Clamshell Lighting

Lighting with two lights in front of the face, one above and one below. The main light sits in the butterfly position (above front), and a reflector or weak light below the face supports the light from above. The two lights wrap the face like a clamshell, so there are very few shadows and the skin looks luminous. The lower light is a weak fill; if it gets stronger than the main light, it becomes under lighting.

Lighting positions seen from above. Both lights are on the camera’s front side. The main light shines from above eye level, the fill from below the face.

Camera view. Even the shadow under the chin is filled, so the whole face is evenly bright.

How it feels

Glamour
Clean
Glowing
Elegance
Polished

When to use it

Beauty and cosmetics ads
Portrait shoots and magazine covers
Close-ups that make a face look smooth and bright
Jewelry and fashion ads

In the movies

Moulin Rouge! (2001) · Source: Movieclips (YouTube) · Original video

Not to be confused with

Butterfly Lighting: Butterfly is a single light from above, so shadows remain under the chin and neck. In clamshell the lower light fills those shadows.
Under Light: When light from below becomes the main light, shadows climb upward and look eerie. The lower light in clamshell is a weak fill, so it does not look that way.
High-key: High-key is the name of a tone, a bright image with low contrast overall; clamshell is the name of a way to place light on a face.

Prompt

Keyword

clamshell lighting

Descriptive

Clamshell beauty lighting: a soft key above the face and a white reflector below, almost no shadows, glowing skin.

Try these combinations

Extreme close-up + clamshell: a cosmetics ad
Extreme close-up beauty shot, clamshell lighting, flawless glowing skin, soft pink background
Close-up + clamshell: a magazine cover
Close-up, clamshell lighting, a model looking straight into the lens, magazine cover style