Is this effect due to lighting or color correction in photoshop?

Hi,

 

I came across this portfolio on Flickr and was immediately taken back by the

way the background stood out in the image. The background in this image almost

looks to be artificial.

 

 

1. Is this effect achieved using a particular type of lighting or is it due to

color manipulation in Photoshop?

 

Thanks and much respect,

 

Ben

The background stands out? To me it's the opposite; the model stands out by virtue of the strong flash lighting.

The scene looks artificial because it <i>is</i>, to your eye. As Emre says, the model is lit (mostly from high camera right) with a strong flash. The image's tones are also rather contrasty, which adds to the overall feel. But since the light isn't natural, you are reacting to it just as one might expect.

I suspect that in addition to the flash others have noted, the shot was on a dark day (note the consistency of the light behind off into the distance, no shadows, heavy clouds) with a whole heck of a lot of W/S of strobe.

I believe there it a little of shadows/highlights used. The shadows in the background are very soft, contributing to the sort of pastel look it has.

 

The model was lit with a high light to the right... a little after her and a lot o fill light left of her.

I love that effect as well. I Have tried to duplicate it but havent quite gotten them to look as good as some of the ones I have seen. You have to set up your camera for the background first and underexpose it by 1-2 stops. Use the fastest shutter speed your flash can handle (probaly 1/250th) and close the aperture until you are 1-2 stops under. Then buy some nice powerful strobes that can light the model up enough to make up for the very small aperture you needed to underexpose the background. Im not sure but you might be able to do it on a cloudy day with a speedlite or 2.