which light for this?

[niki3]

<p><a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/8810023">http://www.photo.net/photo/8810023</a><br>

how is this light? i do it at home? i love this kind of light.....</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>You could do that with a bare light bulb, actually. The real issue is where you put it, how reflective the nearby surfaces are, and how you handle the tone curves in post production (so say nothing of some dodging and burning). <br /><br />It's almost always about the light modifiers and their position/distance/angle - not about the light itself. Could be a constant/hot light, a studio strobe, or a hot-shoe speedlight. The fact that the shadow transition isn't super crisp and sharp suggests that the light source is perhaps a softbox or other diffusor (perhaps with something like a grid on it). The light source is close enough not to appear as a complete point source, but it's directional enough not to be splashing all around the studio... or, the photographer has used flags and negative reflectors to keep fill from being a big issues.<br /><br />And, of course, it's completely trivial, after the fact, to take what might be only a stop or two difference in light on the skin facing the camera to appear much darker and more contrasty - something that can confuse an analysis of the original lighting.</p>

[niki3]

<p>thank you matt, i'll try as soon as possibile..... and try, try, try again.... soon or later maybe i'll find the right way.</p>

[jpo3136b]

<p>Can you impose darkness at will in the picture? Chances are, there was a tonal shift made when the photographer did the photograph. It may not have looked that way to his natural vision. He probably picked the exposure to emphasize that set of highlights along those curves. </p>

[kris-bochenek]

<p>how about you just ask the photographer, I am sure Tomek would be more then happy to tell you if you ask nicely. I emailed several photographers here on PNET with simmilar questions and got my answers.<br>

Regards</p>

[gooseberry]

<p>Great analysis, Matt. I often try to guess how others lit their set-ups, but it's my first experience to be on the other end: know what and how it was, and now hear various possibilities on how this could have been achieved.<br>

For sure, John, human eye enjoys greater dynamic range than photographic media, so I could see more than got recorded, but it was a very contrasty lighting.<br>

Absolutely Kris; I've just posted the details on the gallery page (link in Niki's original question at the top of this thread) so please feel free to check it out if you're curious :)</p>