One light is usually enough
Most studio portraits are lit too much. Adding a second light is the fastest way to flatten a face, and the hardest habit to unlearn.
One source, placed carefully, gives you direction, depth and a shadow side that actually says something. Two sources give you information. Information is not the same as a portrait.
I start with the light close and slightly above eye level, then move it until the shadow under the nose behaves. Everything after that is small: a few centimetres higher, a small turn away from the face, a hand held up to block spill.
Move the light, not the person. The face should be the one thing that stays still.
Move the light, not the person. Asking someone to keep rotating their chin makes them self conscious, and a self conscious face reads instantly in the final frame. Let them settle and do the work around them.
If the shadow side goes too dark, a white board on the floor is enough. It lifts the darkness just enough to keep detail, without introducing a second character into the picture.
From this story
What it comes down to
- Start with one light slightly above eye level
- Adjust in centimetres, not in setups
- Use a white board before reaching for a second light
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