How to get this look?

[kkamin]

Where Professional Models Meet Model Photographers - ModelMayhem

How does he get this processed look? I know a lot of it has to do with the double side lighting that brings out the skin textures. But...

1. The image looks very stylized. Is there some kind of Clarity technique in LR or ACR that he used to bring up the small details?

2. The picture has a lot of detail as well. My entry level D-SLR with my middle of the road glass could never shoot that. Do you think he is using a full frame 18Mp+ camera? What kind of glass?

Thanks everyone!

 

[rufus5150]

Under the correct circumstances, you can do it in LR or ACR (look up 'dave hill look' -- there was a recent web tutorial on it, as well as Photoshop User magazine).

Topaz adjust, and particularly the Portrait Drama preset will get you close many times.

LucisArts is the other one that can help achieve that effect. Most artists employing that type of style tend to use a number of tools as well as many, many layers in photoshop.

It can be done, and I've done it, with an XTi and a 50mm f1.4. The better your source material, though, the better the results.

 

[kkamin]

Thanks a lot for the info!!!

 

[Derrel]

Yeah, the Dave Hill and LucisArts software apps are commonly used on this look, but it's important to begin with actual,real lighting if you want to mimic the exact look referenced. What I see is this: two hard lights, one aimed at the subject from each side, probably with smaller reflectors like 7 to 11.5 inch parabolic reflectors, probably with grids. Those lights are hot compared to the main light, which looks like a smallish light source like a 22 inch beauty dish or a 30-32 inch umbrella: the nose shadow and eye catchlights make it look like the main light was positioned at 12 o'clock.

The side-lighting creates the hot highlights on the shoulders, cheeks, hair on each side of the head, and the bottom outside edges of the cheeks. I'd use 7 inch reflectors with 20 degree grids with Speedotron gear;different systems would give different results.

The under-nose shadow is deep and dark; the shadow under the chin is lower in density, and I think there's a slight bit of under-chin reflector fill. You can see by the lack of hot highlights on the top of the head that the side-lights are positioned low.

The background looks like gray seamless paper with a small squirt of light; if you wanted to, the vignetting in the background could be done in post, or just as easily, by positioning a 7 inch reflector at mid-back on the subject's height, with the reflector close to the paper and casting a natural gradient fall-off.

Take the shot and then run it through processing.

 

[anthonymichael]

You could always ask the photographer. I'm also on MM and have noticed that any question about how a photographer got a certain look I had they were happy to answer.