Beauty

Clamshell Beauty

Lighting setup

One round beauty dish above the lens, silver reflector below — classic clamshell with a single strobe.

Classic pattern — Clamshell beauty

Lighting breakdown

1
Beauty Dish (Key)
Directly above the lens axis on a boom, angled down ~30° onto the face. The round dish is the only strobe — its core adds polished specular sheen while the soft edge keeps transitions gentle.
Round beauty dish, gridded · 0.6
Beauty dish
2
Lower Fill
Low and on-axis, angled up into the jaw and neck to bounce dish light back and hold the under-chin open. Keep the reflector 1 – 2 stops under the dish — no second lamp required. Close and bright it can also add a dim second catchlight low in the iris; on this frame it does not.
Silver reflector (below) · 0.42
Reflector

Head-and-shoulders beauty portrait of a woman whose dark auburn hair is tied back in a bun, lit softly from straight on so the face carries almost no side shadow.

Base setup

Light above, light below. Skin in a soft vise.

Front elevation

Complete setup · 1 light + 1 grip

Learning path

This setup appears in curated assignments — continue the sequence when you are ready.

Step 7/8Beginner portrait lighting
Add a second source that has no power cable — a reflector under the chin closes the ratio and holds the neck open; pull it (Lower Fill Off) and the neck drops well past two stops.
Light Builder Next: Dramatic Portrait →

Lights: 1
Contrast: 2:1
Catchlight: Round, at 12 o'clock
Key position: Directly above, on-axis
Pattern: Clamshell
Mood: Luxury / Soft / Commercial
Quality: Soft Light / Diffused
Subject: Female Beauty
Environment: Studio / White Seamless

Mood variations

Head-and-shoulders beauty portrait of a woman with auburn hair pulled back, soft frontal light with a soft shadow under the chin on a light grey field. — Lower Fill Off — Butterfly
Pull the lower reflector. The beauty dish alone stays on-axis — the neck, which sat within about half a stop of the cheeks, falls to about a stop and a third under, while the forehead barely moves. That is the clamshell becoming a butterfly.

Final look

Base setup

The reflector below holds the neck and under-jaw open — on this frame the neck stays within about a stop of the cheeks — while the dish on top adds a crisp specular sheen. One catchlight sits at 12 o'clock in each eye; the fill's work shows under the chin, not in the iris.

Camera & framing

Exposure

ISO

ISO 100

Shutter

1/160s

Aperture

f/8 – f/11

Lens & framing

Lens

85 – 105mm portrait

Camera height

Eye level

Framing

Head and shoulders, full face in frame — chin, forehead, and both ears visible; comfortable headroom; no edge crop

Try these settings → Key : fill ratio →

Key notes

1Stack both sources on the lens axis: dish high and angled down ~30°, fill source low and angled up — the subject sits in the "clam" between them.
2Set the lower fill 1 – 2 stops under the dish; equal power kills every shadow and looks flat and lifeless.
3Lift the chin slightly so the dish lands as a round catchlight at 12 o'clock. A close, bright reflector can add a dim second catchlight low in the iris; this frame shows only the top one — read the fill under the chin.
4A beauty dish gives crisp, modern skin; swap in a softbox for a softer, more forgiving editorial finish.
5Without the lower reflector the dish alone is butterfly light: the Lower Fill Off tab is the same frame with the card pulled — the neck drops from within about a stop of the cheeks to well past two, while the forehead stays keyed.