Annie Leibovitz lights the cast of Game of Thrones for Vanity Fair July 3, 2014 — 18 Comments
copyright, Annie Leibovitz. If one thing can bring me out of lighting guessing retirement, its Game of Thrones. Well, not just G.O.T., but Annie shooting the cast for the fourth season (which, by the way, I just finished and is freaking amazing!!). This image, in particular, is dripping with nuance. Look how the members of House Lannister and Baratheon are positioned–no accident. Cersei in the foreground with Jaime tucked neatly behind her. Joffrey, although king, small and almost in the background. Tyrion is off the side, never quite a true part of the family. Tywin also sits smugly off to the side where he can pull strings without drawing unwanted attention. And Brienne looks on from afar, as close as she will ever get to Jaime. Thrones drama aside, Annie delivers a gorgeous and strong image lit by only 1 light and a cooperatively clouded sun. And yes, I’m a G.O.T. nerd. Camera: Medium format with 80mm lens set on a tripod 16 feet back. Shot at 1/125, f11, ISO 100. Lighting: I believe Annie goes back to one of her recent favorite lighting setups here. The key light is a single Photek Softlighter at f11, handheld by an assistant, high and 8 feet to camera right. The diffused skylight fills in the shot at f5.6 (-2 stops). Comments: While on a green juice break, Annie got Peter Dinklage talking about the upcoming season and who would inevitably be killed off. He wouldn’t give specifics, but said that 2 people at today’s shoot wouldn’t be around for next year’s. Annie tried to tickle it out of him but found Peter isn’t very ticklish.
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celebrity, game of thrones, leibovitz, lighting, location, magazine
Annie Leibovitz lights Lady Gaga in Vogue Hansel + Gretel story January 31, 2013 — 10 Comments
copyright, Annie Leibovitz.
Thanks to everyone who responded to the poll on the GTL facebook page. Annie was the handsdown winner of readers’ choice for my next guess. So, as you’ve requested, here’s a cool shot by Annie featuring Lady Gaga for the December, 2009 edition of Vogue. As would be expected, Annie’s interpretation of the childhood Hansel and Gretel story rocks with drama and a high fashion sensibility. This image reenacts the scene where the two children turn the table on the witch and throw her into the oven. Having Gaga and model phenom Lily Cole on hand certainly doesn’t hurt. I’m also guessing this image was not all shot together, in-camera. I don’t see how Annie could have achieved the vibrant red light on the oven and ground while keeping the models lit mostly white. I think the camera was locked off with Gaga being shot by herself, then the two models shot separately. 6 lights were used in total and the final image was composited in post. Camera: DSLR with 50mm lens set on a tripod 15 feet back. Shot at 1/125, f11, ISO 400. Lighting: The key light on Gaga is a Photek Softlighter at f16 (+1 stop), handheld by an assistant, high and 6 feet to camera right. It has been removed in post. A large octabank with a red gel at f8 1/2 (-1/2 stop) is set directly behind camera. This fills in Gaga and gives the red hue to the front of the oven and ground. A gridded magnum reflector with a full CTO gel at f22 (+2 stops) is behind her on the floor of the oven, aimed slightly upward. This adds the yellowish highlights to Gaga’s hair. In the second setup, a medium octabank at f5.6 (-2 stops) is set high and 10 feet to camera left, providing fill on Lily’s back. Another medium octabank at f8 (-1 stop) is set similarly to camera right for fill on the man. The same large octabank with a red gel at f8 (-1 stop) is set just behind camera. A small, Profoto striplight with barn doors at f22 (+2 stops) is boomed directly above the models and aimed downwards, creating the areas of high contrast on their shirts, faces and legs. I’m guessing the red on the man’s hair has been accentuated in post. Probably lots of the red has actually been accentuated. Finally, the same gridded magnum reflector with a full CTO gel at f22 (+2 stops) sits on the oven floor and creates the yellow highlights on the man’s face. The final image is a composite of the two shots. Comments: Lady Gaga thought it would be totally rad if she literally set herself on fire for the shot. But the level-headed Leibovitz (who ordinarily has a penchant for “reality” too) convinced her that sometimes “figurative” is just as good as “literal.” Especially when dealing with flames. Share this:
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celebrity, lady gaga, leibovitz, location, photographer, photography, tips, vogue
A brand spanking new guessing venture: Guess the Pooch January 16, 2013 — 3 Comments
Sorry for this interruption in your regularly scheduled lighting guessing. And for the shameless plug. But thanks to everyone was kind/gracious/fantastic enough to send pics of their pooches, I’m able to announce the launch of my latest guessing undertaking:
Guess the Pooch It’s similar to this blog except it has absolutely nothing to do with lighting. I take fan-submitted pics of their lovable pooches and attempt to guess which doggies got together to create the mutt in question. I then create a brand new breed of dog (which will never be sanctioned by the American Kennel Club) and sketch it with the inglorious lack of detail you’ve come to expect. I’ll only be guessing on pooches submitted by you, so please send some pics if you’d like me take a stab at guessing their lineage. It’s way cheaper than a DNA test, though most likely less correct. Here are some examples of the newly developed breeds and corresponding drawings for you to peruse.
