Broad and Short Lighting

Broad lighting is a portrait setup where the key light brightens the side of the face turned toward the camera. The larger, nearer side of the face carries the light while the far side holds the shadow. The look is open and even, which suits corporate headshots and high-key portraits. It can make a face appear wider, so it flatters narrow faces more than full ones.

Short lighting is a portrait setup where the key light lands on the side of the face turned away from the camera. The side facing the lens stays in shadow, which slims the face and adds depth. It is the more common choice for classic portraits because the shadow adds shape and mood. Dramatic patterns such as Rembrandt and split lighting are usually shot this way.

It depends on the face. Short lighting slims, so it flatters round or full faces and adds drama to almost any subject. Broad lighting widens, so it works better on narrow or angular faces and gives a softer, more open feel. Neither is right or wrong. Many photographers test both during a session by asking the subject to turn their head each way.

The fastest way is to turn the subject, not the light. With the key light fixed about 45 degrees off camera, a head turned toward the light produces short lighting, and a head turned away produces broad lighting. Moving the light to the other side of the camera has the same effect. The switch takes seconds, which makes it easy to shoot both looks in one session.

No. The pattern depends on the angle between the face and the main light, so any directional source works. A window, a streetlight, or the low sun can act as the key. Seat the subject beside a window and turn the chair to move between the two looks. Overcast skies and other soft, wraparound light hide the effect because no clear shadow side forms.

Split lighting describes where the key light stands: 90 degrees to the side, which lights exactly half the face. Broad and short describe which half is lit, relative to the camera. When the lit half faces away from the camera, a split portrait is also short lit. The two terms answer different questions, one about the light position and one about which side of the turned face it strikes.

Yes. Loop and Rembrandt name the shadow shapes the key light draws on the face, while broad and short name which side of a turned face is lit. A Rembrandt triangle can appear on the near cheek or the far cheek depending on which way the head turns. Portrait photographers usually combine these patterns with short lighting because the added shadow gives the face more shape.

Not always, but fill helps. Because the shadow side faces the camera, deep shadows dominate the frame and can swallow detail in the eyes and cheek. A reflector or a low-power fill light opposite the key opens those shadows while keeping the slimming effect. For moody, low-key portraits, some photographers skip fill and let the near side fall toward black.

The name comes from the short side of the face. When a head turns away from the camera, the far side narrows in the frame, and portrait photographers call that narrow strip the short side. Lighting it gives the technique its name. The near side, which shows more of the face, is the broad side, and lighting it is called broad lighting.

It tends to. When light reaches the camera-facing side of the face almost head-on, it fills in small dips and pores, so skin looks smoother in the frame. Short lighting leaves the camera-facing side in shadow, where texture and contours read more strongly and add character. Photographers pick broad lighting for a clean, even look and short lighting when they want shape and detail.