Review Portrait Lighting Style

Audrey Hepburn.
Photographer: Yousef Karsh
Baby Keem
Picasso.
Photographer: Irving Penn
Victor Cruz.
Photographer: Timothy Greenfield-Saunders
Francesca Woodman
Laverne Cox.
Photographer: Jill Greenberg

Focal Length

The focal length of a lens is defined as the distance in mm from the optical center of the lens to the the sensor when the lens is focused on infinity. This varies on the camera and the lens.

Focal length controls: Magnification and angle of view

Focal length is described as short, normal ie close to human vision, or long.

Unless you want distortion use a long focal length for portraits

Lights

There are three basic types of lights (these are the physical lights not portrait lighting styles):

  1. The Main or Key Light-This light provides the brightest illumination and casts the shadows

2. The Fill Light-this light brightens the shadows. It can be a reflector or an actual light.

3. The Separation Light or Background Light-creates separation between the subject and the background. This light can be aimed at the background or it can be aimed at the subject. If the later, it would be called a hair light. If accenting the edge of the face or shoulders, this light would be called a rim light or a kicker.

3-point Lighting

– standard lighting for portraits, video and film, uses all three: a main light, a fill light and a background light.

Lab11