Master Class

Combine age-old techniques for a face with character

- Peter Kolonia

When it comes to portrait lighting, here’s a sure bet: Merge the power of two classic formulas, Rembrandt and window lighting, as the German portrait and fine-art photographer Andreas Jorns did here. Rembrandt lighting (named after the Dutch master whose portraits epitomize the style) is prized for its ability to bring out facial modeling. See how its adjacent shadow pops the model’s nose forward? Also note how well shadow sculpts the line of the left cheek. Add to that the flatteringly soft quality of diffuse window light—so forgiving of complexion issues—and you’ve got a successful portrait.

Jorns, who is based in a suburb of Duesseldorf, describes Rembrandt lighting as “a style that illuminates only one side of the face, but with some detail remaining in the shadowed side. Its signature is a triangular highlight under the eye on the shadowed side that emphasizes the face’s plasticity.”