Rim Lighting Photography for Stunning Portraits

Discover a wonderful one-light technique for truly beautiful portraits.

Want to capture eye-catching portraits using just one light? Watch this class to learn how to achieve remarkable results with minimal equipment.

You’ll learn from professional photographers and lighting experts Karl Taylor and Urs Recher as they demonstrate how to create beautiful, soft rim lighting using backlighting – with a twist.

Don’t miss this chance to discover a super-smart, simple-but-effective technique that enables you to produce what looks like a four-light effect with just a single modified light.

In this class:

  • Portrait photography using a single light
  • How to use backlighting for creative effect
  • How to avoid flare
  • How to modify rim light
  • Using reflectors and flags
  • How to control shadows

Questions? Please post them in the comments section below.

Stunning female portrait using rim lighting as a backlight.

Stunning female portrait using rim lighting as a backlight.

Comments

  1. Hi Karl, I LOVE this setup, and can’t wait to try it. The softbox you are using is very hard to find here in the States. I seem to only be able to find 2ftx3ft square softboxes. Would you mind letting me know the brand you have and where you got it? thanks!

    2. Hi, thank you. The one I’m using here is a Broncolor 120 x 180cm, Elinchrom also do a large one, I think Profoto and Westcott might also do some very large ones too.

  2. Love this video Karl, keep up the great work! If you are ever in Manchester working I have a space you could use if needed. I have a very specific question. Where did you get the feet for the large polystyrene boards, did you purchase them from somewhere or have the fabricated? I’ve search all the mainstream selling sites and can’t find them anywhere.

    1. Hi thank you for your comments! I had them fabricated by my local metal workshop, some photographers use, bike stands (the ones for the front wheel).

  3. GuillermoEstudio

    Hello Teacher, can you let me know the dimensions of the card that you used for the flare?

    I want to do one.

    Thanks so much!!!

    1. Hi, if you mean the window mask then you need to find out the size of your sensor and multiply by 5 or 6 and cut the shape to that size.

  4. HI Carl! Once again, Brilliant video! i have just purchased some 300w studio strobes for the start of my home studio. Its a small space.
    I was just wondering. Would 300w be suffcient to fill a softbox that big and give sufficient power to work at a decent f.stop? I heard you had a 800j there but I didnt get the Values he was shooting at.

    All the best.
    Bjørn

    1. Hi Bjorn, your 300s are only 1.5 stops less power than an 800. So as an example if I was shooting at ISO 100 at f11 at full power then if you were shooting at ISO 200 at f9 then you would have the same level of exposure. Also we are not always using our lights on full power. Modern cameras can comfortably shoot at higher ISOs these days so I’m sure you will find you can get the results you need.

  6. simoninphotography

    Dear Karl, Dear KT Team,

    I’m trying to make my own window mask.

    My sensor is 53,7 mm by 40,4 mm. I multiplied by 10 and then divided by 2. But i Find it quite big.

    For portraiture, is it better to have it bigger or smaller !? Or the subject that we photograph doesn’t change the calculation.

    What would you recommend for the window mask size ?

    Thank you for your time and your help.

    Best Regards
    Simon

    1. Hi Simon, there is no recommended size, only the size that works for you. I have several sizes and will choose which one dependent on which lens i’m using and how far away from my lens I’m going to place the window mask. As they are made from simple black foam board or black card they should only take about 10mins to make each one so I’d suggest you make 3 sizes so if the one you have already made you find too big then make a smaller one and divide by 2.5 or 3 instead, even make a drawing of it on a piece of paper if you prefer to check the size before you commit?

  7. Dear Kark,

    The only light source here is a large soft box behind the model , am I right??? And what size of the window mask with window dimension is suitable to the len we use?

    1. Hi, yes the only light is the large softbox. The window mask can be made in various sizes as long as it is the same ratio as your camera sensor. I usually have a couple of sizes for different uses as they are very easy to make. For example if you have a 36mm x 24mm sensor then you can start off by multiplying by 10 = 360mm x 240mm but that would be a very big window mask so then you can divide that by 2 = 180 x 120 and there you go that can be your first size to test.

