Clamshell, with a large rectangular softbox up high as the key, and a reflector (or another light) down low.
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
Look at the eyes. Catchlights indicate a straight forward over/under beauty light array. That and a "hair light" almost directly overhead looking straight down to light the hood and the right shoulder. When you've got a beauty like Ms. Jones to work with, what else do you need?
Bruce Watson
When I was teaching a college level Studio Photography course at the Hartford Art School, I used to project images of ads and have the students tell me which kind of lighting was used, most of the time based on the reflections in the eyes. 70% of the time this method worked. 20% of the time the reflections of the lights were removed by Photoshop. 10% of the time one side of the face was reversed and used for the other side of the face. It's was pleasure to show them Mapplethorps honest work with no digital manipulations.
There is a book called Light; Science and Magic by Hunter & fuqua. One of the older editions is quite reasonable. I would suggest you get it and read it; it's the text I used when I taught photographic lighting at the college level many years ago. L
@Tobias Key, Mr. Mapplethorpe may very well have chosen the 'goat's eye' look.
@Will Whitaker, just a descriptive term for a standard lighting technique, like the portrait business' use of the term 'Rembrandt lighting'. (which Rembrandt van Rijn rarely used, btw)
Mark, after some thought I interpreted it as "sideways butterfly lighting". At least I think I get the idea....
That Mapplethorpe image is striking, to say the least. And the lighting technique complements the subjects features
Bookmarks