The Portrait by Glenn Rand & Tim Meyer

Author:Glenn Rand & Tim Meyer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rocky Nook
Published: 2014-01-24T05:00:00+00:00

Closed loop (top left), open loop (top right), butterfly (bottom left), and split lighting (bottom right)

8 Lighting Setups

Being ready is important when approaching portraiture in a candid manner. In this image Art Suwansang was aware of the energy as opposed to the lighting setup. Since this was photographed on infrared film, his understanding of what would be presented to the camera and how this would be translated into a finished image was crucial.

© Art P. Suwansang (Courtesy of the artist)

Our approach to lighting utilizes a building-block concept. This means that we start with the simplest setup and add lights to control various areas within the portrait. Our idea is to present a progression of lighting design that provides predictable results. With these setups as a starting point, you will be able to use the information from other portions of this book to make additional lighting choices.

In chapter 2, we discussed the direction of the key light and how its angle from the face axis determines the look of the shadows on the subject. The examples where the light is positioned at the front and side of the face axis illustrate shadows produced on the face. The examples where the light is positioned behind the face axis, away from the camera, are used as accents of various types.

While we show the basic setup with diffused sources for the key light, the specularity of the key light determines the “hardness” of the portrait. In most portraiture there is a desire to soften the LD Edge, smooth the skin, and avoid accenting the angularity of the face, but there are situations where high contrast and harsh lighting are useful. In these situations, the key light’s size, various light modifiers, and the light’s distance from the subject can be manipulated to change the specularity of the portrait.

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