Comments on: Broad and Short Lighting in Photography: A Simple Guide

By: Felix Arenas

Felix Arenas — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 13:03:57 +0000

Fantastic article, John. To the point and simple. Very helpful. I just took some shots using your points.

By: Paul Rodden

Paul Rodden — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 05:42:32 +0000

I just look through my viewfinder, and ask myself, ‘Does that look good? Does it convey the mood I want?’…

By: John McIntire

John McIntire — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 04:15:34 +0000

In reply to Alvaro Eloy. I find it important not to rely on any one source. Particularly one that sets such stringent definitions on something that is actually fairly fluid. When the light hits the broad side of the face first it is broad. When it hits the short side first, it is short. Neither of these patterns are defined by the shapes as those shapes are defined by the features of the subject, not the light itself. By your own stringent definitions, none of those examples could possibly be Rembrandt, triangle or not, because Rembrandt requires specific positioning of both the light and the subject, neither of which is met in these examples.

By: Alvaro Eloy

Alvaro Eloy — Fri, 31 May 2019 17:57:00 +0000

Refering to the PROFESSIONAL PORTRAIT TECHNIQUES, Kodak´s book, the SHORT LIGHT also known as MODIFIED BUTTERFLY LIGHT, show that the shadow of the nose should not go so deep in the face forming that triangle of litght under the eyes. This pattern is called REMBRANDT LIGHT and not SHORT LIGHT. Also in some of the examples of BROAD LGHT, the patterns are more to be SPLIT LIGHT. The BROAD LIGHT supose to project a triangle in the face on the oposite side of the light direction, what is not happening in those examples.