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This article is part of the ‘Portrait Lighting For Beginners’ series. This series is meant to help you go from a beginning photographer to making beautiful portraits.

Profile lighting

Next up in the series is profile lighting. This is a really simple lighting setup that really only requires one light, though you can add others if you want to. Like most lighting setups, feel free to add kickers, hair lights, whatever feels right to make your portraits pop!

Profile lighting isn’t used nearly as much as the other lighting setups. There are many reasons for this, but just to name a few, it can be less than flattering for many (think big noses) and just isn’t as visually interesting as some other setups. But used creatively, profile lighting can really make a great shot.

As I looked through my archives of photos, I realized I’m not a huge fan of this style, as this was the only shot in my entire collection. This shot only exists because my son moved his head right before taking the shot, and it came out as a profile shot. I need to make a point of dusting it off a little more often.

Here’s how to set it all up.

The Setup

Photo by Iden Pierce Ford

The setup is really simple. Have your subject facing 90 degrees to either side of the camera. Then set your key light so that it’s 45 degrees from the subject’s face, on the side further from the camera. You can put the light directly in front of the subject if you want, but the flat lighting will give you a little less dramatic portrait with less modeling. Experiment with the positioning to see what you like best. Also experiment with the height if you feel like it, but you’ll likely find that head height usually looks about right.

This will get you a basic, high quality profile shot. Now you can add a hair light if you want. If you want to add a fill light, just plop a nice big umbrella or softbox behind the camera and set it to a couple stops less light than the key light, or whatever fill works for you.

Tips

• Watch the ears. If you look at the first photo, you’ll notice that my son’s ears stick out like a sore thumb. They really do draw the viewer’s attention away from what’s important. This is due to the key light being positioned directly in front of him. Keep that key light at 45 degrees and you’ll keep the ear in shadow. Another option is to have hair covering the ear if your subject has long hair.
• Watch those noses. If your subject has a nice big hook nose, don’t even think about suggesting this style of portrait. That will be the last time they ask you to take their picture!
• Have your subject look just a little bit toward the camera. This will make less of the white of the eye show and more of the colorful iris show. It makes the eye take on less of a glazed look.

Got some of your own profile shots? Let’s see ‘em! Join the Sublime Light Flickr group and post your photos for all readers to see. Your mom says it’s good for you, like broccoli!