Paramount Lighting Setup & Tutorial for Hollywood Style Portraits

Lighting  •  Photography Tips  •  Portrait Photography

Paramount lighting is one of the most popular lighting techniques used in fashion, glamour and classic portrait photography. It was made popular by the Paramount Pictures movie studio, and gives a certain flattering look to the subject. In Paramount lighting, the light is placed right in front of the subject at a slightly downward angle, thereby creating a shadow right beneath the subject’s nose. This lighting technique has certain challenges of its own, but in today’s video, photographer Lindsay Adler shows us how you can get the perfect Paramount lighting every time.

Since the light is placed right in front of the subject, it can pose a challenge. When the subject is facing straight toward the camera, the light stand can get in your way. In the video, Adler demonstrates how she tackles this using a boom arm. This allows her to position the light stand on the side of the frame, but still have the light shine in front of the subject.

Another challenge you’ll face is when the subject changes their position. In that case, you’ll need to move your light accordingly to retain the shadow right underneath their nose. To tackle this challenge, Adler suggests you use a roller stand. This way, you can easily make adjustments to the lighting position to compensate for the subject’s movements.

Be sure to watch the complete video for practical examples and the images she takes using these techniques. The practical demonstrations will definitely help you understand the technique.