If you’re looking for a less dramatic photo, more like a professional headshot, that’s going to be more diffused, with multiple light sources.
Ingersoll suggests, “If you want a dramatic, high-contrast portrait, you’re probably going to use more direct light, whether that’s sunlight or artificial lights. If you’re looking for a less dramatic photo, more like a professional headshot, that’s going to be more diffused, with multiple light sources. You’ll have a primary one, typically the brightest, and it’s going to light up one side of the subject’s face. Then you’ll want to light up the other side, so you’ll have a secondary stroke — otherwise you’re going to have a very dramatic picture. A third light is optional. Sometimes you use that to light up their hair or the backdrop, if there is one.”