How to Ruin Movies - Secrets to Portrait Lighting
I'm going to let you in on one of the most strictly kept secret of the photography world. It's not about lighting! IT'S ABOUT THE SHADOW (-ing). That's right, it's all about the shadows, which of course are caused by light, which right now makes me look like a lunatic, but keep reading and I will prove it to you!
In the professional world of photography there are very specific patterns of shadow on human face that look the best and are the most flattering to a person's skin complexion and body shape. These very same shadows can cause a photograph to look light and airy or dark and moody. And guess what? Photographers are not the only ones that know this. Film makers take advantage of these principles ALL THE TIME. Seriously. I have not seen a high-money movie made in a long time where they messed this up.
Remember that high school English class where you learned about themes and irony and so on, and then every time you read a book for a long time after that you got to the most intense part of the book and your brain automatically was like ooo thats the theme. Book Ruined. Well this little it of knowledge all about shadows is going to make watching your favorite movies painful for forever. Don't say I didn't warn you.
The first thing we need to address is the darkness of a shadow. The darker the shadow, the more contrast the photo is going to have, the moodier it will feel. When there is a very light shadow, the photo will feel light, airy, and soft and will not have as much contrast. Either way the patterns of shadow on a human face remain the same.
The first pattern, and one of the most common patterns is open loop. This is where the light source is to the front and slightly to the side of the subject. The nose is going to have a small sideways shadow, but that shadow will not touch the shadow cast by the side of the head in shadow.
In this image there is a small shadow to the right of her nose, its very small and soft but you can see how the light is coming from the left side and gently wraps around her face and brings out her features beautifully.
This image the shadow is a little stronger and has more contrast but it really brings out the mood of the photo.
This image from Hunger Games is the perfect example of the open loop style, there is a nose shadow (little black arrow) but it doesn't meet the cheek bone shadow (the red arrow) hence the open part! And isn't this some great mood?
The second pattern of light is closed loop or Rembrandt lighting. Very similar light source placement to open loop except it is further to the side. making the nose shadow connect with the side-of-the-head shadow; However the the eye will still remain lit. It is called Rembrandt Lighting because he often used this style of lighting in his paintings.
This image from Martian is a perfect example of the closed loop shadow pattern. Can you see how the hose shadow meets the cheek bone pattern but there is still light in the eye. I like to look for the triangular shape of light just below eye.
Here is a example of Will Smith with a great closed loop or Rembrandt type of shadow pattern. See the catch lights in both eyes?
This is one of my favorite images using closed loop style of facial shadows. Most of her face in shadow but the eyes are still both lit beautifully.
The Third pattern is called the butterfly pattern. It has a more vintage glamour feel to it, I often see it used on models or when you want to accentuate the cheek bones. It made when the light source is above and in front of the subject causing a small shadow directly beneath the nose, but with the eyes still being lit.
Marilyn Monroe loved the butterfly shadow pattern, see the small shadow directly under the nose as well as the chin? But those are not the only shadows on her face, there is a soft light fall-off under her cheeks accentuating her beautiful cheek bones.
here it is again
and again
This shadow pattern style is also really good at emphasizing the lips
The last Shadow pattern secret that I am going to let you in on is the split lighting. It is exactly how it sounds, the face is split in half with light on one side and shadow on the other.
This shadow pattern is so great in bringing out the mood in a shot! I love a little moodiness once in a while! This image is slit right down the center of her face, even you mostly just see the shadow.
Here you can see it on Elsa, in one of the darkest and most intense scenes of the movie.
Here is a little Gaston action for you! In this split light image I've shown you where the light source comes from and how it casts the split shadow on his face.
So you still might be wondering why I said that it's not about light, when clearly it is, but here is the last point to prove to you it is about the shadows : in all of these images the shadow side is forward. The light source is always somewhat behind the subject and the shadows are the closest thing to the camera. If we were to do it the opposite (broad lighting) it wouldn't flatter and bring out the features of our subject as well. So in other words, shadow side forward, in a specific shadow pattern is the little black dress of photography.