Loop Lighting Photography Diagram

Instead of a butterfly ish shadow you ll end up with a small loop.

Loop lighting photography diagram. Loop light is probably the most common or popular lighting pattern as it is easy to create and flatters most people. The sun is coming over the trees but they are completely in the shade. Figures 10 11 figure 10. V3 beta is now public with ipad support it includes ability to add notes.

It is a slightly directional lighting pattern the light is not flat but the face is still mostly illuminated. Figure 11 incorporating the sunset as the light started to fade i thought it would be good to shoot some more shots of james against the setting sun. It is less dramatic than other lighting patterns like split or rembrandt lighting but edgier than flat lighting. In addition to having the light in a better position this lower angle would also render james as more domineering which was ideal for a portrait like this.

Loop lighting is also really flattering for subjects with oval faces. In portrait photography this lighting pattern tends to be one of the most popular. It s easy to set up and is flattering to most faces. This shifts the nose shadow to one side of the face.

In previous articles we began our study of lighting patterns for portrait photography with broad lighting short lighting and split lighting. Loop lighting is created by placing your light slightly above eye level of the subject and 45º off axis give or take. This creates a nose shadow that loops down at an angle onto their cheek. Portrait lighting setup 2.

Loop lighting can give a portrait subtle depth and interest while still maintain a well lit and bright look. Particularly if you use a light modifier such as an umbrella or a softbox to create soft light. In the article on available light portrait photography i mentioned how i posed anastasiya so that the spot of reflected sunlight created a butterfly lighting pattern while most of us associate lighting patterns with studio lighting the thought process in how to use available light or bounce flash or continuous lighting remains. Loop lighting is flattering to just about any subject.

Every article on flash portraiture proposes this simple one light setup. So called for the loop of shadow it creates to one side of the nose loop lighting is probably the most widely used pattern because it works on so many different shapes of faces. Look at the photo below do you see where the shadow falls to the right side of the models nose both beneath and on the side of it. It suits both male and female models.

Loop lighting butterfly lighting. A classic portrait with the loop lighting setup while using a medium sized umbrella to soften the light. Now let s move on to loop lighting. In this diagram the black backdrop represents the bank of trees behind them.