Is short or broad lighting more flattering for male vs. female portraits?
Asked 1/14/2012
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2 answers
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I’ve read that short lighting is often considered more flattering for women, while broad lighting is used more for men. In portrait practice, is there a useful rule of thumb here, or is the choice really more about the subject’s face and body shape than gender?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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It's more about fat/thin than male/female. Short lighting is more flattering for wider people, while broad lighting can be used more freely with thinner faces and forms.
Originally by user3050. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user3050
14y ago
0
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There isn’t a reliable male-vs.-female rule of thumb here. A better guideline is to choose broad or short lighting based on the subject’s shape and the look you want.
In general, short lighting is often more flattering for wider or fuller faces because it places more of the face in shadow, which can make it appear slimmer. Broad lighting lights the side of the face turned toward the camera, so it can make a face look fuller and is usually easier to use on thinner faces.
So the practical rule is: think fat/thin, not male/female. Gender alone isn’t a good reason to choose one lighting pattern over the other.
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