Lesson 1: Portrait Photography

How can moving a single light source change the apparent shape of a person's face without changing the camera angle?

What is the visual difference between "broad" lighting and "short" lighting, and when would a photographer choose one over the other?

How do the shape and position of shadows on a face communicate different emotional moods to a viewer?

Key Light: The primary, strongest light source used to illuminate a subject in a portrait.
Catchlight: The small, bright reflection of a light source visible in a subject’s eyes that adds life and depth to a portrait.
Broad Lighting: A setup where the side of the face turned toward the camera is the side receiving the main light. This tends to make faces look wider.

Short Lighting: A setup where the side of the face turned away from the camera is the side receiving the main light. This places the side closest to the camera in shadow, making faces look narrower.
The Four Lighting Patterns:Paramount / Butterfly Lighting: The light is placed directly in front of and above the subject, casting a small, butterfly-shaped shadow directly under the nose.Loop Lighting: The light is moved slightly to the side, creating a small shadow from the nose that forms a loop pointing toward the cheek, without touching the shadow of the cheek.
Rembrandt Lighting: The light is moved further to the side and down, creating a dramatic triangle of light on the shadowed cheek. The nose shadow connects with the cheek shadow to trap that triangle.Split Lighting: The light is placed at a exact 90 degree angle to the side of the subject, splitting the face perfectly in half one side completely lit, the other side completely in shadow.

VA:Cr2.1.HSI: Shape an artistic investigation of an aspect of present-day life using contemporary practices of art or design.

VA:Cr3.1.HSI: Refine and complete artistic work.

Spatial and Angular Analysis: Setting up lighting patterns requires students to calculate physical angles 45 vs 90 degrees and heights relative to a three-dimensional subject. This directly exercises spatial reasoning, geometry concepts, and multi-variable logic tested on standardized math sections.Predicting Outcomes Based on Patterns: Students must look at a pattern ruleset (e.g., "if the shadows touch, it becomes Rembrandt") and predict how minor adjustments will change the final data output (the photograph).

Description: Students will work in pairs as photographer and model. Using a DSLR camera and a single adjustable studio light (or a bright window/flashlight), students will systematically move the light source around their subject to create and capture all four classical lighting patterns. They will shoot each pattern twice: once using short lighting and once using broad lighting.

Purpose: To stop students from shooting flat, accidentally lit portraits, and teach them to intentionally use shadows as a tool to sculpt facial features and control mood.

DOK Level: Level 2 (Classify and Apply) as they set up and identify the physical patterns; Level 3 (Strategic Thinking) as they choose a specific pattern to match an assigned emotional mood word.

Hollywood and Historical Branding: Connect Paramount/Butterfly lighting to classic 1930s Hollywood glamour shots of actors, and Rembrandt lighting to the famous fine-art oil paintings of the Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn.

Modern Media Moods: Look at current movie posters, album covers, and magazine covers. Analyze how a suspense movie poster might use Split or Rembrandt lighting to look mysterious, while a corporate profile or pop album cover might use bright Loop or Butterfly lighting to look welcoming and clean.

Misconception 1: Students often think that to make a portrait brighter or "better," you should point lights directly at the subject from everywhere. They must learn that shadows are what give a photograph depth, shape, and drama.

Misconception 2: Students think you have to move the camera to change the lighting. They need to discover that the camera can stay completely still while the light source or the model’s head does the moving.

For Extra Visual Support: Give students a simple, laminated "cheat sheet" card with drawings of the four face types and where the shadow shapes should fall. A teacher or peer can help them adjust the light stand height until the nose shadow matches the diagram.For Software/Exposure Support: If students struggle with manual camera exposure while learning lighting setups, allow them to shoot in Aperture Priority mode ($Av$ or $A$) so they can focus entirely on the physical light placement and shadow shapes without worrying about shutter speeds.

• Formative (In-Progress Check): The "Shadow Check." On Day 1, the teacher will walk around the studio spaces, name a pattern (e.g., "Show me Rembrandt"), and the student must adjust their light until the correct shadow triangle appears on their model's face before taking the shot.

• Summative (Final Grade): Students will turn in a 4-photos  (Paramount, Loop, Rembrandt, Split). Grading is based on the accurate placement of the shadow shapes, the presence of clean catchlights in the eyes, and correct camera focus on the eye closest to the lens.

• Reflective Exit Ticket: If you want to make a subject look dramatic, intense, and mysterious for a movie poster, which of the four lighting patterns would you choose, and why?

• DSLR Cameras.

• Controllable light sources (Studio strobes, continuous LED lights, or powerful adjustable flashlights).

• Light modifiers (Umbrellas or softboxes to soften light, or bare bulbs for sharp shadows).

• Reflector boards (white foam core or pop-up reflectors).

• Printed or digital visual guides showing the historical examples of the lighting patterns.