up vote 104 down vote favorite
38

What are 'broad' and 'short' lighting when it comes to studio portraiture, and when should I use each?

share|improve this question
  • 8
    LOL, you're asking a question based on the question that somebody asked you in another question about the terms you used. Its just funny. +1 for useful information getting out there. – rfusca Jan 6 '11 at 5:34
  • 4
    Yeah, his question in a comment prompted me to create the question, 'cause it's a great one and I didn't see anything else addressing it on the site. :-) – Jay Lance Photography Jan 6 '11 at 5:44
  • 2
    this has "self-learner" written all over it :-). photo.stackexchange.com/badges/14/self-learner – Tom Jan 6 '11 at 6:16
  • @Tom "Freelance teacher" would be a better badge in this case, if there was one :-D – Jari Keinänen Jan 8 '11 at 10:09
up vote 107 down vote accepted

Broad Lighting: Is when a subject is posed such that the main light is directed at the side of the face that is closest to the camera. Broad lighting can add weight to a thin face, but it does this by 'adding' roundness/thickness to the face, so it is not a good style of lighting to use with bigger subjects (or even 'normal' subjects with rounder faces.

Broad Lighting Example:

Broad Lighting Example

Short Lighting: Is when the subject is posed such that the main light is directed at the side of the face that is furthest away from the camera. Short lighting can help 'thin' a subject who is heavy, or who has a rounder face.

Short Lighting Example:

Short Lighting Example

share|improve this answer
  • 34
    +1 for including examples, especially on a neutral dummy. More answers should be like this. – Craig Walker Jan 6 '11 at 15:13
  • 27
    Nice examples, but would it be possible to update them so the bust is facing the same direction in both? I think that might better illustrate the lighting effect. In otherwards, move the main light for the effect, instead of reposing the bust? – Alan Jan 6 '11 at 19:48
  • 1
    Agree with @Alan... but mirroring the pic in Photoshop doesn't count. ;-) – Craig Walker Jan 10 '11 at 21:20
  • 1
    Great answer, great examples, short and concise. Excellent! – Jahaziel Oct 6 '11 at 15:52
  • 1
    I think you got them backwards? The bottom example looks larger to me. – user7299 Nov 16 '11 at 18:32

Your Answer

By clicking "Post Your Answer", you acknowledge that you have read our updated terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy, and that your continued use of the website is subject to these policies.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.