What Is The Best Headshot Lighting? | Clarksburg, Maryland Headshot And Portrait Photography.

What is the best lighting for headshots? There are a million different ways photographers can light a headshot. You can use natural light, use strobes, one strobe, or 6. Some like a high key, Hollywood glamour, low key, and everything in between. I prefer to keep my lighting very simple for a few reasons. First, I often travel to other locations to shoot teams so keeping it light and easy is key for me. Secondly, I want my work to look consistent. Overall, I want the lighting to be flattering.

Here I'll show my two go-to studio lighting setups and why I use them. Here is how I like to light my male clients.

For men, I like to have one key light on the camera's left and keep some shadow on the subject’s left side. I like this because it shapes the sharper angles on men’s faces.It brings out the jawline and more chiseled features. I'll often add a second light way in the back that just hits my subject’s left-hand cheek. This kicker light helps pull the subject off the background. 

Now, no rules in photography. I don't only use this for men, and ultimately, I use whatever light helps to tell the story my client wants to tell. If I have an actress in that wants to shoot for a role in Law and Order as a badass swat team member, I'll use a moody light setup that makes her look like she's going to kneecap you!

Beauty Lighting

Beauty lighting is one of my favorites. It's super easy to control and, generally, looks gorgeous on everyone. I like to use this for my female clients because it can be more flattering for women. It's a softer light that reduces the sharper lines that the men’s light can bring out. It can also smooth out any blemishes in the skin, leaving you with a gorgeous smooth skin texture.

The rule in lighting is the bigger the light source is in comparison to the subject, the softer the light will be. So, now, on top of getting really soft light, I get to use some of my favorite tools in the studio. This shot above was made with a 7-foot parabolic umbrella with a sheer white diffusion cloth on the front and a 32-inch umbrella up high and right in front.

Again, this lighting setup is not just reserved for women. If my male clients can benefit from what this kind of lighting gives, we'll shoot it.  I also tend to use this kind of light when I'm on location and shooting a team. For this, I want consistency in the images for their marketing.

So, my goal, always, is to offer my clients images that meet their needs, show them off in the best light possible. If you're ready to book a session with me, or have questions about them, click below and send me a note. If you have a social presence on line, you should have a professional headshot. Let's male your LinkedIn, Facebook and websites look killer! I'm looking forward to getting your in front of my camera.