How is this lighting achieved?

[JerryPH]

HA HA!!!!! I did a shot like that on accident. The left flash didnt trigger. Damn Im good. LOL!!!

Then it would not have come out like the one above.

The above shot has 3 aspects...

- black background either by using a black background and/or high shutter speeds.

- a main light source camera right beside and very slightly behind the subject (just enough to get a little wrap-around for the face)

- another light source on camera left and slightly further behind the subject than the first light source and in this case it is either a reflector or another strobe at a 1-1.5 stop lower power. Just look at the left side of the shot, at his arm... light is obviously coming from slightly behind him to do that. A reflector is the easiest way to do this effect. Place it beside and behind the subject just outside this shot + 1-2 feet and there is your ratio.

I do this all the time in wedding scenarios but the main light is often a window.

 

[musicaleCA]

- black background either by using a black background and/or high shutter speeds.

*ahem* I'm sure you know this Jerry, but black background likely doesn't mean high shutter speeds in a studio setting (just high enough to crush whatever ambient there might be hanging around just waiting to mess-up your shot). Stick the lights close to the subject, and the background far away. Presto; the background is f/bazillion and the subject is f/0.

 

[JerryPH]

- black background either by using a black background and/or high shutter speeds.

*ahem* I'm sure you know this Jerry, but black background likely doesn't mean high shutter speeds in a studio setting (just high enough to crush whatever ambient there might be hanging around just waiting to mess-up your shot). Stick the lights close to the subject, and the background far away. Presto; the background is f/bazillion and the subject is f/0.

That is why I said "using a black background and/or high shutter speeds"



I also did experiments using aperture and strobe strengths a long while ago (about a year ago). That info is in my blog here. I was playing with controlling the DOF of a scene with light (blacking out a non-black background into darkness).

 

[KmH]

Actually, the copyright issue is about the forum owners being sued.

 

[musicaleCA]

- black background either by using a black background and/or high shutter speeds.

*ahem* I'm sure you know this Jerry, but black background likely doesn't mean high shutter speeds in a studio setting (just high enough to crush whatever ambient there might be hanging around just waiting to mess-up your shot). Stick the lights close to the subject, and the background far away. Presto; the background is f/bazillion and the subject is f/0.

That is why I said "using a black background and/or high shutter speeds"



I also did experiments using aperture and strobe strengths a long while ago (about a year ago). That info is in my blog here. I was playing with controlling the DOF of a scene with light (blacking out a non-black background into darkness).

Strobist 102 exercise?

I know you know what you're doing (and probably more often than I know what I'm doing ). Just clarifying for the sake of others.

 

[JerryPH]

Strobist 102 exercise?

ROFL.. kinda sorta. I'd had already stumbled on this before getting serious into the strobist thing, and then after I bought the strobist DVD set, it was driven home clearer, except I used snooted & controlled flash power and aperture to control the DOF, and the "strobist way" is to use shutter speed.

Either work but using the shutter is more versatile becuase it doesn't affect the conditions of the subject, just the ambient light.