Lighting how-to: Rembrandt lighting is a timeless style which requires only a single light source

 

 

Over at Red River Paper's blog, photographer Joel Grimes has written an interesting article about the famous 17th century artist, Rembrandt, and his lasting effect on lighting for different types of art, including photography. Grimes recalls taking art history courses as part of his BFA in photography at the University of Arizona and learning about painters, including Rembrandt, and being captivated by the painters' use of light.

What makes Rembrandt's use of light distinct is how the light falls across a subject's face. The light comes in quite heavily from the side, which creates a triangular highlight on the cheek of the subject which is opposite to the light source. As Grimes illustrates via diagrams, a common mistake when creating Rembrandt light is pointing the light directly at the subject. Instead, you should position the light so that it falls onto the subject, which creates a smoother gradation. You may be tempted to utilize a reflector to bring back detail in the shadows on the subject's face, but if you do this, you will diminish the effect of Rembrandt lighting.

 

Rembrandt

To learn more about the setup and see lighting examples, head over to Red River Paper. It’s a lighting style you can achieve with only one light and it's a timeless look.

(Via Red River Paper)