Studio Lighting

I had an incredible introduction to studio lighting on friday. I learnt WAY more than i expected and i feel im getting the grip of the term 'f stop' and how it relates to more than just the aperture. I also learnt a number of different ways to light portraits. These were set up like the following:

Broad Lighting
Have your subject sit about 3/4 turned towards the camera, so that a main side of that person's face is showing. Shine the light on that largest portion of the face, towards the side that's closest to the camera. This offers a more feminine look to your subject's face, as it also adds weight to a thin face.

Rembrandt Lighting
After seating your subject, shine the main light above the person's head. You can point it at any particular direction of the face, although you will need to angle this light at a 45 degree angle. A traditional aspect of Rembrandt lighting is a triangle of shadows that will appear on the face of your subject, where the light is being directed.

Short Lighting
This lighting style is similar to broad lighting. When your subject is seated, you will also turn this person's head about 3/4 towards the camera. But instead of shining the main light in front of the face, shine it on the furthest point of the face on the "shortest" part that's partially being revealed. This will make a person's face look thinner, and offer a more masculine
characteristic to the subject.

Butterfly Lighting
Seat the subject in front of the camera, and place the primary source of light in front of the person's face, similar to Rembrandt lighting. Angle it above the person's head at a 45 degree angle. You will create a sort of "butterfly" shadow right under the person's nose. What helps dramatize this shadow is by slowly raising the light in front of them, to create shorter or larger butterfly shadows.

Catch Light
A catch light is the light that reflects off your subject's eyes. Most studio lighting requires that a small amount of light is found in the eyes of your subject. It offers a dimensional look, that brings out the color and emotion in your subject's eyes. Catch lights for portrait photography make your studio picture less flat.