richardcrompton
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seventhsharp
October 21, 2015
I enjoy the smoke coming from the cig and the dramatic lighting! What's the story behind this image and what kind of lighting set up did you use?!
richardcrompton
January 11, 2016
This is a pretty simple set-up. Large soft box to 45? to the front, to light the face and suit, then a gridded light at a sharper angle behind and masked from the camera. Balanced them using the power selectors on each head and crossed my fingers as this was shot on an old Hasselblad 501cm on film! None of the instant feedback of digital. Way more exciting!!
photoflea
March 23, 2017
Thank you so much for the lighting set up, and sharing your amazing and powerful photograph. Bravo!
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in a studio at college. Abi is a super cool guy who just needed his photograph taking! This was shot on a very old Hasselblad 501 with a 150mm lens. As it was film, I only shot a couple of rolls and didn't know whether the shots would be good until I developed them!Time
it was afternoon - during college hoursLighting
the shots were lit by 2 flash units. One soft one to the front, and a more direct, point light from the back left hand sideEquipment
Hasselblad 501cm and a 150mm lens Ilford HP5 120 roll filmInspiration
Images from the jazz greats and Hollywood were the inspiration behind this shot. I love the dramatic lighting of that age.Editing
The only processing was in the darkroom!In my camera bag
I normally shoot digitally, so my bag contains the least amount of kit I think I will use. I don't like to carry too much. Normal day out kit would just be my Fuji X-Pro 1 with an 18mm lens fitted. I might take the 35mm lens too. If I am on a real 'missionFeedback
Keep things simple. You could replicate this image with just one light source. The main, bright light behind and to the left. The only thing you need to do is bounce light back into the subject. You could use a large reflector or a white sheet hung-up to bounce the light back. I find it best to start of as simple as possible, then 'build' the shot up. If you already have a plan of what you want, then this process is really swift. Knowing what you want to achieve and how you are going to execute it really helps to increase your 'keeper' rate. But it always comes down to that magic moment when the action and the shutter combine to produce the best result you can on the day. Slightly more tricky using film, but it's all part of the fun!