Pixiq

When the subject is looking away from the camera, as in a two-thirds or a three-quarter shot, you need to slightly reposition the key light to achieve a 45° lighting quality.

Both facial positions start with the subject or subjects looking away from the camera and toward the key light. However, if you keep the key light in the same position, the facial features will appear flattened. Although this is ideal for spotty or pitted skin, you lose the natural three-dimensional modeling created by the shadows and highlights. You will also see that the eyes look glazed and washed out; this is because the light is reflected straight into them and they lose their color.

To maintain the 45° lighting pattern, simply move the key light in an arc to match the turn of the face. By doing this, you will maintain the highlight and shadow areas and make your subject look thinner at the same time. Theoretically you should also move the fill light, but in all honesty I seldom do so.

With both these facial positions, the eyes are often looking toward the soft box; as a result, too much of the white of the eye is visible—a very unattractive effect. You need to correct this by asking your subject to glance toward the edge of the key-light soft box nearest the camera; this will give both depth and color to the eye.

With a three-quarter face portrait, pay particular attention to the position of the nose: it must not cut through the far cheek. This is a common mistake in portraiture; the effect is to exaggerate the client’s nose, making it seem much bigger than normal. In addition to moving the key light to keep the lighting pattern, tell your subject to look away so that, from your camera position, you can just see the far cheek. Remember that the eyes should always show detail and as little white as possible.

Common Pitfalls

Fattened face and exaggerated nose: Because the key light has not been moved, the face is flat lit, making the subject look slightly fatter than she really is. In addition, she has turned too far away from the camera; her nose now breaks through the line of the cheek, which makes it look bigger.

Eye position: This portrait shows the most common fault in portraits in which the subject is looking off camera; the model has moved her eyes, revealing too much of the white of the eye—a very unflattering effect.