15.11. Learning from the masters

There is much to be learned by studying the works of great painters. They only had oils and canvas rather than CMOS image sensors and xenon flash tubes, but they sure knew a thing or two about light. One painter whose techniques are of great value to portrait photographers is Rembrandt van Rijn.

Many of Rembrandt's paintings are lit predominantly from one side. This effect can be reproduced photographically by positioning a key light to one side of the subject, fairly high up. The other side is filled in by either a lower powered light or a reflector. The result is a simple and elegant portrait, with the shadows providing a dimensionality to the face. A key hallmark of the Rembrandt technique is that the side of the face in shadow typically has a downwards-pointing triangle of light on the cheek, under the eye.