Studio Lighting - Tuesday, July 15, 2008 8:39 - 5 Comments

Using Opposing Lights to Sculpt the Subject

Using two powerful opposing lights can create a lot of drama in your images and make the subject “pop.” It is more than a main and a fill, it is a second light source that comes from the opposite side of your main light with as much or nearly as much power as your main light. This can cause some very interesting ’sculpting’ to happen where the two light sources meet.

It can also be a challenge to make that area where they meet as attractive as possible. Use the sculpting power of that second light to show lines, curves, texture, shape, and shadow to advantage. Controlling that second light is our focus.

We can use a hard light or a modified light source, but the goal is not to ‘fill’ the shadow side, but to create a whole new light source. Let’s take a look at a couple of examples that show how using two lights can really add some interest to a portrait or beauty shot.

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