      1. Dear Karl,

        So, in case we use a cropped sensor (1.5x to the full frame 35mm) the window hole of 135mmx90mm, but how big the size of the black mask is suggested????

        TanNH

          1. Dear Karl,

            My camera’s sensor is “APS-C sized CMOS sensor (23.6 x 15.7 mm) with 24.96/24.24 million pixels (total/effective), aspect ratio 3:2 ” (Copied from Leica CL page), and the camera is Leica CL , len is Summilux TL 35mmf/1.4 (or equip. 50mm in full frame)

            1. Hi, great so the answer is in the facts! 23.6mm x 15.7mm is the shape of your sensor, so we multiply by 10 = 276mmm x 157mm and that is also the same shape just bigger. But if we made that size into a window mask hole then it would probably be a bit big so let’s divide it by 1.5 = 184mm x 105mm – so that’s the size I would make my first window mask.

  8. Hi, great dramatic one light set up. I was wondering if I would be able to do the same shot using the 120×180 soft box with the edge mask and having the model further away from the softbox to create the same effect.

    Thanks
    Andrew

  9. Good tips if you have one light with a big softbox. I see if I can get my camera out next week to work on a project.

  11. i have a question regarding the “window” you are shooting through. i understood that the measure is depending of the mm of the lens. how do you calculate the measures of the rectangle window ?

    1. Hi Johan, it is the same ratio as your sensor. So if you have a 36mm x 24mm sensor (full frame 35mm) then you could expect the same shape for your window – 36cm x 24cm divide by 2 = 18cm x 12cm

  13. Wonderful lesson learnt Karl. Thankyou for teaching us and creating like minded people in Industry for a big boom.

    Plz let me know which power output lights you use.

  14. Would a similar result be achievable with a large window, or is a soft box of this size essential to create this effect?

    1. Hi Sophie, a large window with some diffusion in front of it or on a cloudy/bright day would work if you follow the same technique we use here.

  15. Hi Karl, very interesting video as always! Just one quick question: I understand that the “square hole” in the window mask has to match the aspect ratio of my sensor so in my case 3:2 but is there a specific size recommended for the hole in the board? Is there a minimum size I should take in consideration for the long and short edge of the hole or even maybe a maximum size, after which, the window mask doesn’t work anymore to protect from flare?
    For example is a window mask with a hole of 30×20 cm enough?
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Daniele, that’s a good question! You need a few sizes simply because sometimes they benefit from being at different distances based on which lens you are using and the lighting setup. I have 3, big, medium and small. The big is around the 30cm size, the small around 10cm (long edge). My guess is the medium is 20 long edge. Make them from black foam board, a good edge and stanley blade takes 5mins to make one.

  16. Ciao Karl hai usato un soft box molto grande , non hai cadute di luce ai bordi? Oppure hai usato due flash ?
    Io uso i flash Profoto D2 da 1000 ,ottengo un risultato simile? Grazie

    1. Hi Peppe, you loose a bit of power with a bigger softbox but this only had one flash inside, it was 800J. So no problem for you and your flash.

  17. Hello Karl,

    Love this set up. Beautiful lightning with less equipment and also possible to achieve in a small studio.

    As I am a photographer who don’t has a fantastic Broncolor Siros 800 I was wondering what are my possibilities, and can you give me a tip for a more afordable light. Would a continuous light be wise?

    Kind regards

    Martin

    1. Hi Martin, thanks for your comments. I think studio flash is much more versatile than continuous light, it is also much more powerful allowing you to get smaller apertures and greater depth of field when needed. There are many brands of studio lights that are more economical, take a look at a Godox 600 or Elinchrom as a starting point but do a bit of research online you may find others.

  18. Karl,
    I am so pleased with your course. I can’t wait to put this into practice . Thank you for sharing your knowledge and years of experience. God Bless

    Brian

  19. Tom

    Hello Karl – Beautiful unique lighting – so well demonstrated. You and Urs work well together.

    I was able to replicate this set-up in my studio with excellent results. What I learned is that the size of the black background relative to the subject makes a big difference! As Urs explained moving the light back or moving the background left or right changes the intensity of the rim light considerably. I tried a vertical orientation for the camera and the black background which resulted in intense rim lighting on the face and back of the model’s hair. Moving the black background closer to the model changed the relative size the same way you and Urs did moving the light source back.

