page_title: Portrait photography
section_title: Kicker
hierarchical_section_title: Portrait photography / Lighting for portraiture / Kicker
caption_attribution_description: English: Publicity photo of Marlene Dietrich for the film Shanghai Express (1932).
context_page_description: Portrait photography or portraiture in photography is a photograph of a person or group of people that captures the personality of the subject by using effective lighting, backdrops, and poses. A portrait picture might be artistic, or it might be clinical, as part of a medical study. Frequently, portraits are commissioned for special occasions, such as weddings or school events. Portraits can serve many purposes, from usage on a personal Web site to display in the lobby of a business.
context_section_description: A kicker is a form of accent light. Often used to give a backlit edge to a subject on the shadow side of the subject.
caption: Director Josef von Sternberg used butterfly lighting to enhance Marlene Dietrich's features in this iconic shot,[6] from Shanghai Express, Paramount 1932
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