The Edge Light

The Edge Light

By William Lulow

Here is an “ACCENT” lighting that I use often to add a little “kick” to my portraits. It’s called the “EDGE LIGHT.” It is created by placing a light behind the subject and off to one side. The effect of the Edge Light is shown in the following illustration:

You can see that this light just illuminates the edge of the subject’s hair and maybe a bit of the face as well. It should not spill over to any part of the front of the face at all. Below is an example of how the EDGE LIGHT is used with a Main Light to produce a desirable effect:

Actually, for this shot, there were two Edge Lights set up to lighten the hair as well as to separate the subject from the background.

Remember to make sure that the EDGE LIGHT (or any ACCENT LIGHT) is at least one f/stop brighter than the MAIN LIGHT. Otherwise the accents won’t register as white in the photograph. 

Look at photographic portraits in which the Edge Light has been utilized effectively. Try to spot the highlights it creates.