What is Broad Lighting and How to Use It?

When we plan to make a portrait, one of the first considerations is how we will light it. We must consider what our goals are and what the expectations of the portrait sitter might be. If you want to create a clean, gentle light that helps capture the subtle expressions of your subject, broad lighting is a good place to start. 

Broad lighting is a classic portrait lighting style that allows your subject some freedom to move, helps to produce a smooth skin tone, and generally creates an inviting feel.  In this article, I will discuss not just how but why we use broad light for portraits. 

What is Broad Lighting?

In most cases, your portrait subject will not be turned to face directly into the lens; they will favor one side over the other. We, as photographers, can use this slight turn of the head to achieve the broad lighting effect. Place your light so that the side of the face turned toward the lens is evenly lit.  This lighting style will show very little shadow or definition in the skin and is most commonly created using a large diffused light, like a softbox. The combination of little shadow and smooth, soft light creates an even skin tone with little to no “drama.”

Broad vs. Short Lighting

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have short lighting. This technique creates drama by hiding the side of the face we see in some degree of shadow. We create short light by placing it slightly behind our subject so the farthest side of their face is prominently illuminated. Where broad light gives us detail, short light gives us drama. 

Remember, as portrait photographers, we are not just capturing a likeness. Though we are doing that. We are not just making our subject “look good.” though often that is the case. We are telling a story. The light you choose for your portrait will help with all three of these things. Where short light hides detail, broad light shows it. 

We might want to hide a scar or feature in shadow, and for this we use short light. Broad light gives us comfort. If you want your subject to come off as approachable, use broad light. As far as the looking good part goes, if a subject has a particularly narrow face, broad light will visually widen it. Of course, if the opposite is true, short lighting can help narrow the face. 

When to Use Broad Lighting

We already discussed a few reasons to use broad lighting, but let me dig into a few specific scenarios. 

Clean and Corporate

Because broad light is often created using large diffused sources, wrinkles and blemishes are less apparent. When we create corporate portraits, we often photograph many individuals. We are rarely given much time with each of these subjects, so making changes to the lighting for each person might be put out of the equation. So using a broad light with its gentle touch is often a good option. 

A Very Emotive Subject

Where short lighting can add mystery by hiding the expression of our subject in shadow, broad lighting allows us to see every eyebrow raised, every subtle smirk, the twinkle in the eye, or perhaps a mischievous grin. All of these expressions and more can be captured in their glory with broad light. 

Broad lighting is my go-to when photographing comedians or those telling tales of their youth. Catching the unbridled joy and silliness of a young child, broad lighting. Think about being close to someone and seeing the emotion in their eyes and the dimple forming as they smile; broad lighting can give us this. 

Believe It or Not, Mood

I mentioned above how short light can give us drama by hiding parts of the subject in shadow. To be clear, broad light creates shadow, but that shadow is behind the face, so to speak. We can use this in conjunction with the environment to tell our story.

Imagine the face lit smoothly and evenly, with the shadow falling over the far eye. In the background, we see the city lights brightly, cutting the silhouette of our subject. They stand in full view of us but somehow separate from the world beyond. We are connected with them and want to know why they feel isolated. 

How to Set Up for Broad Lighting

You have chosen broad light for your next portrait, perhaps for the mood, to capture emotion. No matter the reason, the technique for creating broad light is the same. First, we want to determine which side the subject favors. This is a simple but important step since the light needs to be on that side of their face.

If you photograph many people, a good technique is to think about where you, as the photographer, stand in relation to your camera (when your eye is not on the viewfinder). That side is likely where the subject will look, and your light should be placed on the opposite side. I stand to the left of my camera, so I place the light camera right. 

That is not to say you cannot light from the same side they look, but I have found that when doing this, you are more limited as to how far to the side you can place the light before you end up with a butterfly pattern. Butterfly is achieved when the subject is completely facing the light. 

Gear Suggestions

As I mentioned, I prefer a large diffused source when creating Broad Light. My go-to is the Chimera Super Pro X Lightbank, Small, Soft Silver. The rectangular shape allows me to control the edge of my light more precisely when using multiple light sources.

If you prefer to work with a single source on your subject, I enjoy using an Octagon shaped box. A Glow ParaSnap 36″ Octa New Generation SterlingFibre Softbox has recently become my favorite modifier for this. For passive fill, I like using the Manfrotto 32″ Halo Compact Difflector, Soft Silver, to control the shadows’ density better. A nice umbrella, such as the Glow 40″ White Umbrella with Black Back – would be perfect for an active fill situation. 

Conclusion

Broad light can be a versatile tool in your kit as a portrait photographer. Understanding why we use various lighting styles is key to knowing which to choose when you plan your portrait session. Broad lighting can help you create pleasing images of various portrait subjects.

When you want to capture the subtle emotion of your subject or a bit of mystery, broad lighting can also work there. The important thing to remember is that any of these lighting types is simply a starting point. You will adjust the light to meet the requirements of each subject that sits for you, and having a wide range of options available will make your session even more productive.