Portrait Lighting Patterns and Lighting Ratios Explained

The image below has a “Loop Lighting” pattern, and the “Lighting Ratio” is 2:1
The Image looks good at first glance, but can you see what is wrong with the lighting?  Please post your guess below for a free set of my very own unreleased beta version of Lightroom Presets.  The first “Correct” answer wins.

Hi and welcome to my blog.  Today I wanted to explain lighting patterns and lighting ratios for you.  Lighting patterns are straightforward, they are a shadow pattern created by a lighting position.  A lighting ratio is simply the comparison of the diffused value (the properly exposed area of the face) and the shadow area. As a photographer it is your job to choose the correct pattern of light and lighting ratio to flatter your subject.

Certain patterns of light do not flatter.  An example, if you put someone in Rembrandt and tell them to smile, forget it, it is going to look horrid.  You never want a subject to smile if you choose to use Rembrandt.  An example of using a lighting pattern to flatter someone would be the use of Paramount (butterfly) on a subject with a huge bump on their nose. Imagine if you used loop lighting and projected a shadow of a bump on a nose to the side of a cheek to draw attention to the flaw. Instead, if you used Paramount instead, there is no shadow on the face. If there is no shadow, there can be no shadow cast from the bump.

The bump on the nose is just an example to get you to think. If you have a subject that has flaws, try to hide the flaws in a shadow. If you have a subject that is heavy you might want to try a lighting position where most of the face is in shadow. You see shadows conceal and highlights draw attention, use that to your advantage.  In the video I show you the basic patterns of light, and a couple of key positions of light that you use, in conjunction, with a pattern.  An example might be a Short/Loop lighting pattern.

In the video I did make a mistake during my explanation of lighting ratios. I fixed it with text in the video. I promise, if I had more time, I would just re-shoot the video. That fact is, I don’t have much free time, and it’s always very late at night when I have a chance to do these videos.  I am sure you understand.  If you find the video unbearable because of the mistake, please tell me, so I can just take this entire post down and remake it when I have more time. I really want to hear from you if it bothers you.

I hope you find the video to be helpful, because this kind of information was not easy to find when I was learning how to light.  Use this video to help give you a foundation for lighting patterns, and when you can recreate the basic patterns, then break all the rules and go crazy.  As we progress I plan to go in the studio to make a putting it all together video so you can see the whole process from start to finish. Thanks for taking time to visit my blog.  Have a great day. Thomas Shue