trying to achieve this look

So..where do I start?
Did you try contacting the photographer and asking him/her?
yes, but no reply. expected that though, no magician will reveal his tricks so easily

No magic tricks. Even front light from a very low contrast source -- like a huge softbox or two huge softboxes either side of the camera -- equal power.

Post processing: major clip the red channel, shift the WB so the photo has a strong magenta color cast and adjust the tone response so the photo doesn't get remotely near black.

Joe


what do you mean by major clip in the red channel, adjusting tone response?
I understand the lighting setup you are talking about and shifting the WB for the color cast, but I'm not entirely sure by what you mean about the other things.

I'm still learning about global and local contrast and trying to figure out how it's used in these images.

For the first photo in the set:

histograms.jpg


Joe
 
as far as softboxes go, i'm going to have to work with a beauty dish and 47" octabox. again, very interested in the processing workflow of these photos

Using what software?

Joe
 
I'd have to agree with Derrel on this one. Big light source directly behind the photog. I'm also leaning towards constant ligh, although it could be a strobe at it's lowest setting, maybe with an ND filter added to the lens. Think of an 8ft white parabolic umbrella directly behind the tog.
 
I see very little image processing.
It looks like the photographer can be seen in the catchlights in the eyes of the young man.

I get a sense the light is from the street and the subjects are in a vestibule, or under an overhang in front of a dark background.
 
Using what software?

Joe
I use Lightroom mostly, with a little photoshop if I have to and any of Topaz's plugins.


I see very little image processing.
It looks like the photographer can be seen in the catchlights in the eyes of the young man.

I get a sense the light is from the street and the subjects are in a vestibule, or under an overhang in front of a dark background.

Catchlights are great, but it's not really what I'm after. It's the soft matte look on his photos that I'm getting at - is that really all done in camera?

I have a 47" octa that I'll probably be using as my main light. Beauty dish is also an option
 
Using what software?

Joe
I use Lightroom mostly, with a little photoshop if I have to and any of Topaz's plugins.

Select the Tone Curve tab. Set it to point not parametric. Select the node bottom left corner and push it directly up.

Use the Tint slider to add a magenta color cast.

In the HSL tab increase the saturation (and possibly luminance) of reds and oranges.

--------------------------------------

You mentioned spring break; student, faculty or staff? I'm also on spring break.

Joe
 
Based on just the first image you linked, it looks like the photographer used a large parabolic reflector -- and he's standing in front of it (and that's not really a problem when the reflector is large.) Look at the reflection in the eyes of the model and you can see it.

He is also sometimes using split lighting -- with a light placed off at an oblique angle (slightly behind and aiming forward) to create the reflection on the hair and cheek.

He pushes the post processing lighting up toward high-key to brighten up the face and skin tones significantly.
 
Big light source with no panes? Could he be using v-flats? I'm just surprised nobody has suggested this :)
 
Based on just the first image you linked, it looks like the photographer used a large parabolic reflector -- and he's standing in front of it (and that's not really a problem when the reflector is large.) Look at the reflection in the eyes of the model and you can see it.

I'm standing in the v-flats camps.

I'm sure they are lit similar to this: Fstoppers Lighting Diagrams The Martin Schoeller Portrait Fstoppers

with cross processing to make the blacks go blue.
 
Am I being stupid here or does that Diagram show a portrait being shot through a hole in the panels? :confused:
 
that's what it shows, yes.

If you look at the first two shots you can clearly see two large vertical light sources on either side of the model. But those are not direct lights pointing directly at the subject.

The photographer is most likely using two v-flats and bouncing the light off them to light the subjects with very flat lighting that removes all shadows and depth. In the diagram in the link you can see he used two speedlights from behind.

While the David Noles is most likely using a long telephoto lens in his shots compared to the ones I linked, the v-flats are VERY close to the model in a very similar manner. Then the lights are flagged to make sure they dont rim light the subject.

Had that last shot on the link I posted not have a background light in use, I'd say it would have VERY close to the david noles headshots.
 
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Based on just the first image you linked, it looks like the photographer used a large parabolic reflector -- and he's standing in front of it (and that's not really a problem when the reflector is large.) Look at the reflection in the eyes of the model and you can see it.

I'm standing in the v-flats camps.

I'm sure they are lit similar to this: Fstoppers Lighting Diagrams The Martin Schoeller Portrait Fstoppers

with cross processing to make the blacks go blue.

Interesting. This v-flat lighting reminds me of the nursery rhyme There was an old lady who swallowed a fly. It seems like a really indirect and long way around to get to a result that, it occurs to me, would be fairly easy to achieve with a big parabolic.

Adam Bouska is the photographer behind the NO H8 campaign and typically shoots those shots with a ring flash and processes for high-key. Ignoring the high-key element... the ring flash also produces this flat lighting.
 
I'd say a ring right is a similar look, but the catchlights SUCK.

another similar but different approach.



the catchlights at 15:25 look similar.


all you're really trying to do is make a very soft dual key setup.
 
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If the OP wants a large, affordable parabolic, Westcott has an affordable seven footer in white interior...I bought one on sale last summer for $49 from Adorama. Current price is $99, and it is a parabolic. I've used it with a small flash head, and the parabolic nature seems to make it "fill out" pretty evenly. Westcott 7 Feet Parabolic Umbrella White Black 4634

Agree with knock on ring lights...they make those weird catchlights...plus they also give that odd shadow on the sides of the nose.
 

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