How was this shot lit? A new challenge

Okay, it looks like a beauty dish above, brolly below and a hair light back camera left? Sorry, it's so long in replying, but I forgot!

Nearly there, more or less got the idea though. Its actually beauty dish from above, reflector from below, two softboxes from behind and above.
 
Nearly there, more or less got the idea though. Its actually beauty dish from above, reflector from below, two softboxes from behind and above.

Ah, yes, I wasn't sure about the brolly below - looked to clean and round. The two softboxes rimming work really well. It's a cracking shot, Rob.

Do I get a go now?
 
Okay, here's a pretty simple one...

Clicky
 
OK main light is camera left at about the same level as the camera. Light is pretty hard so I'm guessing a snoot or similar.

There are two catch-lights in the subjects right eye and the vertical reflection in the centre of the shot says that there is a second light on the camera axis.

So I'm guessing: Main light snoot, camera left same height. Second fill light is on camera flash about 2 stops down possibly fitted with a stofen or similar.
 
OK main light is camera left at about the same level as the camera. Light is pretty hard so I'm guessing a snoot or similar.

There are two catch-lights in the subjects right eye and the vertical reflection in the centre of the shot says that there is a second light on the camera axis.

So I'm guessing: Main light snoot, camera left same height. Second fill light is on camera flash about 2 stops down possibly fitted with a stofen or similar.

close enough as makes no difference. The on camera flash is fitted with a Lumiquest III.

Fire away, mate.
 
Cool - to keep this moving as fast as possible here is one I shot earlier....

autumn.jpg
 
Cool - to keep this moving as fast as possible here is one I shot earlier....

autumn.jpg

this could be completely off... but, bare flash, behind the subject above camera left? hmmm actually looks like something from underneath also.... its messing with my eyes lol
 
That looks like it has a touch of CTB on it? Little blue tinge to the edges. Light is coming from above and right, IMO, due to the shadow on the right hand side of the leaves.
 
this could be completely off... but, bare flash, behind the subject above camera left? hmmm actually looks like something from underneath also.... its messing with my eyes lol

You're on the money with the rear light although it did have a home made 'black straw' snoot fitted. The main light was another speedlite just to the right of the camera but with a brolly fitted.

That looks like it has a touch of CTB on it? Little blue tinge to the edges. Light is coming from above and right, IMO, due to the shadow on the right hand side of the leaves.

Nope - no gels of any kind... Although well spotted I hadn't even noticed that !

Rob do you want to post an image. And change your sig - I keep on trying to get the bug of my monitor :wacky:
 
Dam I'm running out of images lol, ok here is one from ages ago to keep the ball rolling...

4467596774_fcb1965ea4.jpg
 
I think much the same, although it could be a beauty dish, and the second softbox could be a reflector.
 
Your both pretty close, I'll put you out of your misery! 150 Octa above camera left, large white reflective brolly from over my right shoulder as fill :)
 
Matt was closer, so the next challenge is heading this way from the north...
 
My guess is :-
White backdrop - curve under model, lit by 2 lights - 1+ stop above main light on model, being a softbox camera right, 3 ft above model and 2-3ft in front, aiming down at 45'. White reflector camera left - or more likely a second softbox on lower power camera left 4'' away 2' above model - 2-3' in front. ?

Malcolm
 
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Bit of an old thread revival, how about this one?

flower2small.jpg
 
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A large but distant softbox front right.
I'm not sure about the venetian blind but I'm a bit suspicious of it, it looks like a spotlamp gobo to me...

Howzat?
 
I'd go with Garry on the gobo for the venetian.
I would say a head almost at the same height as the vase for the shadow effect from camera right. (The reflection is seen in the vase) And due to the shadow state, I would say a fairly wide grid was used.
I would have expected greater shadowing of the flowers though, due to the aforementioned head being quite low, so I would assume a reflector, or another light source from above, although I don't see any additional shadowing on the vase from above, nor on the table top.
 
I'd go with Garry on the gobo for the venetian.
I would say a head almost at the same height as the vase for the shadow effect from camera right. (The reflection is seen in the vase) And due to the shadow state, I would say a fairly wide grid was used.
I would have expected greater shadowing of the flowers though, due to the aforementioned head being quite low, so I would assume a reflector, or another light source from above, although I don't see any additional shadowing on the vase from above, nor on the table top.

Pretty much right except for it was a narrow grid but from further away and the top light was from a 3'x4' softbox dialled down low and from above camera position so any shadow would fall behind the vase.
 
