{"id":49289,"date":"2020-10-29T22:48:46","date_gmt":"2020-10-30T02:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/?p=49289"},"modified":"2020-11-09T02:14:12","modified_gmt":"2020-11-09T06:14:12","slug":"clam-shell-lighting-for-headshots-and-portraits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/clam-shell-lighting-for-headshots-and-portraits\/","title":{"rendered":"Clam-shell lighting for headshots and portraits"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Clam-shell lighting for headshots and portraits<\/h1>\n

Clamshell lighting is one of the simplest lighting setups for headshots and portraits. Two lights are set up to light your subject from above and from below. Both are at approximately a 45 degree angle. This gives an even light on your subject, that somehow has a glowing effect. Easy to set up, and gives consistently good results. Here I used studio lighting, but obviously it is just as easy with speedlights.<\/p>\n

You must have seen similar clamshell style lighting setups, but with a reflector below instead.\u00a0This 2nd light source\u00a0from below (whether from another flash, or from a reflector) lifts the shadow areas. Depending on how much power you give this secondary light, you can eliminate shadows from below, giving more even lighting. There are various ways to get some light in under your subject’s chin. Either a massive light source behind (or slightly to the side of you), or a reflector of some kind, or some other kind of light source.<\/p>\n

One item I often use in the studio, Westcott Eyelighter<\/a>\u00a0 (B&H<\/a><\/em> \/ Amazon<\/em><\/a>), works well. You can see it in use in this article: Headshot photography \u2013 Clam-shell lighting setup<\/a>. The eyelighter does depend on how you position the reflector in relation to your subject. The classic way of doing clamshell lighting however, is with a light source below your subject – usually a sofbox. As in this example.<\/p>\n

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\"clamshell<\/p>\n

I used three Profoto D1 500 Ws studio flashes, as shown in this pullback photos. \u00a0In addition to the clamshell setup.\u00a0I added a rim-light from behind to subtly help with separation from the background.<\/p>\n

Using that smaller gridded octabox on her as the main light, gave more contrast to the side of her face. A larger light source would have given more even light across from left to right. We have choices.<\/p>\n

Photo gear\u00a0used in this photo session<\/h2>\n