots.
November 9th, 2011 at 9:03 am
Love it I just found this site love it i need classes i don’t have the money jet to attend to one!!
November 9th, 2011 at 10:37 am
I can no more see the movie.. my pc problem?
November 9th, 2011 at 10:54 am
Took a portrait photography course, did not really “get” it then. The light went on with this video (no pun intended) I actually understood.
November 9th, 2011 at 8:24 pm
Darren, killing movie.
The end is totally marvelous.
November 10th, 2011 at 5:28 am
Classic ending . . . .
great lighting tips! Indoor lighting is the most challenging for me as I typically take outdoor photographs. Thanks for your great tips!
November 10th, 2011 at 8:53 am
I’ve seen this demonstrated in still photos and words, but this video really pulls it all together, thanks!!
November 10th, 2011 at 5:11 pm
To the person that wants to know about soft box size… Get the biggest one you can afford! The bigger the light source, the softer the shadows. Also even with a big box, you want to get it as close to your subject as possible. Again it’s the softer shadow thing.
November 11th, 2011 at 2:42 am
You can also use a snoot for directed lighting
http://kerstenbeckphotoart.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/low-key-lighting/
November 11th, 2011 at 4:42 am
Thank you for sharing. I am still new to portraits and am constantly looking for examples.
November 11th, 2011 at 4:56 am
This is exactly the kind of learning support I need!! Thank you! Thank you! Excellent resource!
November 11th, 2011 at 8:07 am
I ‘m new to this and I have got a lot to learn. This info was facinating. Thanks
November 11th, 2011 at 8:55 am
Great video and LOL’ing at the ending
November 11th, 2011 at 8:57 pm
Who saw the red bike wheel through at the last overhead shot? Great video!
November 12th, 2011 at 3:42 am
Great, simple to understand video. The ending was hysterical and surprising!
November 12th, 2011 at 4:41 am
AWESOME!!! Great ending also…
November 12th, 2011 at 6:25 am
Thanks for showing a great demonstration. And thanks for the dash of humor in your last scene!
I hope you only had to do one take for that. 
November 12th, 2011 at 6:51 am
Very good! Very clarifying and too funny! Haha! Love the end!
November 12th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
Very informative. There was an article or video on here recently about recreating studio lighting situations with a combination of available light and inexpensive hardware store purchased lights. Wonder if someone could show how to do these on a budget?
Thanks for the great resource! – SW
PS: What’s with the guy on the bike riding through the scene just before the end?
November 13th, 2011 at 12:50 am
Great piece. Learned a lot. Great shots of the lady. Did she ride the bike too?
November 13th, 2011 at 9:17 am
Very well done. Good instruction on what to look for in portraiture. The voice and speaking style are personable and very effective, similar to Johnny Miller, former golfer and now TV golf announcer.
November 13th, 2011 at 11:43 am
blahaha! great vid and ending to make it all seem accidentally hilarious
. As one person said above, I, too, am mostly a natural-light shooter, and this vid was very helpful. Thank you for spelling it out in an easy to learn way. Would love to know lamp info:
Tungsten? Florescent? LED? Watts? Continuous or strobes? thx in advance
November 14th, 2011 at 5:17 am
Great description of lifting and the ending twist is so funny!
November 14th, 2011 at 9:43 am
HAHA, great ending
good video, too — I’m a beginner, so I appreciate clear instructions and advice!
November 14th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
informative and entertaining, great
November 15th, 2011 at 5:49 am
Great simple instructional video. The end is great.
November 15th, 2011 at 10:52 am
Very useful info and I love the ending. I would like to see something for people who would like to take good portraits but don’t have the luxury of a studio or that kind of lighting.
November 15th, 2011 at 9:18 pm
wish these videos were closed captioned
November 16th, 2011 at 5:48 am
I’m a budding photographer and I love doing portraits. I’ve been having so many lighting questions in my head lately and this video kind of answers all of those questions for me. Good job, man! Keep those informative videos coming. By the way, the pretty lady looks stunning. She looks like my sister.
December 15th, 2011 at 6:12 am
Thank you, very helpful video. I don’t do much portrait (mainly street and macro), but plan to do some portraits of my kids to use as Christmas presents. Your video should greatly improve my results.
February 20th, 2012 at 12:57 pm
It’s Rembrandt, with dt. Thanks for the list!
March 3rd, 2012 at 3:18 am
Thanks for this, always welcome portrait tips for my wedding photography in Devon http://www.whitepetal.co.uk
May 19th, 2012 at 5:20 pm
Great instruction, well presented. Loved the end too! Will look for more of Jay’s stuff.
September 3rd, 2012 at 7:30 am
Great job, thanks a bunch for the info. Very down to earth informative. The ending is a ton of fun, big surprise. She did a great job with the wipeout.
October 15th, 2012 at 6:05 am
Super informative and super fun lesson. You probably couldn’t have found a better model with perfect skin and contour features that respond to each nuance. Thank you.
December 16th, 2012 at 5:58 pm
I like the end, and the lady with the bowling ball is hilarious!
March 23rd, 2013 at 9:26 pm
Great video…easy to follow and will definately help with my portraits. Look forward to more. Thanks!
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