Split Lighting Photography Diagram

Online lighting diagram creator lite this is the original version of the online diagram creator.

Split lighting photography diagram. Split lighting is one of the 5 basic lighting setups used in studio portrait photography. Diagram illustrating the split lighting setup. Split lighting is the quintessential example of side lighting. Split lighting is one of my new favorite types of way to manipulate light.

The background light is optional. Split lighting tends to be a more masculine pattern and as such is usually more appropriate or applicable on men than it is for women. Split lighting is one of the 5 basic lighting setups used in studio portrait photography. Broad light short light high key light low key light and split light are just a few of the terms you will encounter.

You can use it as a guide to set up your own studio. This is the version you need if you just want to create a diagram and generate a jpeg or. Finally we ve arrived at the most critical part the lighting setup. It s also the simplest of all lighting setups.

Without further ado here s a basic rembrandt lighting diagram of the setup. In this diagram the black backdrop represents the bank of trees. Mastering natural light indoors her class taught me how to take advantage of the light i have in my house as well as taking really cool split light images. Split lighting at its most basic level is constructed with a single light source placed 90 degrees offset from the subject and a bit higher than eye level lighting one half of the face and leaving the other in shadow.

Split lighting is a pretty straight forward description of how it appears in a portrait. Keep in mind however there are no hard and fast rules so i suggest you use the information i provide here as a starting point or guideline. The light source will split the face with one side illuminated and the other falling to shadow. Online lighting diagram creator and strobox community after meeting up in a pub in london the oldc and strobox have decided to collaborate in order to offer the photography community the best of both tools.

If you are new to portrait photography the lighting terminology can be overwhelming. The light source that illuminates the subject is perpendicular to the model. I first learned about split lighting in megan cieloha s workshop lighting 201. This setup lights up half of the face while keeping the other half shadowed.

It can be very dramatic like the photo below or it can be used to a lesser degree depending on your preference. Line up a single bare flash with your model s shoulder and take the photo from in front of your model.