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# When and how to use these 8 types of photography lighting

April Nienhuis

backlit photo of girl smiling by April Nienhuis

Even as a little girl, long before I had an interest in photography, I enjoyed watching the sunlight fall on the earth and the structures inhabiting it.

My favorite was the light after a thunderstorm and how it illuminated the freshly watered grass with those deep blue-gray storm clouds in the background. To this day, I still love that light.

So it comes as no surprise to myself that strong, dynamic light has found its way into my photography 30 something years later. But there’s many types of light. Some I don’t use as often as others but knowing their purpose is important.

I’d like to take a moment to dive into some of the most commonly referenced types of lighting, all of which can be achieved with natural light or flash photography.

## 1. Flat light

When you have your light source facing directly at the front of your subject, this is flat lighting. Flat lighting on a face will mean that your subject is well lit and you are unable to see any shadows along their face.

This is not a heavily desired look in portraits as you need shadows to draw your subject to life. However, there are circumstances where it’s beneficial. Since shadows can draw out imperfections and textures, flat lighting is beneficial when photographing babies in their acne skin weeks, teens with heavy blemishes, and elderly people feeling insecure about their wrinkles. If you have a photo that is oozing character and personality, you can also get away with flat light on your subject.

photo of two kids dressed like superheros by April Nienhuis

## 2. Broad light

With broad light (a type of side lighting), the face of your subject is at an angle and the most well-lit side of the face is closest to the camera and the shadow falls on the back side of the face. This type of light can make a face look fuller so it’s ideal for those with very narrow faces.

broad light photo of girl laying on her bedroom floor by April Nienhuis

## 3. Short light

Another type of side lighting, short light is the opposite of broad light in that the face is at an angle and the shadow falls on the side of the face closest to the camera. This type of light works well to thin a face and is flattering on most people.

One thing to keep in mind is that shadows draw out textures and imperfections. While broad light is a wonderful way to emphasize freckles, it will also draw out imperfections like acne and scars.

Knowing how your subject feels about those imperfections is important so you know if you should hide them with another type of lighting or if they’re okay with you showcasing them with short light.

short lighting example by April Nienhuis

## 4. Split light

Split lighting is another type of side lighting but it is defined as light that hits your subject from the side at a 90 degree angle.

You can easily recognize split lighting in an image by half of the subject being lit and the other half in the shadows. With a face specifically, you’ll see the shadow line straight down the middle of the forehead, nose, and chin.

Split lighting tends to make your subject look tough and masculine so you want to really consider your subject when choosing this type of lighting.

split light black and white photo of boy holding a football by April Nienhuis

## 5. Backlight

Backlight is just that, light that comes from behind your subject. This is commonly seen in photos from the beloved golden hour, when the sun is low in the horizon and starting to set, but can be done at all hours of the day.

Sources of backlight can include a window behind your subject in the middle of the day to a flash placed behind with a colorful gel for something fun.

As beautiful as backlight is, it comes with its own challenges which can include a look of haziness and lack of clarity in your subject. Because of this, I like to do a few things…

### Semi-silhouette:

One of my favorite ways to use backlight is to let the light just barely creep into the frame. When doing this, there’s a pretty glow that creates a welcome contrast to a dark background. In this situation, I often expose my subject darker than usual to further that contrast and create a warm and relaxing feel to an image.

underexposed semi-silhouette backlight picture of girl with a braid by April Nienhuis

### Reflector:

Sometimes I want the strong haze that comes with the sun warmly filling the frame but losing clarity in my subject’s face is no good. To combat the loss of clarity I use a reflector to pop some of that sunlight back onto my subject.

When using a reflector, place it opposite the light source and then adjust the angle to direct the light exactly where you want it. You’ll also want to move the reflector closer to your subject for stronger light and further away from for softer light.

## must haves

OUR LIGHTING ESSENTIALS

collapsible reflector

This big disc reflects light right where you want it and then collapses back down into a nice portable package. You can choose from white, black, gold, and silver fabrics to get the reflective effect you desire.