    The effective is similar to short lighting. Very slimming depending upon the amount of fill use. Thanks so much for demonstrating such a useful technique!

  20. Hi Karl,
    Your Education channel is brilliant! I am learning some great tips from just sampling different genres that you cover. You and Urs are lighting gurus, he looks at light from a completely different viewpoint than most.
    Keep up the good work!

  21. Karl, are the images coming through in Lightroom through tethering RAW images with no processing added or are you applying some basic editing in the import process? Or are you displaying the JPEG images? These tutorials are absolute gold. I am so happy that I became a member and have access to all of this education.

    1. Thanks for your comments. When you tether into lightroom with a Canon, LR is just reading the images off of the memory card, so they are captured to the card too but they will be the RAW file in LR with no editing information applied unless you create a preset. Capture One is a better tethering software for most cameras, I’m mostly using Phocus which is the Hasselblad tethering software.

    1. Hi Rajb, you can do it but it won’t be ‘exactly’ the same because the size of the softbox is different. Therefore the physics of the light will be coming from a different angle or won’t be as big etc, always consider the physics. If something is not the same it is not the same. It’s like saying if I kick the ball more softly will it go in the goal, it might go in the goal but it won’t go in the goal as quickly as the ball that is kicked hard. That’s the physics.

  23. Thanks for this tutorial. Wonderful setup and lovely light. Today I have tried with my big screen (1.5 m screen transparent as part of reflector) as I dont have that large softbox. And put a black fabric and a flashgun. It works well but not as perfect as you did (flare is the problem). I am preparing this trick as I shoot mostly outdoor and during traveling. Ill try for street portrait someday ! Thanks

  24. Hi Karl,

    I’d be curious to hear how you might approach achieving this style of lighting with a full-length seated portrait. Maybe just a three-sided (top and sides) rim using strip boxes in front of a black BG? Seems like it would be a production to take this to scale, but it’s really pretty light!

    Thx in advance!

    1. Hi Carl, the maximum power of this light is 800J which would be power 10, power 9 would be 400J (one stop less) power 8 would be 200J and so on etc. Given that most of the light was blocked it would have likely been on power 8, 9 or 10 but I would imagine that I mention that in the video.

    2. Hi Karl!
      Was that an acryllic mirror you used to reflect light from the soft box onto the back of Evie’s head? If so, what’s the difference between using this reflector and white card for instance?

      1. Hi William, it would have been an acrylic mirror or a piece of polished stainless steel, I use both. Either of these would reflect more light if it is directed at exactly the right angle simply because they are more reflective. A white reflector is diffused so the light bounces off in all directions.

  29. Hi Karl, like this setup and the results. My questions: Broncolor supply this softbox with an optional black mask that leaves just the edges translucent. Is there any reason you prefer this makeshift black card to the ready-made Broncolor solution? Also, would using a somewhat longer lens (say 135mm) help reduce flare and provide a bit more room for the model, without hitting the edges of the central black card? Cheers, Martin

    1. Hi Martin, because I can move the black card further to either side to then change the amount of light wrapping around. Although the mask is good it is fixed and therefore the options of light spill are fixed. Yes to a longer lens but at the expense of the perspective on the model too.

  30. Hi Karl!
    I joined the food photography lessons, but I’m going to take all your classes!
    Great work!
    2 Questions:
    1. My biggest soft boxes at the moment are the octabox 150 or 120/80 cm.
    Will this setup works for me too?
    2. How do I make the lens flare window? Just cutting the size of the sensor out? And what
    should be the size of the frame?
    Thanks a lot!

    1. Hi Gil, your softboxes should be good. You can also use diffusiong material as demonstrated to make them ‘bigger’. Yes just cut the same ratio shape as the sensor at a reasonable size and then position it at the right distance from a given lens once you’ve composed your shot and the camera is fixed. There is no set size necessary just what ever works for you, they are easy to make so you can make more than one size, sometimes different sizes are better for different lenses in terms of the distance they can be away from the lens hood.

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