Potrait Photography

Portrait photographs have been around since the invention of the camera. It really took off in the 19th century with the reduced sitting time for the subject, compared with painted portraiture, and it being relatively cheap, the popularity of it grew and grew. Subjects were generally seated against plain backgrounds and lit with the soft light of an overhead window and whatever else could be reflected with mirrors. As photographic equipment and techniques developed, it gave photographer the opportunity to shoot images with shorter exposure times and to take portraits outside the studio, resulting in photographers having more freedom to do what they wanted to do.

There are many different techniques for portrait photography. More often than not, the subject and the photographer will have the eyes and face in sharpe focus while the other less important elements of their body in soft focus. At other times, portraits of individual features might be the focus of a composition such as the hands, eyes or part of the subject's torso. Another style of portraiture is a head shot, which as now become a style on its own.

There are many different lighting techniques when lighting a studio for portraiture, but the main ones are:
Key light
More commonly called a main light, the key light is usually placed to one side of the subject's face. The key light is the brightest light in the lighting plan.

Fill light
Placed opposite the key light, the fill light fills in or softens the shadows on the opposite side of the face. The brightness of the fill light is usually between 1/3 and 1/4 that of the key light.  These two lights are used together to mimic natural light and to give the impression that the subject is in a room next to, or near a window. The Key Light is the daylight coming through the window and the Fill Light is the reflected light from the walls of the room. this type of lighting is the most common and can be found in the works of hundreds of classical painters and photographers.

Back light
Also called a rim light or hair light, the rim light (the third main light in the three-point lighting plan) is placed behind the subject, out of the picture frame, and often rather higher than the Key light or Fill. The point of the rim light is to provide separation between the subject and the background by highlighting the subject's shoulders and hair. This can also add edge detail to the shadowed side of your model's face.

Kicker
The "fourth light" in three point lighting, a kicker is a small light, often made directional or limited in coverage through the use of a umbrella, or softbox that adds a bright edge light on the fill light side of the subject's face, usually just enough to establish the jaw line or edge of an ear.