Rembrandt Lighting

Lighting  •  Photography Tips

Rembrandt lighting is one of the core lighting setups used by portrait photographers because its ability to produce softly lit facial features. The trademark brand of Rembrandt lighting is a triangular shaped spot of light that sits just beneath one eye and runs the length of the nose. Award winning photographer, Joel Grimes, has made an informative video tutorial in which he describes exactly how he uses and refines Rembrandt lighting styles. Have a look here:

It was giving its name because it is the same lighting style Rembrandt, the renowned painter, used in all his paintings. The lighting pattern is relatively simple to set up, often times requiring just one or two lights, making it a good choice for those who have only minimal lighting equipment. In fact, Rembrandt lighting can even be achieved using only natural light, such as the sun.

Grimes offers up some great tips that are easy to understand and some that even seasoned photographers might find helpful.

After watching Grime’s step-by-step tutorial, we should all be able to take portraits as captivating as the one above, right?