Harcourt Lighting

[Pawlowski6132]

I'd really like to try to emulate this type of lighting but, don't have the experience to be able to envision the setup based on my observation. I'm confident someone here does. Would you mind give me a mental sketch of the layout and types of lights used?

thanx

I'm guessing liberal use of barn-doors, snoots, background and hair lights?

Joe

Oh, if you're not familiar with the studio, please check out the gallery HERE (http://www.studio-harcourt.eu/20.php).

[dsphotog]

You might also like the work of George Hurrell.

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

I didn't know that Harcourt was still around. Nice to see that they still exist. Wonderful images. Although it is not quite the same style, I would certainly look at Roger Hicks and Christopher Nisperos's book Hollywood Portraits.

[dsphotog]

Set up, lots of lights, like fresnels.

[Daniel Stone]

I'm guessing fresnels, but you know, with PS these days, they might be shooing dig!+@l, who knows?

lighting-wise though, the farther away a light source is, the more contrasty(pointed) the light becomes. This is how they(and other photogs) are able to get the nice, hard, contrasty shadows. Knowing how to expose the film(or digital) properly also has an affect on the final outcome. Small light sources produce harder, more contrasty light, where as large softboxes and scrims soften light quite a bit.

-Dan

[Mike Stewart]

Here's a link to a Harcourt video on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGKDlaiq1ks&feature=email

They are using a DSLR to shoot with but you'll get a feel for the lighting style.

[sergiob]

My guess: A grid for the background, two backlites from the rear one at each side of the subject, and a light with some kind of limiter such as a barn door that restricts the light onto the subjects face creating the shadows on the sides. No need for fresnell tungsten. Flashes can do the job as well in this case. Nothing fancy.

[Helen Bach]

I'd say that plain fresnels and Dedos (an improvement on fresnels) were the easiest way of achieving the Harcourt style.

Best,
Helen

[Robert Hughes]

All hot lights! Don't forget the nets and silks over the lens. According to that YT video, the photographer would stretch a stocking over the front of the lens and burn holes in it with a cigarette for the areas he'd want in sharp focus.