Paramount Portrait Lighting
Paramount portrait lighting is a lighting technique employed for portrait photography which emphasizes high cheekbones and used mainly for females.
It is among one of five types of studio lighting techniques.
The other types of lighting are:
Paramount lighting is also known as “Butterfly Lighting” because the shape of the shadow that is formed under the subject’s nose.
This symmetrical shape resembles a butterfly and is created due to the high positioning of the main light.
Lighting Setup
It is easy to set up for this lighting technique. The image here shows 3 different lights but this is not necessary.
Both the main light (key light) and the fill light are facing the subject.
The key light, however, is placed high above the subject so as to get the shadows under the subject’s nose.
The fill light is placed at about the subject’s head level.
It is also possible to use a reflector underneath the subject’s head to bring out a bit more of the face.
This lighting technique is also called glamor lighting because the subject’s cheek bones and skin are emphasized.
When used on men, this lighting tends to hollow out eyes and cheeks.
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