Appendix C: Lighting Setups Library

This is the page you screenshot before a shoot. Every setup below is a named, repeatable starting point — the kind a working photographer carries in their head — rendered as a top-down map you can rebuild on a table, in a studio, or in a living room with one window. Each entry gives you a diagram, a one-paragraph walkthrough (because a map can show position but never softness or ratio — always read the words beside it), and a short "what it says" so you choose a setup for the feeling you want, not just the geometry.

None of these requires a studio. The recurring lesson of Part III holds here: good light is built one named source at a time, and the photograph lives in the shadow you have the discipline to keep. Almost every setup has a near-zero-cost path — a window standing in for the key, a bedsheet or tracing paper for diffusion, and a sheet of white foam board for fill. Where a setup needs a real second light, it says so.

For the full treatment of each idea, see Chapter 11 (off-camera flash), Chapter 12 (modifiers, multi-light setups, ratios, high/low-key), Chapter 13 (portrait lighting and the catchlight), and Chapter 14 (product and food). This appendix is the condensed field reference; those chapters are the why.

How to read these maps (the frozen legend)

Every diagram is a top-down view, as if you were looking down from the ceiling: the subject stands in the middle, the camera is usually at the bottom looking up the page, and each light sits around the subject at the clock position and distance shown. The symbol set is the same one used in every lighting diagram in this book.

LIGHTING-MAP LEGEND (top-down view)

  ( S ) = subject                 ▢ = key / main light (soft, e.g. a softbox or window)
  [CAM] = camera                  ○ = reflector / fill (a passive bounce, or a weak soft light)
  ☀ = sun / available light       ▣ = rim / hair / background light (a small, often gridded source)

  arrows (→ ↓ ↘ ↗ ↙ ◄) show the direction the light TRAVELS toward the subject.

  Read it like a floor plan. ▢ near and to the side = soft, dramatic. ○ opposite the key = fill that
  sets how deep the shadows fall. ▣ behind the subject = separation (an edge of light), not face light.

Two quick reminders that govern everything here:

• Softness comes from apparent size. A source is soft when it is large as the subject sees it — make it bigger or move it closer for softer light and gentle shadow edges; smaller or farther for harder, crisper light. (Chapter 5; Chapter 12, §12.2.)
• The ratio is the shadow depth, as a number. The brightness gap between the lit side and the shadow side, measured in stops, is the lighting ratio: 1:1 flat, 2:1 gentle, 4:1 the classic portrait look, 8:1 dramatic, 16:1+ severe. Set it by moving the fill closer (lower ratio) or farther (higher ratio). (Chapter 12, §12.5.)

Part 1 — Portrait setups (the one-light patterns)

These five are produced by moving one key light around a face — changing its angle to the side and its height. They are named for the shadow the nose casts. Learn to walk the key slowly from high-and-centered around to the side and you will see them appear in order. One light, five portraits. (Chapter 12, §12.3; Chapter 13, §13.1.)

Loop lighting — the flattering default

SETUP C.1 — Loop lighting (top-down view)
                    [ BACKDROP ]
                         |
                       ( S ) ──────────► faces camera
                      ↗       ↖
            ▢ 30–45°/           \  ○ reflector
            KEY (soft, just                (camera-right, fills
            above eye level,                the shadow side)
            camera-left)
                         |
                      [ CAM ]
   Ratio ~3:1 to 4:1 → gentle, rounded modeling. Catchlight at 10 o'clock.

Walkthrough. Place one soft key (softbox, or a window) about 30–45° to one side of the subject and a little above their eye level, throwing light down toward the face. The nose casts a small shadow that "loops" down toward the corner of the mouth without touching the cheek shadow. Drop a reflector opposite to lift the shadow side to taste. This is the most generally flattering and most-used portrait light; when you don't know where to start, start here. The catchlight (the source mirrored in the eye) lands at about 10 or 2 o'clock — natural and alive. What it says: approachable, honest, present — the everyday portrait that flatters almost everyone.

Rembrandt lighting — painterly drama

SETUP C.2 — Rembrandt lighting (top-down view)
                    [ BACKDROP ]
                         |
                       ( S ) ──────────► turned slightly from camera
                       ↘
              ▢ ~45° &  \           ○ reflector (optional, weak —
              HIGHER      \           keep the drama; lift only a little)
              KEY (soft,   \
              camera-left,  ↘
              aimed down) ── triangle of light appears on the
                              shadow-side cheek, under the eye
                         |
                      [ CAM ]
   Ratio ~4:1 to 8:1 → moody, dimensional. Triangle no wider than the eye,
   no longer than the nose. (If it's bigger, the key is too far to the side or too high.)

