Lighting

Broad Lighting
Broad lighting is usually best suited for someone with a narrow face. For women who have applied makeup to define the face, broad lighting can be used very effectively. This lighting is quite common in fashion photography, where models tend to be on the exceedingly thin side.

Note that for men, a beard will often have a narrowing effect of the face, even with broad lighting. Depending on the tone of the beard and its length, it can create the same shadow effect of narrowing the face (#6).

#6

Split Lighting
Split lighting, where the key light is only on one side of the face, can be used to create a more dramatic look. Similar to short lighting, it can also have the effect of narrowing the face. Additionally, it can be used to hide flaws on the shadow side of the face or give the nose a more flattering appearance.

The only way to know if it works for your subject is to put them in a split lighting setup and see how it looks. You can then adjust your fill intensity to create the contrast you think looks best. In certain situations, you may even want to use the black side of a reflector on the shadow side of the face to eliminate detail in the shadow area for a dramatic effect. This is called "negative fill."

Finally, a rim light positioned somewhat behind the subject on the opposite side of the main light can make for a more dramatic look as well. In #7, we used a silver reflector for the rim light. If you want it stronger, use a softbox (use a grid on the rim light softbox to keep light off the background).

#7

Equipment Used
Camera/Media:
· Olympus EVOLT E-510
· Olympus 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 Zuiko Digital zoom lens
· Olympus 40-150mm f/3.5-4.5 Zuiko Digital zoom lens
· Sturdy tripod

Lighting Equipment:
· Photoflex BackDrop 10'x20' Earth
· Photoflex Boom
· Photoflex BoomStand
· Photoflex Casters
· Photoflex HalfDome2 Small White (strobe)
· Photoflex LiteDisc 32" White/Silver
· Photoflex LiteDisc Holder
· Photoflex ProDuty BackDrop Support Kit
· Photoflex StarFlash 650 Gemini OctoDome Kit with Bag
· Photoflex StarFlash 650 Mercury 5-foot OctoDome Kit with Bag

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