How to Flatter Women Using one studio light

vermeer Portrait Lighting broad vs narrow photography techniques Ballarat Headshots Aldona Kmiec
Photo: Aldona Kmiec

Great advantage of using just one light is that it does not have to be complicated.

What I have found over the course of the years is that the most successful portrait shoot should.. break rules! It’s the connection and the energy between you and the sitter that counts. In terms of the technique for narrow or broad lighting, it’s quite simple. Ask your sitter which side of their face do they feel most comfortable with, and work with that. Turning the head makes one side closer to the camera than the other. If the shadowed side is closest to the lens, it is called narrow or short lighting. If the shadowed side is furthest from the camera, it’s called broad lighting. Simple.

Above are two shots demonstrating a use of narrow and broad portrait lighting style:

Narrow (or) Short lighting

  • the shadowed side of the face is closest to the camera
  • great for making faces look longer and less round
  • intensifies wrinkles

Broad Lighting

  • the shadowed side of the face is further from the camera
  • makes a narrow face look chubbier
  • good for hiding facial defects in the shadow
  • reduces wrinkles

 

If you’re interested in photography lessons, headshots or creative portrait photography, please get in touch

 

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