In the previous article, we talked about Rembrandt lighting.
A different type of light is Butterfly or also called Paramount lighting. This type of light is often referred to as 'beauty lighting', and is very well suited for photographing (young) women.
With Butterfly lighting, the light source is placed in front and above the subject. This angle of light creates the butterfly-shaped shadow under the nose. Also, with this light you accentuate the jawline and cheekbones, create a shadow underneath the chin and make the face look smaller. With Butterfly light you see the reflection of the light source in the upper part of the iris.
Because the light is placed in front of your subject, the face is very evenly illuminated.
How do you get Butterfly lighting, without strobes? Just like other light patterns you first want to have an adequate source of light, and then direct the light:
- Indoors near a window. If the window is placed above your subject, you can arrange the subject facing the window. That way you create a Butterfly lighting.
- Use the morning or evening sun. You as a photographer have the sun in your back, so your subject is looking towards the sun. Be careful with sunlight, because it can create pretty harsh shadows and your subject will be inclined to squeeze their eyes, so this is not neccesarily the most beautiful light.
- You can also use a reflector or foamboard. Photograph into the sunlight, and bounce the sunlight back into the face of your subject with the reflector or foamboard.
- Using a roof.
Besides Rembrandt and Butterfly lighting there are 2 other patterns of light that are frequently used:
- Split lighting
- Loop lighting
Next article, we will be discussing Split lighting.