GuideGuide

Lighting Guides

A quick reference for the lighting setups that do the most work. Say the name and the model knows the look.

Rembrandt — key at 45°, small triangle of light on the shadow cheek. Moody, classic.
Butterfly (Paramount) — key high and frontal, symmetrical under-nose shadow. Glamour.
Loop — key slightly off-axis, small nose-shadow loop. Natural, flattering.
Split — key at 90°, half the face in shadow. Dramatic, tense.
Backlit / rim — source behind, glowing outline. Cinematic separation.
Golden hour — low warm sun, long shadows. Nostalgic and rich.

Pair any setup with a source size (“large softbox” vs “bare bulb”) to control how soft the shadows fall.

Keep reading

Copy-paste starting points for portraits, products, and film scenes.

Lenses, focal lengths, and moves — with the words that trigger them.

Repeatable mental models for consistent, controllable results.