Basic Light Patterns

There are five basic light patterns that we will study and emulate in this course.

1) FLAT

2) BUTTERFLY (AKA PARAMOUNT)

3) LOOP

4) REMBRANDT

5) SPLIT

Very basic lighting setups look like this: 

(Source: http://blog.lindsayadlerphotography.com/intro-to-studio-lighting-diagrams) 

For this project you will need ONE studio light (no softbox or filter necessary...just the bare bulb) and a backdrop.

You will hand in FIVE photographs for this project.

1) Flat (direct) Lighting

2) Butterfly (Paramount) Lighting

3) Loop Lighting

4) Rembrandt Lighting

5) Split Lighting

Frame each shot identically. You may either take headshot portraits or head-to-waist portraits. Treat these professionally (no goofy expressions, please!). Try to achieve the exact same composition in each shot (i.e. be in the same position

Shoot in a dim or dark studio setting. You need a proper backdrop. If none are available, ask your teacher about setting another one up. We have lots. Use a single Godox continuous light as your light source (i.e. no camera flash involved).

Shoot in Aperture Priority mode (with exposure compensation) OR Manual mode, and be prepared to adjust your exposure slightly depending on how each lighting setup affects the amount of light on the subject's face.

When finished, create a Photoshop "filmstrip" where you see the five images side-by-side.

1) Open Photoshop.

2) Go to File > Scripts > Load Files into Stack.

3) Browse your way to the correct folder, then select all of your images to open.

4) All of your images should now open in separate layers.

5) Go to Image > Canvas Size.

6) Change the measurement from pixels to percent.

7) Change the width to 500%.

8) Use the Move tool (V) to drag each of the images to a proper spot on the canvas. From left to right, you want Flat, Butterfly/Paramount, Loop, Rembrandt, Split. Note the little pink guide lines that appear to help align your layers.

9) Use the Type tool (T) to label each of the five images. Choose an appropriate font and colour so the text is legible.

10) Go to Image > Image Size.

11) Change the resolution to 72 ppi instead of 300. The project will look smaller, but it's just zoomed out. Press Ctrl-0 to re-size to full screen.

12) Save your project first as a .psd file (for you, in case you need to make corrections later) and then again as a .jpg file.

TO HAND IN:

1) Add your finished "filmstrip" .jpg file (not .PSD) to Classroom

2) Complete the self-evaluation rubric

3) Turn in!