3 Different Lighting Styles for Corporate Headshots

There are many different lighting styles for corporate headshots. Today we are going to go over 3 styles and what they do to your face and who they are best for.  Above you will see our 3 different corporate headshot lighting styles!

First one

This lighting style is commonly called “Clamshell lighting” which is based on the above and below light positions to the subject.  This lighting style is really great for someone who has great cheek bone and features.  You have to make sure if you are going to do this lighting setup for corporate headshots that the subject has a slim face. Because this lighting style tends to show more dimension to your subject’s face which can make some people look rounder in the face.  I would use this lighting style for younger people and people who have a slim face already.

This lighting style is called “Butterfly lighting” which like clamshell lighting. It is named after the positioning of the lights which are left and right of the subject but eye level.  This lighting style is great for older people. Because it is great for hiding wrinkles but also tends to make your subject flatter.  This is always a safe lighting setup to go with because it works great for anyone and everyone.  Most times when I am doing corporate headshots I won’t know what my clients and subjects look like before they walk into my studio. So this is a good to lighting style for me.

The next style of lighting setups for corporate headshot photography which is called Rembrandt lighting based off the famous portrait painter Rembrandt van Rijn.  Rembrandt always used this lighting style in his paintings. It is where the light is positions either camera left or camera right and slightly above eye level.  It’s almost half of the butterfly lighting style.  One of the key characteristics of Rembrandt lighting is the triangle in the shadow beside the subject’s nose. To enhance this style, consider incorporating display panel lighting to add a highlight on the shadow side of your subject’s face, just like the example to the left. This is a pretty classic lighting style, but if you don’t execute it perfectly, it tends to look out of date.

If you are looking for more information on corporate headshots please check out my blog. If you are in the Fairfax Va area and want your own headshot, please check out my corporate headshot info page!