Watch this powerpoint on lighting for headshots.

1. Headshots
noun. 1. a photograph of someone's FACE,
especially a promotional photograph of a
model, actor, or author.
A headshot portrays a person as they are.

2. Headshots
• “Headshot photography is a highly specialized field.
It is visual communication composed with lighting,
angle and pose.”

3. Natural light

4. Posed? Standing? Sitting?
• Colegrove prefers to shoot headshots with the
model STANDING, not sitting. He says the person’s
natural energy flows better that way.
• He also says that none of the four headshots above
were posed, but achieved by “engaging the
subject in conversation and thought.”

5. Candid headshots
• You may be asked by your editor to go to an event
and shoot headshots of the main speaker for your
company’s files. This shot of ICE director John
Norton was taken around a year before it was used
with this story.

6. Lighting
• Split
• Loop
oRembrandt
• Butterfly
If you can’t remember those, try a mnemonic device like:
Some Like Real Butter

7. Split lighting
• Splits the face in half, with
one side lit and the other in
shadow.
• Gives dramatic effect.
• Light source is 90 degrees to
one side of subject, possibly
slightly behind them.

8. Loop lighting
• Creates small shadow
of subject’s nose on
their cheek.
• Shadow of nose and
cheek do NOT touch.
• Light source slightly
higher than eye level,
30-45 degrees from
camera, depending
on your subject.

9. Rembrandt lighting --
Triangle of light on cheek.
Dramatic effect
Subject turns
away slightly
from light source.
Light source
should be above
head to make
nose cast shadow
on cheek.
Eye on the
shadow side
should have a
catchlight.

10. Butterfly lighting
• Light source above and
directly behind the camera.
• Creates little butterfly shape
under the nose.
• Good for shooting older
people because it de-
emphasizes wrinkles. Please use
to photograph me.

11. Catchlight
The light in the baby’s eyes is
called a catchlight.
“You need to ensure that at
least one eye has a catchligh
to give the subject life.
Without the eye of the
subject catching this light,
the eyes will appear dark…
lifeless.”
Darlene Hildebrandt

12. Other Headshot Tips
• Focus on the eyes.
• Fill the screen.
• Use a tripod.
• As a general rule, your camera should be at the
subject’s eye level.

13. References
• Colegrove’s website
• Six lighting patterns every photog should know

14. effects