Studio Portraits for 10 CT

Studio portraits for 10 CT

This will be your photo summative.

For this assignment is you have a chance to play in the Bell Com Tech Photo Studio.


As always, you can shoot as a group (up to 3 or 4 people) and edit your photos individually.


Sign out the studio camera kit.


You already know about posing and the difference between hard and soft light.


For you studio portraits, you will be using 1 studio light and reflectors.


There are many lighting patterns that we use on peoples faces. You are going to learn two types.


1. Butterfly – sometimes called Paramount, after the Hollywood movie studio

• The light comes from above and the light forms a small shadow under the nose and two even highlights on the cheeks below the eyes. If you image a clock face, think of the light being at the noon position.


• This is considered a glamour type lighting and works best for people with high cheek bones.

• Be careful of using this type of lighting when people have short hair. Can you think why?

Butterfly lighting photo

Hannah Cousins video on Butterfly lighting.


2. Loop – Move the light to the 1 or the 11 o’clock position and you have loop lighting. This is a good general type of lighting for almost everyone.


Loop lighting photo

Loop lighting video


Rembrandt Lighting -- Sometimes called 45 degree lighting, because the light comes from 45 degrees from the side and up.

This lighting technique is names after the famous Dutch painter, who lived between 1606 and 1669. This type of lighting has a small upside down triangle on one cheek.


Rembrandt lighting photo

Rembrandt lighting video

Hand in the following:


All photos are head and shoulders portraits using diffuse light:


✓ 4 portraits (2 boys and 2 girls) with butterfly light

✓ 4 portraits (2 boys and 2 girls) with loop light

✓ 4 portraits (2 boys and 2 girls) with Rembrandt lighting

✓ 2 portraits with a group of 2 and a group of 4 people

✓ 4 more studio portraits for fun. You choose the type of lighting.


You will receive 3 marks, (Expression – being most important, followed by lighting then posing).


You will hand in 16 photos in total.