Since we released Peter Hurley's: The Art Behind The Headshot, the internet has been trying to replicate his signature look without shelling out thousands for his Kino Flo lights. The guys over at SLR Lounge put together a great video that comes up with a similar look by using only 1 light, 1 bank, and 3 reflectors. I think the results are fantastic.
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Way too much stuff on the set for such a simple portrait. There is workshop in NYC. http://photoassistsantbootcamp.Com and while primarily teaching Photo assisting, they teach the lighting setups of: Annie Leibovitz, Norman Jean Roy, Mark Seliger, Ruven Afanador and others. Think we did 16 different lighting setups in 2 days. All really simple and broken down to there basic elements. And no flex-fills or crowded sets.
I managed to get a Peter hurley look with two lights. One key and one background light trning the bed-sheet I had hanging up into a pure white backdrop.
http://stewartlukas.500px.com/headshots
Well this has been entertaining. I did like the comment about having multiple bulbs in a fixture and how many light sources that would be. I guess I'm shooting a 18 light setup then. But wait, I do get a kick off the background, ceiling and possibly the wall in front of my subject. Also, I notice a big difference when I'm shooting in different studios depending on what is on the floor, so let's say it's a 22 light setup. Wait until my 8 bulb HURLEYPRO Medusa's hit the market. We are talking a 38 light setup then. Put that near a window and we can get to 39 I guess. Beat that!
I am so stoked for the Medusa's man, I am gonna rock those bad boys in a 206 light setup. No but seriously, I am really excited. Keep us posted!
Dude, you never wanna cross that many light streams.
Don't forget the negligible amount of light that reflects off your lens. 40 HA!
I think everyone has been off by at least one light source. If you shoot fast enough the led will light up while writing to the card. That could bounce off the face and provide light to the subject....
Come on people THINK!
Or you could do what Peter Hurley did before he had any lights and use a big north facing window for a few years til you can afford those Kino Flos.
nice! i got to try this
I love the idea, but the catch lights are a bit weak. i think clam shell is a better approach. thank you for making the video.
No offense to Peter Hurley (he does what he does very well), but iconic might be a bit of an overstatement.
What makes Peter so stand out is the way how he engage his subject. I have learned a lot from him.
I don't want to in ANY way denigrate the photo results shown in this video. They're great. However, one of the most attention grabbing things about Peter's images (for me) are the square catch lights, which these reflectors don't provide. Again, nice shots that the subjects I'm sure are happy with, but not quite the same look.
I'm nowhere near Peter's level as he is the king off course, but this is what I did with a kitchen wall, 2 ebay softboxes and a single speedlite on remote trigger and a $10 hardware store fan and it helps to have a pretty model off course.
Thanks for the tip..
Great/easy set up - reminds me a lot of a Sean Armenta's One Light Beauty shot, just with a few more reflectors.
Really cool, guys. Was the parabolic directly over the subject or slightly in front? Was hard to tell from the angle. Going to give this set up a whirl at my next session. Thanks for posting it!
Great tips, one light is almost always all you need for 90% of amatueur portraits when used correctly. <a href="http://www.lawsonphoto.us/tips-to-improve-pictures/" rel="nofollow">More Photography Tips</a>