Siddology · Lighting category

Beauty Lighting Setups

Beauty lighting setups flatter skin, highlight makeup, and deliver editorial eye catchlights. Use these for campaigns, covers, and product-on-skin work.

Clamshell beauty lighting with key + reflector
Butterfly (Paramount) beauty lighting setup
High-key white-background beauty lighting
Glossy editorial beauty lighting with rim

Setups in this category

18 setups

Intimate Portrait Through Rain-Smeared Glass

1 light · Soft, flattering beauty light with controlled shadows and natural foreground texture. · Intimate, soft, and artistic with a premium, editorial feel.

Dramatic Fashion Portrait with Beauty Dish Key and Rim Light

3 lights · Dramatic and sophisticated lighting with a strong key and rim light, enhanced by negative fill for increased contrast. · Dramatic

Studio Beauty Portrait with Clamshell Lighting

4 lights · Clamshell lighting with hair light · Polished and professional, showcasing model features.

Romantic Portrait with Heart Gobo and Beauty Dish

3 lights · Romantic with warm ambience and a projected heart pattern. · Romantic, warm, intimate.

Fashion Portrait with Grid and Beauty Dish

3 lights · Key light provides a focused, semi-hard light with some fall-off, while the strip light opens up shadows. The background light creates a subtle gradient. · Fashion-forward; commercial clean.

GOLDEN BEAUTY

2 lights · Balanced lighting with some contrast using a single strobe and a V-flat for fill. · Professional and focused.

Fashion Portrait with Yellow Gel Background

2 lights · Key light creates soft, diffused illumination with a subtle butterfly or loop effect. Background light adds a warm color accent. · Elegant, warm, clean, fashionable.

The Premium Fashion

2 lights · Clamshell lighting (modified) · Clean, soft, neutral

Beauty Dish Portrait with Silver Reflector

2 lights · Classic beauty lighting with soft, even illumination on the face and moderate shadows under the chin. · Clean, elegant, professional.

Red and Magenta Lit Portrait with Beauty Dish

2 lights · Colored gel lighting with creative flares. · Intimate, dramatic, captivating.

Dramatic Portrait with Gelled Optical Snoot and Beauty Dish

2 lights · Two-point lighting with dramatic, colored key and soft fill. The key light creates a focused beam while the umbrella provides broad, soft illumination. · Artsy, dramatic, moody, warm, editorial.

Fashion Portrait with Overhead Key and Rim Light on Red

2 lights · Key light provides controlled soft light, while the bare beauty dish creates a harsher, defined rim highlight, resulting in moderate to high contrast. · Dramatic and fashion-forward with a high-contrast aesthetic.

Clean Front-Lit Portrait with Beauty Dish

2 lights · The primary lighting is from a single beauty dish with a grid, creating soft, even illumination. One light with simple reflector bounces from the ceiling. Black flags provide negative fill to enhance contrast. The overall effect is clean and professional. · Clean, professional, slightly commercial

Four Light Portrait Setup with Umbrella and Beauty Dish

4 lights · Two-light diffused with rim/edge lighting. · Instructional, professional, clean.

Beauty Dish Portrait with Clean Background

1 light · Overhead key light creating soft but deep shadows. · Professional, clean, high-key.

Red Background Portrait with Butterfly Lighting

1 light · Classic butterfly lighting with a single bare beauty dish on a seamless red background. · Confident and bold with vibrant red tones.

Male Portrait with Beauty Dish Key and Backlight

2 lights · Two-light setup with diffused key and edge backlight. · Relaxed and engaging.

Athletic Male Portrait with Octabox and Reflector

1 light · Two-light clamshell setup with a large octabox as key and a reflector as fill, emphasizing subject contour and creating a flattering, powerful look. · The lighting emphasizes the model's physique with a powerful and athletic mood.

Beauty lighting — what you need to know

Beauty work is judged on skin, so the light has to be soft, frontal and clean. A beauty dish or large softbox directly above the lens with a reflector or second source below — the clamshell — gives you even skin, a defined jawline and twin catchlights. Move the key higher for more cheekbone shadow, lower for a flatter cosmetic look. Add a separate background light to keep white backgrounds truly white. SetMyLight matches you to the exact beauty rig your light count allows.