Side lighting is what it says on the tin: light coming from the side. In photography this specifically refers to when the light is at a 90 degree angle to the camera.
Side lighting on a portrait photo has become Expodo’s signature. We think this is a very cool trick that gives a really interesting portrait photo.
The trick is to get the timing right. We most like these photos at the end of the day, during golden hour which is the hour before sunset.
You need to make sure that there is lots of direct light available in the scene (no clouds overhead). Sitting by a window works well too. With the Expodo Circle you can turn the brightness dial left to about 10 o’clock to underexpose the image and make the part of the face stand out that has the sun shining on it.


Side lighting can also work well on objects, such as the toy set below. The dog and boy have the sun coming from the right, and the exposure is turned down so that only the parts that have the sun directly on them stand out.
