Rembrandt lighting is setup with the subject at the center with 4 sources of light position around the subject. The first is the key light, which should be the strongest light. The second is the fill light, which is a little closer to the subject. The third is the background light which aims at the black background. Finally, the fourth light is the hair light which should be should above the person’s hair. With the use of multiple light source, a triangular highlight can be shown on the shadowed cheek of the model.

Example:

Creating the setup as a class, we experimented with the hair light’s position as there was only 3 available lights. The soft box became the key light in the assignment and the hair light was angled from behind the subject as it shined her hair and the background light created a halo. Through experimenting, the hair light and background light had to be weaker and stronger as to not overpower the model. Though we had one less light source, we were able to use a reflector to create the triangular highlight on the model’s face.

Classwork: