This is an extract from my recent lighting book that creates some amazing results!
In fact, I like them so much that I have decided to publish this series separately here to further explain my approach and story behind it in a more elaborate way.
There are also some cool behind-the-scenes images waiting to be discovered by you 🙂
One Setup Out of Ten
That day I was producing ten different lighting situations – just a fraction of what had to be done for my recent lighting book. It felt like an industrial production… Several flash heads, endless modifiers and different backdrops were waiting to be used in different combinations, directions and situations.
The star was undoubtedly Jenni Czech yet the lighting design played quite a big role as well..
It was once more a day planned right down to every last detail.
Jenni had to pass through several look-transformations during the day but despite this stress she stayed positive and full of energy all production long. It’s a delight to work with such highly motivated professionals like Jenni Czech!
The Series’ Story: A Nerd’s UFO Phantasy
Story? Well, there’s none 😉 As said, the purpose was to design another lighting setup. But looking back now, it seems to me as if Jenni has sighted a UFO. Like she gets beamed up in a few, fully clothed in her birthday suit…
Sounds weird and nerdy? Well, that’s OK – I am nerdy 😉
In visually inspired words: I just like the emphasis on the body lines the light creates. The limiting lighting greatly develops Jenni’s wonderful curves.
Lighting & Posing: An Interplay
Exploring the UFO, meaning looking into the light’s direction, was mainly due to the fact that the key light shines strongly from top down.
If Jenni were not facing towards the light, we would get extremely unaesthetic and dark shadows in the eye-sockets and over wide parties of her face. Also the shadow under her chin would be brutal!
So the only possibility is to have the model stretch the light.
Et voilà: Spielberg’s “Close Encounters…” is implied (did I mention being nerdy…?).
Key Light only
Key Light & Reflector Bounce
1 Light. 1 Boom. +20 Minutes
It took us only 20 minutes to implement this series.
Sure we were producing in a fully equipped studio, surrounded by all the gear that makes the photographer’s life easier. Yet this set is really trouble-free to replicate.
You need a flash head and a beauty dish with grid. A boom arm makes it more convenient to place the light in the right position, but if need be you can also hang the flash from the ceiling.
It’s just important that the throw (beam) comes exactly (in a 180 degree angle) from top.
So a normal light stand won’t be sufficient since a bigger inclination angle than ca. 130 degrees is simply not possible. At least with my monoblocs it won’t work.
And, oh, yes: even if it were, the lighting stand would always be visible in the images.
Key Light & Reflector
The key is equipped with a grid. The grid is important because it better limits the beam from expanding.
This has a direct impact not only on the very precise lighting on the model but also on the background’s darkness.
If you cut out the grid, the black backdrop will just turn greyish because of the unwanted light-spill.
I finally shot two variations with this lighting design: key light only and a key light with a reflector as fill (bounce-back). For the reflector I used a small Sunbounce (Sun-Bouncer Mini Gold) but any inexpensive 5in1 disc reflector would do the same job.
I have used a golden one because Jenni’s skin was nicely tanned. The golden side supports the warm tones while a silver one makes light harsher and washes tanned flesh tones out.
A white reflector – not aluminized or “glossy” – would just not be effective (strong) enough to bounce back.
I like both variations. Without the reflector the emphasis lies on the models face and upper body, with the reflector you get an almost evenly lit three-quarter shot.
I guess the aliens would have preferred the reflector-variant as they were to see more of Jenni’s beauty before soaking her up…
Conclusion
Even if you are not a Sci-Fi fan like me, I really recommend you try this setting at least once.
It’s easy to create and interesting in the results it delivers!
Behind the Scenes
The usual & when things are getting out of control, lol…;-)
Tech Sheet
- 1 Flash head (head & pack system) 280 Ws. Though you can shoot this with a monobloc easily.
- Key light: Beauty dish 32’’/80 cm, silver coating
- Grid
- Sun-Bouncer Mini Gold, yet any disc reflector will do the same job
- Nikon D700 (full frame)
- @ 85mm
- f/11
- 1/125
- ISO 100
ESSENTIALS. Studio Lighting for Nude Photography
Lighting Blueprint. Theory, showcases and exercises. Extensive theory part to strengthen your practical work. 19 all-inclusive case studies/lighting setups for 1, 2, 3 & 4 lights. Featuring Jenni Czech & Melisa Mendini. Sexy Women Photography at its best!
I’ve used a variant of this top down look before. It’s a very cool look. A word of caution though if you are using mono blocs, make sure you have a strong boom arm as they are usually a bit heavier than heads in a pack and head system. The studio I use regularly has Hensel mono blocks and they are easily 6 pounds. So the boom needs to be pretty strong and the stand itself sandbagged to keep it steady.
Joe
Hey Joe,
thanks for your inputs. Yes, good tip! Monoblocs are more heavy and a professional boom arm is generally intended. Not only because of one’s equipment no, but also because the people around on set 🙂
We had a heavy set of Mathews and Manfrotto gear that day.
Excellent Blog and tutorials
Thanks for your feedback, Bjoern! Glad you get some infos & insights out of it.
I love using this lighting setup. I had a variation of this but I hung a 6 ft light box from the ceiling so that it could fake a skylight in my studio. I also shot it on an all white seamless backdrop. The example I attached is similar yours without the reflector and I subbed a three foot soft box for your beauty dish so I could get some light to show texture of the wood floor.
Hey Dru,
thanks for reading and sharing your setup & image.
Excellent!
BTS stuff is great! No guesswork about where the light was coming from. Always great to get your blogs and thanks!
Hey Tim,
thanks for reading and you’re welcome! Great you get useful stuff here 🙂
I would like to do more of this, but don’t have the ceiling space for it….studio work only….great stuff and love the BTS…
Thanks Dan for all the help!!
Paul
Atlanta, GA
Hey Paul,
thanks for your image! Great! Consider to showcase a few images here on my blog – would be a pleasure:-) – /reader-submitted-sexy-women-photography/
The BTS is fun, yepp:)
Best from Prague,
Dan
I have noticed that you have 6ft space between a light source and the model. I don’t have such luxury in height of my studio. Can I reduce power output from the light and hang it lower?
Hi Simon,
thanks for reading and your question.
The day I did the shot was in a rental studio. Normally I do not have that much space either 🙂
If the distance is shorter you can “balance” that with using a wider degree-grid. Like this you get a similar characteristic in the beam’s diameter (for lower body). And yes, you additionally reduce the flash’s power.
If you do once a shot let us now – would be great to see your result.
One thing to keep in mind as you move the flash head closer to your subject is that pesky inverse square law. The closer your light source is to the subject, the more rapid the falloff. I think that’s why Dan suggested a wider grid. Another thing you can do is to pull the light slightly in front of the model, so that you’re lighting her with the edge of the light source. Your light will have more “reach” down her body as most of the light isn’t in the path of her figure. You will also find it easier to bounce some fill to her lower body.
Joe
This is a classic Dan! Simple, elegant, vertical bodyscape with Jenni. Like the BTS shots of Jenni trying to whack you with the reflector. 😉
Hi Dana, classics are sometimes the very best examples to explain things. And I just love this shots. Really simple and very meaningful.
And yes, we had a lot of fun that day. Jenni’s just a cool girl :-))))))
Thanks for commenting!
Hi Dan, thank you for the set explanation, is it possible to get the setup file for the elixxier software?
Hi Kersten, thanks for reading & your question.
The 3D set file can be found (among 13 others) in the bonus of my eBook “ESSENTIALS. Studio Lighting for Nude Photography”
(/photo-light/studio-lighting-for-nude-photography-with-jenni-czech-and-melisa-mendini)
The file there is called “Set One Light Setup, Goddess Lighting A.set”. (+B)
For everybody wondering what we are talking about: I create my 3D light settings with a truly amazing and inexpensive software, created for photographers.
Download a free trial version here: /go/3Dlighting/EN
The viewer stays forever. No adware, no spyware. A product from my German friend Elixxier – German quality work, so to say 🙂
Best, Dan
Here’s an image I shot in the studio using the techniques from this tutorial. I thought it turned out well but constructive critiques are welcome!
Thanks so much for the BLOG!
Hello Tony, thanks a lot for posting your image! BLOG+: you’re most welcome!
Great shot, very nice model – and what really pleases me most is that you replicated an idea I posted here! Everything is really great: fall-off, curves, lines, lighting ratio..
There’s just one thing – and you probably shot variations of this posing anyway: the closer arm to the camera disappears in the dark. And on this image it’s visually very hard cut-off. It looks a bit like it’s …well, you know what I mean.
Try just to position that arm so that it’s not out of the light beam completely. As example bend it down (hand on hips) or bend it somehow different… – just to not lose the form.
That’s my only critique here 🙂 The b/w conversion is great too, btw.
Hope this helps a bit. Feel free to post a variation. And also look at my communities sent imagery here:
/reader-submitted-sexy-women-photography/
Feel free to contact me and to submit a showcase:-)
Thank you!
Dan