Walkthrough. Push the key from the loop position a little farther to the side (around 45°) and clearly higher. The nose shadow grows until it just meets the shadow of the cheek, trapping a small bright triangle of light on the shadow-side cheek, under the eye — the signature of Rembrandt lighting, named for the painter who used exactly this fall of light. Keep the triangle no wider than the eye and no longer than the nose; if it's bigger, the key is too high or too far around. Fill sparingly — the drama is the deep shadow side. What it says: serious, weighty, three-dimensional — a portrait that looks like it took a crew and needs only one light.

Butterfly / Paramount lighting — glamour

SETUP C.3 — Butterfly / Paramount lighting (top-down view)
                    [ BACKDROP ]
                         |
                     ▢ KEY (high, directly in front,
                     |    above the camera, aimed DOWN)
                     ↓
                       ( S ) ──────► faces camera straight on
                         ○  ← reflector held LOW, under the chin,
                         |     bouncing light back up into the eyes
                      [ CAM ]
   Small symmetrical shadow directly under the nose (the "butterfly").
   Cheekbones catch light from above. Low ratio → smooth and flattering.

Walkthrough. Place the key high and directly in front of the subject, above the camera, throwing light straight down the face. The nose casts a small, symmetrical shadow directly beneath it — shaped like a butterfly — and the cheekbones catch the light from above. This is the old-Hollywood glamour and beauty light: slimming, polished, and flattering to good bone structure. It tends to deepen the eye sockets, so a reflector (or a second light) is almost always added below the chin to bounce light back up into the eyes — which is exactly the clamshell on the next page. What it says: polished, glamorous, idealized — the cosmetic and fashion look.

Split lighting — graphic and intense

SETUP C.4 — Split lighting (top-down view)
                    [ BACKDROP ]
                         |
   ▢ KEY ──────────►   ( S )   ......... shadow half (often no fill)
   (90° straight        |  the nose splits the face down the middle:
   to the side,         |  one half lit, one half in shadow
   at eye level)        |
                      [ CAM ]
   High ratio (8:1+ or no fill at all) → maximum drama. Use on purpose.

Walkthrough. Swing the key all the way around to 90° — straight out to the subject's left or right, at about eye level — so light hits exactly half the face and the other half falls into shadow, split right down the middle by the line of the nose. This is the most dramatic of the patterns: hard, graphic, and intense. It suits character studies, moody portraits, and subjects you want to render with edge rather than flattery. Add little or no fill; the severity is the point. What it says: intense, mysterious, confrontational — a deliberate choice, never a default.

Broad vs. short lighting — the slimming dial

SETUP C.5 — Broad vs. short lighting (top-down view)

   BROAD LIGHTING                         SHORT LIGHTING
   (key on the NEAR, camera-side)         (key on the FAR, away-side)

        ▢ key                                        key ▢
          ↘                                          ↙
          ( S ) nose points ↗ away              ( S ) nose points ↖ away
            \   from camera                        /   from camera
             \                                    /
            [CAM]                               [CAM]

   Camera sees mostly the LIT side →         Camera sees mostly the SHADOW side →
   face looks fuller, wider, open.           face looks slimmer, sculpted.

Walkthrough. Independent of the pattern above, you choose which side of a turned face the key falls on. Broad lighting puts the key on the side turned toward the camera, so the camera sees mostly lit skin — this widens and fills a face, good for thin faces or an open, friendly feel. Short lighting puts the key on the side turned away from the camera, so the camera sees mostly the shadowed near cheek — this slims and sculpts, and is the more flattering choice for most faces most of the time. The rule professionals carry: short lighting slims, broad lighting widens — when in doubt, short-light. You can shoot loop, Rembrandt, or split as either broad or short. What it says: broad = open and accessible; short = refined and sculpted.

Part 2 — Portrait setups (modifiers added)

Clamshell (beauty) lighting — even, glowing, ageless

SETUP C.6 — Clamshell / beauty lighting (top-down view, SIDE-style stack)
                    [ BACKDROP ]
                         |
                     ▢ KEY (soft, high, directly in front,
                     |    above the camera, aimed slightly DOWN)
                     ↓
                       ( S ) ──────► faces camera
                     ↑
                     ○ FILL (a second soft source OR a reflector,
                     |    LOW and in front, aimed slightly UP — the
                     |    two sources "open and close" like a clamshell)
                      [ CAM ]  ← camera shoots between the two sources
   Low ratio (close to 1:1). Two catchlights, top and bottom of the eye.

