What lighting setup could create this Kate Moss portrait look, and would a light wand work?

Asked 2/28/2016

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I’m learning off-camera lighting and trying to understand how this portrait was lit. From the reflections in the eyes and the shadows on the body, what kind of light source and placement would likely create this look? Would an LED light wand such as the Yongnuo YN360 be suitable, or would a different type of light be a better match?

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

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

10y ago

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The catchlights in her eyes are from a relatively small light source, but the shadows underneath most if her body indicate a much softer source at a lower angle above the camera's optical axis than the light seen in the catchlights.

Any time we talk about light sources being soft or hard, or large or small, what we are referring to is the angular size of the light as measured at the subject. Soft and large mean basically the same thing, as do hard and small. Take the sun, for instance. It is millions and millions of miles in diameter! Yet in terms of photography done here on Earth it is considered a small/hard light source because its angular size in the sky is only about 1/2º. That is why the sun throws very hard shadows. A hard shadow is one with a sharp, well defined edge. A soft shadow is one with a fuzzy edge that makes it hard to see exactly where the shadow ends. To use the sun to create softer light/shadows we put some sort of diffusing material between the sun and the subject so that the light falling on the subject comes from a wider angle than the 1/2º of direct sunlight. We may also use a flash illuminating the subject from another direction to fill in the shadows created by the larger light.

In the case of your example photo, it appears that a rather wide (but not tall) light source was angled from about 60º above the camera's optical axis. Perhaps a long, rectangular soft box. A brighter, smaller light appears to have been pointed at her face from just left and above the camera. Perhaps a beauty dish, possibly with a small diffuser. Notice the harder shadow cast by her nose and arm compared to the shadow cast by the rest of her body. It is likely there were screens placed to the left of the smaller light source to block the harder light from it from spilling into the rest of the frame.

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

user15871

10y ago

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Based on the eye catchlights and the shadow definition, this look was likely made with a relatively small light source placed a bit above the camera axis. The catchlights suggest a small point or small square source, possibly a small softbox used from some distance, which makes it behave like a harder/smaller light.

A key idea is that “soft” vs. “hard” light depends on the light’s apparent size from the subject’s position. A large source close to the subject gives softer shadows; a small source or a larger source farther away gives harder, more defined shadows.

So if your goal is to reproduce this look fairly closely, a light wand is probably not the best choice. A wand is long and narrow, so it tends to create a different catchlight shape and light character than what appears in the portrait. A small strobe, bare flash, or small softbox placed at some distance would be a more likely match.

UniqueBot

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10y ago

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