Lighting Techniques: Butterfly

Another lighting technique we required practice with is known as Butterfly or Paramount lighting, this type of lighting  is used to flatter the subject, by creating shadows above the eyelids and cheekbones, this type of lighting is mainly used in hollywood to make actresses and models look more attractive as it casts more light on the facial features.

The lighting highlights their facial features in clear detail making them stand out, and the shadows under the cheekbones and over the eyelids exaggerates this.









The setup for this style of lighting would require the subject to be facing the camera head on so that all of the face is visible, the key light would need to be behind the camera and at a height of 2-3 ft higher than the subject with it turned at an angle of 70 degrees, there would also be no need for a fill light as the key light would be aimed directly at the subject so a reflector would be impractical.

Diagram of Butterfly Lighting setup