Surely you lit up the fox with the lamp on the sight? :)

Standard reflector with honeycomb from above, another one from the right.
The lamp wasn't switched on (perhaps it should have been) so it's obvious that you lit that up with a 3rdn light.
 
I thought it might be fun (and useful) to bring this old thread back to life...
The objective here is to work out how the shot was lit. You don't need a stepback shot, a lighting diagram or anything else, you just need to look at catchlights, shadows and the softness/hardness/angles.

Let's kick it off with this shot. It's straight out of camera, and all future examples need to be too, because PP can often hide what has gone before.
Imagine the unimaginable - a serious incident, fire and explosions in the background, blue flashing lights, our military on the streets. Shot of course in the studio and for obvious reasons some equipment, including his cap badge and arm patch, has to be missing
soldier_red.jpg
 
Assume a black or grey background, so looking at the red it is fairly round so maybe a red gelled standard diffuser pointing to the wall (background)

If the subject is the centre of the clock and the camera is placed at 6 O'Clock (nice military targetting)

Main light on the subject
is relatively even and soft so maybe a gridded large softbox from 9 O'Clock

Lastly to get the blue something gridded and gelled from about 2 O'Clock, as the colour goes full length then maybe someting like a 120x30 strp softbox

Mike
 
Assume a black or grey background, so looking at the red it is fairly round so maybe a red gelled standard diffuser pointing to the wall (background)

If the subject is the centre of the clock and the camera is placed at 6 O'Clock (nice military targetting)

Main light on the subject
is relatively even and soft so maybe a gridded large softbox from 9 O'Clock

Lastly to get the blue something gridded and gelled from about 2 O'Clock, as the colour goes full length then maybe someting like a 120x30 strp softbox

Mike

I'm mainly with Mike, but reckon the light from camera left isn't that soft - look at the shadow of the belt loop - and it falls off very fast. Maybe a gridded strip box with no front diffuser, positioned just out of frame and marginally behind the subject.

Red gel in gridded standard dish a on a grey background aimed behind the subject's head from down low.
Blue gel in a standard dish at about 2 o'clock but aimed slightly to the rear of the subject. Perhaps 2m away from and slightly above him, aimed at the face.
 
Assume a black or grey background, so looking at the red it is fairly round so maybe a red gelled standard diffuser pointing to the wall (background)

If the subject is the centre of the clock and the camera is placed at 6 O'Clock (nice military targetting)

Main light on the subject
is relatively even and soft so maybe a gridded large softbox from 9 O'Clock

Lastly to get the blue something gridded and gelled from about 2 O'Clock, as the colour goes full length then maybe someting like a 120x30 strp softbox

Mike
Mike, you were close, and your clock positions were spot on.
I'm mainly with Mike, but reckon the light from camera left isn't that soft - look at the shadow of the belt loop - and it falls off very fast. Maybe a gridded strip box with no front diffuser, positioned just out of frame and marginally behind the subject.

Red gel in gridded standard dish a on a grey background aimed behind the subject's head from down low.
Blue gel in a standard dish at about 2 o'clock but aimed slightly to the rear of the subject. Perhaps 2m away from and slightly above him, aimed at the face.
Simon, you got it right, except for the very small detail that the strip softbox on the left did have both diffusers fitted, it was just quite a long way away to produce a hard light.

Simon, you won the prize... which means that you've volunteered to post the next photo:)
 
Mike, you were close, and your clock positions were spot on.

Simon, you got it right, except for the very small detail that the strip softbox on the left did have both diffusers fitted, it was just quite a long way away to produce a hard light.

Simon, you won the prize... which means that you've volunteered to post the next photo:)

Lorks.. need to trawl the back catalogue for something interesting which I haven't previously posted along with a pullback shot :)
Ah.. here's one.

edit: Aplogies, it's not SOOC, but I've chosen this one because I'm fairly sure that any processing I've done won't be misleading.


Amber
by Simon Carter, on Flickr
 
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Bump - is anyone going to have a go at deconstructing Simon's lighting? It's pretty straightforward...
 
Ok, I'll have a go here. Judging by the catchlights, two strip softboxes from the front or one wide one with a black bar down the middle. Gridded hair light from top camera right. Only thing bothering me with this is that her right shoulder is darker than her left one althought this might be due to PP

Regards...
 
Ok, I'll have a go here. Judging by the catchlights, two strip softboxes from the front or one wide one with a black bar down the middle. Gridded hair light from top camera right. Only thing bothering me with this is that her right shoulder is darker than her left one althought this might be due to PP

I'm assuming the softbox to camera left is acting as fill and the one to the right is the key which is why that shoulder is brighter.
 
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