Commercial Photography II CTE Practice Exam 2026 – Complete Test Prep

The idea being tested is how the position of the main light shapes the shadow under the nose. Loop lighting comes from placing the light slightly above and in front of the subject, and off to one side. That off-axis angle makes the shadow of the nose fall onto the cheek in a small, looping shape that curves back toward the cheek rather than staying centered under the nose.

So this lighting setup creates a distinct loop of shadow on the face, which is why it matches the description of “under the nose at an angle.” It preserves facial contours with a gentle, curved nose shadow, unlike a butterfly setup where the light is more centered and the nose shadow forms a symmetrical butterfly shape directly under the nose. The other terms aren’t lighting styles in this context, so they wouldn’t produce the same looping nose shadow.