Walkthrough. Clamshell is butterfly lighting with the under-chin fill made into a full source, so the face is sandwiched between a soft light above-front (the key) and a soft fill below-front (a second softbox, a reflector, or a tri-flector) — the two opening and closing on the face like a clamshell. The result is near-shadowless, even, wrapping light that minimizes texture and smooths skin: the standard beauty, cosmetic, and modern-headshot look. The camera shoots through the small gap between the two sources. You'll see a catchlight at both the top and bottom of the eye — the giveaway of a clamshell. Keep the lower source dimmer than the upper one (so a hint of natural top-down modeling survives) unless you want it perfectly flat. What it says: flawless, fresh, ageless — flattering, commercial, and forgiving of skin.

Short-lit profile — sculpture and edge

SETUP C.7 — Short-lit profile (top-down view)
                    [ DARK BACKDROP ]
                         |
   ▢ KEY ────────►     ( S ) ───────►  subject's profile faces frame-LEFT;
   (from BEHIND the      |              camera sees the side of the head
   far side, ~120°,      |
   raking across the     |   ○ small reflector or black card on the
   face toward camera)   |     near (camera) side to control the shadow
                      [ CAM ]   (placed at right angles to the profile)
   The lit side is the FAR side → the near cheek falls dark → maximum slimming
   and a bright rim along the brow, nose, and lips. Often paired with low-key.

Walkthrough. Pose the subject in full or three-quarter profile and place the key well around to the far side (roughly 100–120°), raking across the face so it skims the brow, the bridge of the nose, and the lips and leaves the near cheek in shadow. This is short lighting pushed toward its extreme: the lit edge draws the profile as a bright contour while the bulk of the face the camera sees falls dark, for a sculptural, graphic result. Control the shadow side with a small reflector (to open it) or a black card (to deepen it). It pairs naturally with a dark background and a low-key treatment. What it says: elegant, sculptural, classical — a portrait about line and form rather than expression.

Rim / hair light (added for separation)

SETUP C.8 — Adding a rim / hair light (top-down view)
                    [ BACKDROP ]
                ▣ hair light (behind & ABOVE the subject,
                  aimed down at the crown; gridded/flagged so
                  it doesn't spill into the lens)
                         |
       ▣ rim ─────►    ( S )   ◄───── ▣ rim/kicker (optional, opposite
       (behind &       /    \          side, catches the far cheek/
        to the side,  ↗       ↖         shoulder)
        edges the    /          \
        hair/arm)   ▢            ○
                    KEY          FILL
                         |
                      [ CAM ]
   Rim lights are SEPARATION, not face light. Turn each up only until a clean
   bright edge appears — then stop. Grid or flag them to keep light off the lens.

Walkthrough. A dark-haired subject against a dark background lit only from the front melts into the backdrop. The fix is a rim light — a small source placed behind and to the side of the subject, aimed back toward them, tracing a bright edge along the hair, shoulder, or cheek that peels the subject off the background and adds depth. Aimed high and behind at the crown, it's a hair light; from the side at the subject's level it's a kicker or edge light. Always grid or flag these so their light doesn't spill into the lens (causing flare) or onto the front of the face (muddying the key's pattern). Add only enough to draw a clean edge. What it says: depth and polish — the difference between a flat cut-out and a subject that stands in space.

High-key — light, clean, optimistic

SETUP C.9 — High-key portrait (top-down view)
              [ WHITE BACKDROP ]
        ▣ ──►              ◄── ▣   (two background lights flood the
        (background lights         white to PURE white — about 1.5–2
         set ~1.5–2 stops           stops brighter than the subject)
         brighter than ( S ))
                    |
                  ( S ) ──────► faces camera
                 /      \
              ▢          ○
              soft KEY    strong FILL
              (low ratio  (lifts the shadow side
               ~1:1/2:1)   almost flat)
                    |
                 [ CAM ]
   The SUBJECT is still correctly exposed — high-key is not "overexpose everything."
   What defines it is the near-absence of dark tones.

Walkthrough. High-key is built, not over-exposed. Light a white background separately and strongly so it reads pure white (the §12.4 background light earning its keep — meter it about 1.5–2 stops brighter than the subject so it clips clean). Then light the subject with a soft, low-ratio key (1:1 to 2:1) and generous fill so the shadow side stays bright and shadows nearly vanish. Keep the subject far enough forward of the background that its glare doesn't spill into the lens and wash out contrast. The subject is still correctly exposed with full detail; it's the deliberate near-absence of dark tones that makes the look. What it says: open, fresh, weightless, optimistic — beauty advertising, newborns, bright modern headshots.

