Tomorrow night I've been asked to take a photo which can be used to advertise the latest production of the theatre company I belong to.

The director wants to do a homage to the film poster for Hannibal.

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51EMZBG91NL._SS500_.jpg

Any suggestions? I have two flash heads on stands and can find a dark velvet piece of material to use as a background.

I've only got about 20 minutes to get the picture.

The red eye bit is easy :D

Can you use an off camera flash to place it on the far right of the face, and dont use any lighting or flash on the left side

And the only reason I know that, is that I have literally just seen a picture in a photoography book I was reading that shows alomst the same shot :D

you need the light off to the right of the face, but dont need a very bright light, flash may be tooo much for the effect you are after, looks almost like a bedside lamp with a low wattage bulb was just set by the face in that poster

As Ian says, A bedside lamp may be ideal for this. You could use a single flash head but the shot would need to be taken in a room with dark ( prefably black ) walls and ceiling so NO light would bounce back to light up the other side of the face.
You may also be able to achieve this if taken outside at night using a single flash head.
Here is a shot along similar lines I took using a single flash in a blacked out room...
;)

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/69wrx/andy1-1.jpg

Thanks for the advice.

At the last Scoobyshoot at Paul's studio, he demonstrated a honeycomb grid which I thought could be used to achieve this sort of shot - however, I don't have one...

Will try bedside light and will take a flash head just in case.

You don't really need a black room that's been blacked out to achieve this...

I took a few similar shots on Saturday - and this is one I've had a quick (probably too quick looking at the results!) play around with to try and emulate the grain effect on your Hanibal shot, etc.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mrshades/simon.jpg (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mrshades/simon.jpg)

This is a facial crop of a much larger image, and post procesing was <cough> rapid to say the least... so excuse the quality and look at the effect.

It was shot at about 3pm on Saturday afternoon in my studio, in pure daylight in a white room. Background was pure black and about 10ft behind the subject - with lighting from a single studio strobe to the right - with barn doors to avoid lighting the background. It would probably be better lit by flash with a honeycomb, as you've mentioned, but I haven't got one!!!

The only advantage of doing it this way, if you have access to the lighting kit, is that you could do it without the background and in just about any situation. Just expose the subject initially (without lighting) for 1/60s and f/(whatever it takes to underexpose completey and make the subject and room virtually black! I think this was about f/18) and then take the shot again with the lighting, simply adjusting the lights to get the exposure on the right-hand side required.

THis was lit directly from the rhs - I think to get your Hanibal shot you need the lighting above and to the right - looking at the hotter spot on top of his head and the shadow under his nose.

Hope this helps a little... and good luck!

Shades

Nice shot. And stunning model.....

You don't really need a black room that's been blacked out to achieve this...

I took a few similar shots on Saturday - and this is one I've had a quick (probably too quick looking at the results!) play around with to try and emulate the grain effect on your Hanibal shot, etc.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mrshades/simon.jpg (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mrshades/simon.jpg)

This is a facial crop of a much larger image, and post procesing was <cough> rapid to say the least... so excuse the quality and look at the effect.

It was shot at about 3pm on Saturday afternoon in my studio, in pure daylight in a white room. Background was pure black and about 10ft behind the subject - with lighting from a single studio strobe to the right - with barn doors to avoid lighting the background. It would probably be better lit by flash with a honeycomb, as you've mentioned, but I haven't got one!!!

The only advantage of doing it this way, if you have access to the lighting kit, is that you could do it without the background and in just about any situation. Just expose the subject initially (without lighting) for 1/60s and f/(whatever it takes to underexpose completey and make the subject and room virtually black! I think this was about f/18) and then take the shot again with the lighting, simply adjusting the lights to get the exposure on the right-hand side required.

THis was lit directly from the rhs - I think to get your Hanibal shot you need the lighting above and to the right - looking at the hotter spot on top of his head and the shadow under his nose.

Hope this helps a little... and good luck!

Shades

Breasts could have been larger... and less cup like...!!!

Breasts could have been larger... and less cup like...!!!

Well if you pay peanuts you get monkeys. Or not, as the case might be.

Good advice from Shades, as usual :) And if you want a simple looky-like then it's very simple, as explained.

But c'mon guys, the original we're looking at is a promotional poster for a major movie. It was not shot with a bedside light!

My view is it was shot with a soft-box high up to the right. The highlight in the eye is Photoshoped and so is the red-effect in the iris of the eye (it's not 'red-eye'). The shadows have probably been worked on, too.

Where did the white specs on the left come from? Intentional or just a poor reproduction? I suspect more Photoshop. The grain looks like screen repro effect rather than grain.

Best,

Richard.

I suspect poor reproduction myself. Its not in my original DVD version

But c'mon guys, the original we're looking at is a promotional poster for a major movie. It was not shot with a bedside light!

Original question was how to replicate the look of the original, not knowing what equipment he has you have to suggest something easy to get hold of ;)

... I have two flash heads on stands and can find a dark velvet piece of material to use as a background...


Sounds like he has the equipment ;)

very quick (5 minute) edit...

Need to overlay play title and the usual where & when & how much.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f196/andrewcliffe/nightmare1.jpg

Used 60watt bedside light in the end. Didn't have the time to try with the flash heads

Nice job Pumpkin :thumb: I'd just get rid of the blown highlights on the nose & lip, you could probably drop the overall exposure by a 1/3rd stop :wonder:

I'm going to ask to have another go on Thursday. Not happy with the focus. Happy with the technique though.

...and he's facing the wrong way!

Good technical result though - well done!

The actor / model couldn't do mysterious and moody when facing the other way!

LOL!

The actor / model couldn't do mysterious and moody when facing the other way!

Just flip the pic ;)