How can I create a dramatic half-light, half-dark portrait effect?

Asked 11/4/2015

3 views

2 answers

I want to shoot a portrait where one side of the subject is brightly lit and the other side falls to near-black, with a very sharp transition between light and dark. What lighting setup would create this look in-camera, and how much of the effect is likely done in post-processing?

lighting post-processing portrait split-lighting low-key

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

10y ago

2 Answers

In this case It seems almost certain that they "cheated".
Which they are allowed to do :-).

Take the original image and push the gamma up high enough and you get what you see below.
This very hard transition is usually an indication of editing of some sort. I find this a useful check for many "how did they do xxx" questions where you get transitions which seem somewhat magical or hard to achieve - often hand editing can (and does) help.

The transitiomn to pure black-level is extremelt sharp - there is no smooth gradation but there are jagged squares of lower level scattered along the edge. While it is conceivable that this was produced from a real world lighting effect it certainly appears to be rather brutal editing.

Originally by user6263. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user6263

10y ago

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

This look is typically based on split lighting or low-key/chiaroscuro lighting, then often refined in post.

A common setup is:

Place a softbox or flash about 90° to one side of the subject
Keep the light slightly above eye level
Use a grid or other modifier to control spill
Start by exposing for the ambient/background so the background records as black
Then add flash and raise power until the lit side looks right

To deepen the shadow side, photographers may use a flag/barrier very close to the subject to block stray light.

The very hard edge to pure black in the example suggests editing was probably used as well. A sharp transition with jagged areas and no smooth gradation is a strong clue that shadows were crushed in post, or selectively painted/brushed darker.

So: get close in-camera with split lighting and tight light control, then finish by lowering shadows/blacks in editing if needed.

How can I create a dramatic half-light, half-dark portrait effect?

2 Answers

Your Answer

Related Questions