Low-key — dark, sculpted, dramatic

SETUP C.10 — Low-key portrait (top-down view)
              [ BLACK BACKDROP — left UNLIT, falls to black ]
                         |
              ▣ rim ───► ( S )
              (separates       \
               subject from      \
               the black)         ▢ KEY
                                  (single, crisp,
                                   HIGH ratio 8:1+,
                       |           little or NO fill)
                    [ CAM ]
   Work in a dark room. One controlling key, deep shadows, a rim so the
   subject doesn't vanish. The SUBJECT's lit portions are correctly exposed —
   low-key is not "underexpose everything."

Walkthrough. Low-key is the mirror of high-key. Work in a dark room and leave the background unlit so it falls to black. Use a single, often crisper key at a high ratio (8:1 or more) with little or no fill, so the shadows are deep and controlling and only what you choose is revealed. Add a rim or hair light so the subject doesn't disappear entirely into the dark behind them. As with high-key, the lit portions are correctly exposed and full of detail — it's the dominance of dark tones, and the discipline of what you let the light touch, that defines it. What it says: serious, intimate, mysterious, dramatic — film noir, character studies, moody editorial.

Part 3 — Product and food setups

The rule changes from "flatter a face" to "read the surface first." Matte objects (bread, fabric, wood, fruit) want soft side light that rakes across to reveal texture and form. Reflective objects (chrome, glass, glaze, liquid, metal) are mirrors — you don't light the object, you build and place the reflections it sees, with white card to add bright tone and black card to draw a clean dark edge. (Chapter 14, §§14.1–14.2.)

Phone and budget note: nearly all of this is a window + a sheet of tracing paper (diffusion) + a sheet of white foam board (bounce) + a sheet of black card (subtract). A still object under controllable light is exactly where a phone excels — take all the time you want.

Single softbox + reflector — the everyday workhorse

SETUP C.11 — One softbox (or window) + reflector, "the window in a box" (top-down view)
                    [ BACKGROUND ]
                         |
                       ( S ) ──────────► object on the table
                      ↗        ↖
        ▢ ~45°     /              \      ○ reflector
        KEY (medium softbox or                (white foam board,
        the window itself, to the              opposite the key,
        side & slightly above,                  bouncing the spill
        soft & directional)                      back into the shadow)
                         |
                      [ CAM ]
   Move the key CLOSER → softer, gentler shadow edges.  FARTHER → crisper.
   More to the SIDE → deeper shadow, more texture. Slide the bounce closer = softer shadows.

Walkthrough. This is the one setup that does most of the work — for objects and people. One soft source (a softbox, or the window itself) to the side and slightly above, with a white reflector opposite to set how deep the shadows fall. For a matte object, push the key more to the side so it rakes across the surface and every bump and fiber casts its tiny shadow (texture); slide the bounce in to keep the shadow side from going fully black. For a reflective object, the soft source is just a clean light — spend your effort on the cards that build what the surface reflects. The bounce card is your fill, and moving it is the tabletop version of setting a lighting ratio. What it says: clean, honest, dimensional — the catalog and cookbook default that flatters almost any object.

Backlit / back-side tabletop — the food look

SETUP C.12 — Backlit-and-side tabletop (top-down view) — the food default
      [ WINDOW ]  ← large soft source (add diffusion if the sun is direct)
          ║
       ╱diffusion╲   (tracing paper / thin sheet between window and subject)
          : ↓↘
        ( S ) ──────► object/plate; light comes from BEHIND & to the side
          •  \
          •   ○  white bounce card on the CAMERA side (fills the shadow
          •  /     that now falls toward the lens)
       [ background ]
                 [ CAM ]  ← camera opposite the window, shooting toward the light
   Backlight rim-lights the top edges (separation), makes moist/translucent
   things GLOW, and puts a gently filled shadow toward the camera (volume).

Walkthrough. Put the main light — almost always a window — behind and to one side of the subject, across the table from the camera, not over your own shoulder. Back-side light does three things at once: it rim-lights the top edges so the subject separates from the background; it makes anything moist or translucent (juice, citrus, lettuce, steam) glow as light passes through it; and it puts the shadow toward the camera, which — filled gently by a white card on the camera side — gives a rich, appetizing, three-dimensional look. Front light (window behind the camera) is the flat, lifeless snapshot; this is the professional one. Ninety percent of "my food photos look bad" is fixed by turning the plate around so the light comes from behind it. What it says: fresh, moist, just-made, alive — the entire visual language of good food and beverage work.

