What's this lighting?

[redtippmann]

Every once and a while I see lighting that really catches my eye. Sometimes I just can't figure out: how they set it up, what techniques they employed, or the light shaping tools they used. I think there are some other people here that also have this question.

Here is a shot that I came across when looking for a new site template and always wanted to recreate:

©Konrad Bak
Link to image: http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtm...34#id=53217325

Anyone have an idea about the modifiers that he used, the position of the lights, etc.?

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[cnutco]

Links are not working for me

[KmH]

The shadows tell you where the light(s) are. The shadow edges will give you an idea of how, and how much the light is modified.

There are to many variables to speculate much on the specific modifiers used.

It looks like he used 2 lights. Look at her face, lit by a light off camera right that is higher than her head, and then notice her right ear and back of her neck (and his right ear) are lit by a light off camera left that is not as bright, is lower, and looks to be more modified (apparently larger) than the light from the right, because the shadow edge cast is softer.

The light

[Derrel]

It looks like that heavily overworked style of photo-illustration popular in Russia and the rest of the former Soviet-bloc countries. You can take most any studio lighted shot and process the chit out of it using extreme Dave Hill type techniques and get this kind of look. it's not really much about "photography" as it is about post-production.

Stock Photos | Shutterstock: Royalty-Free Subscription Stock Photography & Vector Art

You probably could benefit by spending a few thousand dollars on Photoshop training and education, as well as all types of filters and software packages from the various software development companies that specialize in background knock-outs, masking, airbrushing, and compositing. And yes, I am being 100 percent serious. This kind of photo illustration is very popular among a certain segment of the population for whom reality or naturalism is just too hard or unrewarding to deal with.

[HeyMeester]

Large light source camera right. Kicker light source behind positioned at main light. Could be a strip light, or two strip lights.
Main is probably a large softbox or octobox.
Some fill lights placed around for ambient probably two stops below the main lights.

Slow shutter to pick up ambient light.

Pretty simple set up. Probably some dodging and burning in ps and some other minor adjustments.

[Iron Flatline]

HeyMeester for the win.

I'd guess a mid-size octobox about fifteen feet away to give a nice spread but not too soft. I think the kicker is a flagged head, it's not too far off frame because it's so much brighter on her than him. Shot on a tri-pod at no more than 1/60th of a sec to let in ambient light, possibly even slower.

I'd add an assumption that there is a very large softbox behind or just to the right of the photographer at a very low setting just kind of filling everything, and that the original file was much brighter than the final image was processed to.

Derrel, you are wrong. There is certainly some post-processing here, but this is first and foremost done with lights. Everything else is just tweak and tighten, and clean up.

Large light source camera right. Kicker light source behind positioned at main light. Could be a strip light, or two strip lights.
Main is probably a large softbox or octobox.
Some fill lights placed around for ambient probably two stops below the main lights.

Slow shutter to pick up ambient light.

Pretty simple set up. Probably some dodging and burning in ps and some other minor adjustments.

[mishele]

Derail.....Hey Iron!! Long time no see. I miss your work!

[Iron Flatline]

Derail.....Hey Iron!! Long time no see. I miss your work!

Thanks! Check my site :-)

[e.rose]

Derail.....Hey Iron!! Long time no see. I miss your work!

Thanks! Check my site :-)

You have some REALLY beautiful work on there!

[mishele]

Amazing stuff, Iron!! I bookmarked your site....=) Welcome back!

[ghache]

wtf Derrel, are you nuts. popular in russia? where he **** that come from? they are popular all over the world.

Why dont you have a full box of cookie and stop spreading that you need to spend 1000s of dollard on photophop training to do something like this because its not true.
You are a joke and you need to chill and stop saying bull**** on this board.

[HeyMeester]

[QUOTE=Iron Flatline;2383256]HeyMeester for the win.

I'd guess a mid-size octobox about fifteen feet away to give a nice spread but not too soft. I think the kicker is a flagged head, it's not too far off frame because it's so much brighter on her than him. Shot on a tri-pod at no more than 1/60th of a sec to let in ambient light, possibly even slower.

I'd add an assumption that there is a very large softbox behind or just to the right of the photographer at a very low setting just kind of filling everything, and that the original file was much brighter than the final image was processed to.

Derrel, you are wrong. There is certainly some post-processing here, but this is first and foremost done with lights. Everything else is just tweak and tighten, and clean up.

Large light source camera right. Kicker light source behind positioned at main light. Could be a strip light, or two strip lights.
Main is probably a large softbox or octobox.
Some fill lights placed around for ambient probably two stops below the main lights.

Slow shutter to pick up ambient light.

Pretty simple set up. Probably some dodging and burning in ps and some other minor adjustments.

Thanks! I love to win stuff. I agree with the large box to add the extra fill...