Butterfly Light: The light shines from the upper front of the person, creating a butterfly-shaped shadow on the face. It is a lighting method that makes the face look smaller, conforms to the preference for symmetrical and balanced beauty, and can make the facial features delicate and the temperament noble. It is a common lighting scheme for classic Hollywood movie stars. The aura can be enhanced by raising the light source angle, and the sculptural sense of facial structure can be strengthened.
Frontal Light: The light spreads evenly on the face without obvious shadows, giving a balanced, clear and soft visual feeling, and bringing a sense of affinity and security. It is suitable for selfies, beauty photos, professional portraits and ID photos. However, it tends to make the face look flat, lack layers, and the picture may be monotonous.
Frontal Side Light: It makes half of the face bright and the other half hidden in shadow, creating a sense of mystery and drama with strong light-dark contrast. Like a sculptor's knife, it endows the picture with stories, making the characters appear profound, introverted or even conflicting. It is a common light source in cinematic portraits, humanistic documentaries and black-and-white photography. It emphasizes the light and shadow structure and shapes visual tension. Shadows are the key to making the picture more three-dimensional.
Anterior Side Light: It is between frontal light and frontal side light. It has more layers than frontal light and is softer than frontal side light. It can show facial details without making the light-shadow contrast too intense. It was widely used in Renaissance portraits and is the golden ratio for shaping three-dimensionality.
Rembrandt Light: By raising the angle of the light source, a classic triangular light spot is formed in the dark area, which can endow the character with a sense of authority, enhance emotional tension, and is suitable for shaping a wise and resolute character.
Side Backlight and Backlight: Both are magic tools for outlining contours and provide a sense of atmosphere for the picture. Side backlight shines from the side rear of the person, highlighting the contour while forming local shadows, making the person more story-telling and three-dimensional; the backlight source comes from behind the person, and the person is in the shadow to produce a silhouette effect, creating a sense of mystery or fantasy. Both can make the person stand out from the background. However, there is less light on the front of the face, which may lead to excessive darkness in the dark areas. Appropriate fill light can be added in front of or beside the person to retain the details of the picture and avoid overly dramatic shadows. Backlight is softer and more dreamy, while side backlight is more powerful, just like a movie soundtrack, making the emotional expression of the picture more intense.
Top Light: Shining vertically from the top of the head, it brings strong light-dark contrast, filling the picture with tension. The light shines directly down, forming obvious shadows in the eye sockets, under the nose and under the chin, shaping emotions such as mystery, coldness, oppression or loneliness. It hides the eyes in the shadows, making the person look beyond reality, and is an ideal light for creating a high-cold atmosphere.
When shooting, you should not only pay attention to whether the light is bright and where it comes from, but also think about letting the light tell a story.
Related Tags： Photography experience