Backlit translucency (bright-field) — glowing glass and liquid

SETUP C.13 — Backlit translucency / bright-field (top-down view)
              [ LARGE WHITE PANEL ]  ← lit evenly from behind, OR a window
                ▢ ──► (flood the panel so it's an even bright field)
                         |
                       ( S ) ──────► glass / bottle / liquid, lit THROUGH
                      /        \       the panel from directly behind
              ▢/black           ▢/black  ← optional black cards (or strip
              flag                flag      lights) JUST in frame at the
              (carve the                     sides to draw the glass's
               edges)                         dark/bright contour lines
                         |
                      [ CAM ]
   The liquid GLOWS; thin dark lines define the edges. Do NOT light the glass
   directly from the front — that blows a flat hole through it.

Walkthrough. Transparent subjects — a glass of water, a clear bottle, a cocktail — can't be lit from the front (a direct light just punches a flat bright hole through them). Instead, backlight them through a large, evenly-lit white panel (a diffusion sheet with a light behind it, or simply a bright window). The liquid glows from within and the rounded edges define themselves as thin dark lines — bright-field lighting, the clean beverage-ad look. To strengthen the contour, slide thin black cards (or narrow strip sources) just into frame at the sides; they draw crisp edge lines on the glass. The reverse — dark background, light raking from the sides so the edges glow bright on black — is dark-field, the moody whisky-ad look. What it says: pure, refreshing, premium — the language of drinks and anything you want to read as clean and translucent.

The sweep — a seamless, edgeless background

SETUP C.14 — A sweep / cove (CROSS-SECTION, from the side)
        wall
         |
         |   ← sheet (paper, board, or cloth) taped HIGH on the wall
         |
          \\
           \\   ← smooth curve, NO hard table-to-wall corner
            \\_______________________
             (   S  )   object sits on the flat part
   ==========================================  table
   Optional: ▣ a light aimed AT the sweep behind the object blows it to
   pure white and erases any gradient. Light the object separately (e.g. C.11).
   The curve means no seam behind the object → it appears to FLOAT in tone.

Walkthrough. A sweep (or cove) is a single continuous sheet curved smoothly from horizontal (under the object) up to vertical (behind it), with no hard corner where table meets wall. Because there's no visible seam, the object appears to float in a continuous, edgeless field of tone — the clean white (or any color) you see in every catalog. The curve is the whole trick: a sharp corner casts a hard line right behind your product; a gentle curve has no line to cast. Make one from a sheet of paper, poster board, or cloth taped high on a wall and curved down onto the table without creasing, weighted at the bottom. Light the object with one of the setups above; if you want the background pure white, aim a separate light at the sweep behind the object to blow it clean, or let it fall to grey or black for a moodier feel. What it says: the look is the object, nothing else — the e-commerce and editorial standard.

Quick-pick: which setup for what?

Starting-point settings

A starting point, not a recipe: read the scene, take a test frame, check the histogram and (for portraits) the near eye at 100%, then adjust. The settings serve the decision; they are not the decision.

Phone-equivalent path. Open your camera app's Pro / Manual mode. Portraits: tap to focus on the near eye, lower ISO as far as the shutter allows, and use Portrait mode to simulate the background blur a fast lens gives (Chapter 22). Tabletop: switch on the histogram/level grid, prop the phone or use a small tripod, tap-focus on the hero detail, and lock exposure/white-balance (tap-and-hold) so it doesn't drift between frames. The light you build — window, diffusion, bounce — matters far more than the device.

Build-order checklist (tape this to your light stand)

1. Kill the ambient. Get the room dark (or commit to the window as your only source). The only light in the frame should be the light you control.
2. Place the key. Turn on only the main light. Move, modify, and meter it until the subject is lit the way you want. Most of your time lives here — many superb images are only this light plus a reflector.
3. Set the shadow depth (ratio). Look at the shadow side. Too dark for your intent? Add fill — usually just a reflector bouncing the key back. Slide it closer to lift the shadow, farther to deepen it.
4. Add separation if needed. Is the subject melting into the background? Add a rim or hair light and turn it up only until a clean bright edge appears.
5. Control the background last. Decide what the backdrop should read as — white, grey, or black — and light it (or don't) accordingly.
6. Never turn on a light whose job you can't name. If it doesn't visibly improve the frame, turn it off and leave it off. Three good lights beat five fighting ones.

Common mistakes → fixes

Reference only — pair every map with judgment. The geometry gets the light to the right place; your eye decides whether it's the right light. For the full reasoning behind every setup here, return to Chapters 11–14.