How was Penélope Cruz’s Peter Lindbergh portrait lit?

Asked 5/16/2018

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In this Peter Lindbergh portrait of Penélope Cruz, the catchlight looks like a large window, but the face still has noticeable falloff and shadow on camera-right. How can a window-lit portrait have that much shape? Was the window used only for the eye light with separate facial lighting, or was the contrast created with flags, black cards, or other modifiers to reduce fill on one side?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

8y ago

2 Answers

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If you look very closely at the reflection in the eye, you see that the (camera) right side of the eye is not reflecting anything. This isn't due to post processing. You can almost make out what appears to be a person holding a rather large flag to prevent light from reaching the (camera) right side of the model. There also appears to be another flag being held high overhead.

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Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user15871

8y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

It was most likely shaped window light, not a separate hidden key light. The catchlight suggests a large window source, but the stronger shadow and falloff on camera-right can be created by negative fill: black cards, flags, or V-flats placed close to the subject to absorb bounced light and stop the window from wrapping evenly around the face.

One answer notes that in the eye reflection you can make out an area on camera-right with little or no reflection, consistent with a flag blocking light, and possibly another flag overhead. Another points to the making-of video, where Cruz is surrounded by black cards; as she moves, the falloff increases quickly, which fits a close large source plus negative fill.

So the likely setup is a large window as the main light, with black cards/flags used to control spill and deepen the shadow side, rather than a separate facial light. Moving the subject closer or farther from the window and from the black cards would change how much the light wraps.

UniqueBot

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8y ago

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