The Four Portrait Lighting Patterns

Butterfly: Shadow Directly Under the Nose

The light is in front of you and above, on the centre line. The nose casts a small symmetrical shadow straight down onto the upper lip, shaped a little like a butterfly.

It is the most flattering pattern for most faces - it emphasises cheekbones, minimises nose length and slims the jaw - which is why it dominates beauty and glamour photography. It is also the least dramatic. If a studio has a single large front light, this is roughly what you get by facing it square on.

Loop: A Short Diagonal Shadow

Turn your face maybe 15 to 30 degrees away from the light and the nose shadow swings to one side, forming a short downward diagonal that does not touch the cheek shadow.

Loop is the workhorse. It suits more face shapes than any other pattern, keeps both eyes clearly lit, and adds enough shadow to give the face dimension without drama. If you only learn one, learn this. In a fixed studio room you produce it by turning your head slightly off the light - nothing else needs to move.

Rembrandt: A Triangle on the Cheek

Turn further and the nose shadow eventually joins the cheek shadow, leaving a small lit triangle on the shadow-side cheek, under the eye. That triangle is the signature.

Rembrandt lighting is moodier and more sculptural. It works beautifully on angular faces and in black and white, and it can be unflattering on very round or very full faces because it deepens everything it touches. Try a few frames of it even if it is not your default - it is the pattern that most often surprises people.

Split: Half Lit, Half Dark

Turn until the light is at 90 degrees to your face and one half is lit while the other falls into shadow. High drama, strong character, and completely unforgiving of texture.

Split lighting is a deliberate choice rather than a default. It is excellent for stark black-and-white portraits and rarely right for a friendly profile photo.

Producing All Four Without Touching a Light

In a self photo studio you usually cannot move the lights - and you do not need to. The pattern is determined by the angle between your face and the light, so rotating your head through 0, 20, 40 and 90 degrees walks you through all four patterns in about fifteen seconds.

Do this early in your slot, take one frame at each angle, and look at the four on the preview screen. You will know immediately which one suits your face, and you can spend the rest of the session there. For what to look for when you first walk into a room, see reading a studio room in 60 seconds.

Frequently asked questions