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More figure studies. There's no post processing on the image (except contrast, sharpening) -

using a 12 foot silver

umbrella (Para 330 FB) - giving very interesting lighting effect.

I love this photo, Great Job!

I love the way all of your work flows so beautifully...The lighting is perfect, skin flawless, what a perfect model for this photo. Love it, like usual!!

very well done. luv it!

This is how a centered picture totaly is perfect, it looks almost a mirrored picture, just excellent, and a very surprising way to present

 

greeting Els

Yes! Quite lovely. Perhaps if the model had rotated her head a little to her right, it would be perfect.

Original..very good.

Perfect light and tone...I agree if the model did not look straight into the lens, it would have been possibly better...

Congrats my friend. This is really very special. It is extemely difficult to preserve image depth when creating an evenly lit image with front lighting. You have done exactly that! Love the subtle shadowing on her face. Inspired composition and masterly execution. Regards.

Very well conceived and executed. The model is stunningly attractive. The light is soft, yet has a bit of specularity. Curious how you lit this.

Very good shot. This would probably be great black and white also! The only little thingy is the model has a really great hairstyle - slightly distracting.

As I mentioned at the beginning, I used a Broncolor Para 330 FB (the bigsilver umbrella in the picture) in defocused mode (light extended all the way to front of boom in umbrella to defocus and soften).It is 11 foot wide (I misspoke when I said 12 foot).It's been interesting to shoot with it - it really simplifies uniformly lighting a subject and shooting.The model can move around in front of the umbrella fairly freely. I am in front of the umbrella when I shoot - the light reaches around me from the edge of the umbrella. As someone noted, it's not "soft" like a softbox - it is really interesting on a subject.

Frankly, after working with it, I assume you can get similar effects using something likea 12 foot Lastolite Umbrella Box, orthe large Plume J Umbrella at amore reasonable price. That said, Broncolor makes very nice gear (I am using Speedotron strobes with the Para 330 FB however).

That does it. I'm getting a bowl too.

No wonder you got the image depth that you would not get with a softbox from the front - with the exception of the Elinchrom Para without diffuser (and the other options you've mentioned). I am surprised that with a great focusable light modifier like the Broncolor Para 330 - I've used the 220 on one ocassion: http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=4448020 in a workshop - you did not use the Broncolor Grafit A2 or A4 packs, knowing how inconsistent the Speedotron packs can be with colour temperature. In any case, the result is great. Congrats and best wishes. Regards.

Ha ha. Tell me about it. I just have (had) this investment in Speedotron (3 monolights, power pack and four heads, speed rings) that I cringe everytime I think of replacing. The color temperature shifts are making me a little twitchy.