Rembrandt Lighting Photography

Put the lighting a little higher than the eye level of your model and at a downward angle.

Rembrandt lighting photography. Unlike loop lighting where the shadow of the nose and cheek do not touch in Rembrandt lighting they do meet which creates that trapped little triangle of light in the middle. Youll end up taking amazing portraits full of drama. The type of lighting gear that you use for the portrait isnt vital.

The effect only requires a few simple steps. It can be achieved using one light and a reflector or two lights and is popular because it is capable of producing images which appear both natural and compelling with a minimum of equipment. Rembrandt lighting is a technique for portrait photography named after Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn the great painter.

Its possible to achieve using just your camera and a single light source. Rembrandt lighting is characterized by an illuminated triangle under the eye of the subject on the less illuminated side of the face. Rembrandt lighting is one of the most classic and fundamental lighting techniques in photography and you will still see it used quite commonly today.

Its a step further from the Loop Lighting we saw previously but less dramatic than split lighting. There are three key steps. You need just one light to create a basic Rembrandt lighting setup so the good news is that you can practice on yourself in front of a mirror using a desk lamp.

It has many similarities with and is often confused for short lighting. This great video will show you how to create a. Rembrandt lighting is one of the most iconic lighting techniques in portrait photography.

The idea is to create a small inverted triangle of light on the subjects cheek that is opposite the light source. It creates beautiful and compelling portraits with very little equipment. Step 1 Stage your camera.