This portable little studio light lets you create the light you want. With magnetic modifiers that fit right into its carrying case and the ability to use it both on- and off-camera, this is the ideal tool for light shaping.

light-stand-photography

If you want to try your hand at off-camera flash (and we think you should!) you will need a stand to keep your light still and safe.

hazy backlit picture by April Nienhuis

without a reflector

photo of boy smiling with a reflector by April Nienhuis

### Off camera flash:

Similar to a reflector, off camera flash combats the lack of clarity that comes with lots of backlight. Off camera flash is used just the same as a reflector, to light the face.

While a reflector is cheaper and easier to carry around, off camera flash has more power (aka light) and won’t encourage squinting (very important to consider if your subject is extra sensitive to light like my son).

backlit photo of girl outdoors with the Profoto B1 off camera flash by April Nienhuis

## 6. Rim light

Rim light falls under the backlight category but deserves a spot of its own. With backlight you often see the hazy or airiness from the light in the background resulting in highlights but you don’t have that with rim light.

With rim light, you’ll see the light from behind only highlight the edges of your subject (there’s a little haze falling into the top right of the frame below but you can see how the rim light separates the subject from the background). This is great to use when you need to separate your subject from the background.

rim light picture of girl listening to her headphones by April Nienhuis

## 7. Butterfly light

With butterfly light, the light is placed above and in front of your subject to create a small shadow under the nose resembling a butterfly (hence the name). This type of light beautifully highlights prominent cheekbones which is why you most often see it used on women.

However, it emphasizes the shadows from deep set eyes. Again, know your subject’s face and how the light will affect their features. Butterfly light is also commonly referenced as paramount light.

butterfly light portrait of tween by April Nienhuis

## 8. Loop light

Loop lighting is pretty much my go-to when creating light. With loop lighting, the light is about 45 degrees to the side and slightly above eye level.

This position of the light creates a shadow just under and to the side of one nostril and the nose. This is a flattering type of light on most everyone.

portrait of girl with loop lighting by April Nienhuis

About the Author

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### April Nienhuis

With a fondness for capturing the details in life and nature, April has been taking photographs for more than a decade. She has an extensive background in blogging, SEO, social media management and second shooting and enjoys sharing her knowledge with others. Her days are spent remodeling her home in rural Oklahoma, caring for her hobby farm with her firefighter/EMT husband and homeschooling their three kids.

### Recent Posts by April Nienhuis

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### 31 thoughts on “When and how to use these 8 types of photography lighting”

1. 

   Brett

   Nov 04 2016 at 10:18 am

   This is really helpful, thank you! Your photos are stunning.

   Reply

   1. 

      April Nienhuis

      Nov 09 2016 at 7:48 pm

      Thank you, Brett! I’m glad you found the article helpful 🙂

      Reply

      1. 

         Mukesh

         Apr 03 2019 at 8:50 am

         Hey i reallly love ur article..thanks for sharing this..

         Reply

         1. 

            April Nienhuis

            Apr 03 2019 at 10:49 am

            You’re welcome, Mukesh!

            Reply

            1. 

               Anubhav Saxena

               Dec 25 2020 at 1:52 am

               Usefull article i appreciate it…



      2. 

         Norah Jerono Kipruto

         Feb 23 2020 at 12:46 am

         Such a great article! This has really helped me so much. Thank you.

         Reply

      3. 

         Yawar Hamid

         Feb 18 2022 at 7:36 am

         Very good knowledge it is. Honestly helped me to know more about lighting. Thank you for sharing your precious words..

         Reply



2. 

   besweetlight

   Nov 14 2016 at 3:52 pm

   Wow! Such a great article! I’ve put thought into some of these and not at all into others. It’s going to help me see light differently. Thanks for the reference!

   Reply

   1. 

      April Nienhuis

      Nov 20 2016 at 9:44 am

      You’re so welcome!

      Reply


3. 

   Celani Masondo

   Aug 25 2018 at 4:03 pm

   Very helpful stuff. Thank you April.

   Reply

   1. 

