Understanding Portrait Lighting

Lighting a portrait can be a daunting task if you are not familiar with how light affects the subject.

  • Do you have the subject face the light directly – which will cause flat lighting?
  • Do you cast the light to the side and add depth to the subject?
  • Or, use a light source to enhance the rim light?

The best way to understand portrait lighting is by studying the relationship of shadow and highlights altered by a single light source. Once a simple concept is mastered, your photography will take a totally different look.

While simple in nature, the use of a stationary egg combined with a single light source shows the relationship of shadow and highlight. The video below displays this in an easy to understand format.

Read the entire article here via ProPhotoResource