I've been into Irving Penn images lately and this was inspired by his work in Peru. I used a 55 inch Octa and as the key light above and to my left and a 36 inch octane as fill with a 2:1 ratio on the light. I had a strip light between them and the background but it didn't fire. I liked how moody it turned out.
This image is meant to celebrate Habesha (Eritrean and Ethiopian) culture. I hand painted the background (first time doing that) specifically this color because I wanted to complement the color of their clothes and skin.