Photography News Issue 37

Photography News | Issue 37 | absolutephoto.com

Technique

Butterfly lighting

Clamshell lighting

What it is: The name of this classic lighting style, popularised in the golden age of Hollywood, comes from the shape of the shadow produced under the subject’s nose. You need to use your imagination a bit (and of course it depends somewhat on the shape of the nose you’re lighting!), but essentially it’s a neat winged shape. Butterfly lighting is a glamorous style and suitable on most types of faces, particularly accentuating thinner subjects with high cheekbones, as it also casts soft shadows under the cheeks. It’s also little more stylish and striking than loop lighting where the nose shadow is pushed out to the side. How to do it: The shape, like any shadow, of course comes from careful positioning of the light. To get the shadow directly under the nose, the light must be aligned with the direction that the subject is facing, and it’s most obvious if they’re looking directly at the camera. The height of the light is also important. Like loop lighting, the angle relative to the subject’s face will either lengthen or shorten the shadow cast by the nose; if the light is too low, there will be little or no shadow; too high and the shadow

will be too long, losing the ‘butterfly’ shape and forcing itself across the lip which looks unattractive. And if your sitter moves you’ll need to reposition the lighting, so it’s a precise affair. To help, if your flash has one, set up using the modelling light, which will cast the same type of shadow shapes as the flash when it’s fired. Squint a little and you’ll get a clearer view of the shadow (just warn your subject before you do it!). You only need a single light, but to stop the shadow being too dark, angle a reflector below the subject’s face to bounce some light back. Take it further: Use a beauty dish instead of a softbox and you’ll get a little more definition to the shadows, even closer to the classic Hollywood look, while a simple and striking monochrome finish also suits. Youwill need: One light fitted with a softbox diffuser, plus a reflector (optional). Difficulty rating: 1 Pros : Striking, simple to do. Cons: Fresh alignment is needed if the subject turns away from the lights.

Even contrast means fewer shadows, so skin looks smoother similar power settings. That said, if the lights are different distances from the subject, and if one softbox is larger than the other, the same power levels won’t work. Also, as the illumination is overlapping, it’s easy to overexpose. The best thing to do is, after setting up the lights, set the upper light so that it’s underexposing the subject a little, then increase the power on the lower one; this will fill in the shadows but won’t dominate the face as the last thing you want is an unflattering ‘uplighting’ effect. If, after powering up the second light, the effect is too bright then reduce them as one. Take it further: The softboxes don’t need to be placed above and below the subject, so try them at any opposing angles. Youwill need: Two lights fitted with softboxes. Difficulty rating: 2 Pros : Very flattering, easy set-up. Cons: Lacks contrast and a good power balance is required.

Butterfly lighting

Butterfly inmono

What it is: Clamshell lighting is one of the most flattering lighting styles you can use on a sitter, because it creates a very even level of contrast across the face. That even contrast means fewer shadows, so skin looks smoother and free of imperfections. For that reason it’s a style that’s often used in beauty shots, like magazine covers. It’s also great if you’re after simplicity. On the downside, the flooding light and lack of contrast means shots won’t have much definition or drama, so be careful of this set-up if you’re looking for those things. How to do it: The even-contrast look comes from firing light from above and below the subject: one light, fitted with a softbox should be placed above their head at an angle of around 45° and another, also with a softbox, in the opposite positing below. You can also add a reflector, which will push the light in from a third angle, softening it even further. Then you’re on to setting the power. The contrast ratio here should be between 1:1 and 1:2, and in theory that means setting the lights to

Wrong position

Brolly or Softbox?

Umbrella

Softbox

Although softboxes and umbrellas are diffusing modifiers, they can create different looks. These comparison images show how the look can change between the two: a light was placed at 45° to Emma and fitted with first a large octagonal softbox, and then an umbrella of similar size. Umbrellas come in either bounce or shoot-through types. Here, the umbrella was fired in a bounce arrangement, meaning the light is turned around, firing into the umbrella then reflecting back onto the subject. As you can see, the wider spread of light from the umbrella gives a slightly softer look, but the softbox, while the light is still very diffused, is more directed. You can see this in the background with the edge of the softbox’s shadow just visible. Switching between softbox and umbrella means checking the flash power again, as the wider spread of light from the latter will require more juice to get the same exposure. You may also notice a shift in colour, so for consistency check your white-balance settings.