Recreating specific stunning portrait shots - How did he do it?

[gabbago]

Hi!

I'm trying to re-create, for fun and a technical challenge, a specific look which Sandro Baebler has mastered very well - any ideas how he is doing it? What kind of flash or lights is he using, in most of his shots? I'm thinking specifically the face portraits -

For example this:
Instagram

Here is a behind the scenes with the massive flash set up:
Instagram

What equipment is he using? What type, brand, scale? any ideas? What is that big white flash?

SANDRO BAEBLER PHOTOGRAPHER

Sandro Baebler sandrobaeblerphotographer Instagram photos and videos

I find these shots fantastic, so I'm recreating them in a smallish bedroom size entirely black painted studio with adjustable natural light coming from a window - and I was considering adding a flash or two - was hoping someone could point to what equipment he is using..

Any help is greatly appreciated -

Thanks so much,

Gabe

 

[snowbear]

I'm new at the lighting thing but it looks like a strobe in a soft box at lower right, a grid (? for directed light?) over that. I believe the thing on the left is just a reflector.

Look for a copy of "Light, Science and Magic." I've read the first chapter and it seems to be pretty good.

 

[Derrel]

The bigger light looks to be about a 60-inch or so "octabox" with a fabric grid on the front. The smaller, lower, upward-angled light is a Broncolor brand octabox that has, I'd guess, about 1/3 of the square inch face area of the larger octabox. The big white flash is the studio flash's light output, which is much brighter than the contionuous lights that are being used for the video-filming. SO, every time the flash fires, there's a big, white POOF! of light. If he has Broncolor octabanks, there's a good chance he has Broncolor studio flash units. But it does not matter what the brand of flash unit is...you could use any brand. and you do not need octaboxes...you could use umbrellas, or whatever you want.

The first shot of the man looks like light was allowed to peek through a cut-out foam board, to create the highlighted area, and there is also "other" light that lights the rest of his face and upper body. THe round reflector in the background is probably not doing a whole lot, but it is there...so...

 

[table1349]

This would explain all.

 

[Braineack]

which exact shot do you want to recreate because that portraits pages shows many different lighting setups.

want to do the man with the strip of bright light you first posted?

 

[gabbago]

I'm thinking more in general terms - is it film? is it digital? just various ideas...

 

[KmH]

Wow! L:S&M is in it's 5th edition.

 

[Braineack]

digital, with pretty straight-forward, simple, dramatic, studio shots.

 

[chuasam]

the brand of lights don't matter as much as the modifiers and the post processing.
He does great work.