      April Nienhuis

      Aug 27 2018 at 11:41 am

      You’re welcome, Celani! Glad it helped 🙂

      Reply


4. 

   Onimesh

   Dec 28 2018 at 7:28 am

   Thanks alot…it was very helpul

   Reply

   1. 

      April Nienhuis

      Dec 28 2018 at 8:00 am

      You’re welcome, Onimesh! I’m glad you found it helpful.

      Reply


5. 

   Rajmohan

   Apr 15 2019 at 3:23 pm

   Gotta admit great article helped me with my exam thank you

   Reply

6. 

   akinsiku olanrewaju

   Jul 06 2019 at 12:00 pm

   Very helpful, I am just commencing photography. What a Great article to read!

   Reply

7. 

   Ernesto Neümann

   Jan 10 2020 at 10:28 am

   Great article, thanks for sharing it with us.

   Reply

8. 

   christopher zamora

   Feb 14 2020 at 7:27 am

   im a new teacher in media arts. no experience at all in photography but this topic is really helpful. thanks a lot. i hope i can learn more from you Madam. super helpful.

   Reply

9. 

   Rohit Singh

   Mar 04 2020 at 10:01 am

   Thanks April, This has Helped mee out, God Bless u with More & More sucess stay bless.

   Reply

10. 

    ADJAKA Divinewill

    Mar 16 2020 at 7:05 pm

    Thank you so much, this was really helpful.

    Reply

11. 

    Mark Blunt

    May 09 2020 at 12:17 pm

    Thank you April for showing us the types of photography lighting and the right timing to use it. This is helpful especially to beginners and those who are willing to master their craft.

    Reply

12. 

    RitubRawat

    May 20 2020 at 4:39 am

    This is very useful . Thank you for sharing this wonderful information.

    Reply

13. 

    Disha tupe

    Jun 12 2020 at 10:01 am

    A really good blog. Well written!! Thank you Miss April, it was really helpful!!

    Reply

14. 

    jake

    Oct 26 2020 at 9:55 am

    Great article april

    Reply

15. 

    jonadams photo

    Mar 29 2021 at 7:54 am

    thanks for sharing

    Reply

16. 

    Alex Jones

    May 11 2021 at 7:23 am

    I am new to lighting setups and this post really helped me. I really love the backlights.

    Reply

17. 

    kayla mumma

    Nov 08 2021 at 9:05 am

    These are connected to what I already know about front lighting, back lighting, and side lighting. It also expanded on portaits.

    Reply

18. 

    Tayler Friesen

    Jan 07 2022 at 5:07 pm

    This helps immensely! I tend to underestimate the power of good lighting. Of course you can make up for what is lacked with certain tricks, but to have the right light for the setting/situation is now going to be one of my top priorities. Thank you!

    Reply

19. 

    Seano Cel

    Feb 02 2022 at 9:42 am

    All the photos are looking so good. What I like the most is the reflector one capture. Really Informative.

    Reply

20. 

    Yusuf CPU

    Mar 20 2022 at 5:53 am

    Loop light is awesome. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

21. 

    David

    Jan 06 2023 at 10:12 am

    What a great article! I’ve been using artificial lighting here and there for unpaid shoots just learning as I go. Now I know what my different setups are called! I think a fun followup article would be talking about what genres of photography incorporate each type of lighting the most, or how to work with each when it’s all you’ve got. As an outdoor family photographer in San Francisco, I often don’t know whether I’ll find sun or fog, and we’re moving constantly so I have to learn to work with most situations.

    Reply

22. 

    Zahir

    Oct 21 2023 at 2:15 pm

    What an informative article on photography lighting! Lighting is such a critical element in photography, and it’s fantastic to see these various techniques and setups explained so clearly. For those looking to up their photography game, my advice would be to experiment with different lighting styles and practice, practice, practice. Each type of lighting can create a unique mood and atmosphere in your photos. Don’t be afraid to play with shadows and highlights to achieve the desired effect. Keep learning and evolving your skills, and your photography will shine

    Reply

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When and how to use these 8 types of photography lighting