The new blog is just a wee baby but will grow like any puppy. With plenty of furniture chewing, sock eating and carpet wetting.
Okay, now back to light guessing. Promise. Thanks for your continued support, Ted Share this:
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dogs, mutts, new, pooches, ted
Mert & Marcus light gorgeous-voiced Adele for US Vogue, gorgeously January 14, 2013 — 20 Comments
copyright, Mert & Marcus. Thanks to everyone who sent in (and continues to send) pics of their pooches. Now back to the lighting guessing.
It doesn’t matter what kind of music you like or don’t like. I don’t think anyone can disagree that Adele has an angelic voice unlike any other. A voice that can seduce you one second, then grab you by the shoulders and shake you silly the next. The more interviews I see, the more I really like her. She has a refreshing honesty and self-deprecating sense of humor not found in many megastars. It’s unbelievable that her career was nearly ended by necessary throat surgery. Our collective ears rejoice that it was not. Mert & Marcus’ drop-dead gorgeous and dramatic story for the March 2012 US Vogue couldn’t be more fitting of Adele and her voice. The photographic duo combine unbelievable styling, propping and lighting to create an image I’m sure Adele’s mum has taped to her fridge. They certainly nailed it. And with a combo of 4 hot lights and strobes. This image was suggested by Joel Bedford. Thanks, Joel. Camera: Medium format, digital, with 70mm lens set on a tripod 12 feet back. Shot at 1/60, f11, ISO 50. Lighting: For starters, I want to acknowledge there’s quite a bit of retouching in this shot. But I don’t believe it affects the light sources. The key light (if you can call it that) is a 2.5k Arri fresnel HMI at f16 (+1 stop) placed 8 feet to camera right and 6 feet above Adele’s head with narrow focus. It’s aimed directly at her face and hits very little else. A similar Arri fresnel at f16 (+1 stop) sits low, 12 feet to camera right nearly perpendicular to the couch and aimed slightly upward. This light illuminates the branches of baby’s breath, purple fabric, her hand and dress. A gridded, medium strip light at f11 with a full CT blue gel is boomed in above Adele and aimed at the back wall. It has also been flagged to stop light from spilling onto her. A Profoto XL white umbrella at f4 (-3 stops) is set high and directly behind camera to provide a hint of fill. Comments: During the little downtime she had between shots, Adele battled Alec Baldwin (he’s a big fan) in a Words with Friends game. She first made him promise that he wasn’t currently on an airplane of any sort, though. Share this:
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In lighting tips adele, celebrity, fashion, lighting, magazine, marcus, mert, photographer, photography, portrait, studio, tips, vogue
An odd favor to ask. Entirely unrelated to photo lighting. December 21, 2012 — 1 Comment
*UPDATE: 12/23/12 Thanks to everyone who has been sending in pics of their lovable pooches. Please remember to let me know their names and who shot the photos so I can give proper photo credit. Keep ‘em coming, they’re fantastic! I’ll have an update shortly where you can see them. Thanks again, Ted Hey everyone. I have a request that may seem a bit strange. If any of you dog lovers out there have a cool photo of your mutt, I’d love for you to send it my way. I’m working on a new “guessing” project where i postulate which dogs got together to create the mutt in question. There may even be mediocre sketches of the aforementioned breeding moment. Complete with the inglorious lack of detail some of you find endearing. If guessed upon, your dog will be slightly world-famous and you’ll know the mix without paying for expensive doggy DNA tests A minimum of 900 pixels on the longest side would be great. Snapshots are perfect. You can email them here. Back to photo lighting guessing now. Thanks for your continued support. Thanks! Ted
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Erwin Olaf’s subdued, cinematic lighting for his “Hope” project December 20, 2012 — 12 Comments
copyright, Erwin Olaf. Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf holds a special place in my heart. Many would say he’s primarily an advertising photographer with a fashion bent. And yes, his work for Diesel Jeans, Lavazza and Moooi reflects that. But even these ad jobs showcase an imaginative artist. One who is conceptual in nature and enjoys creating unique worlds for his subjects to come to life in. Recently, though, Erwin has focused more on personal, fine art projects. And they’re all pretty mind-blowing. This image is from his Hope series which is also a hardcover book. It’s beautiful. It’s haunting. It’s stagnant, yet dynamic in its ability to evoke emotion. I can kind of sit here for hours and scour over every detail–the casting, wardrobe, the door number, the open door, that lone umbrella–but I digress in my photo geekery. It’s just pretty awesome. To create this captured moment of hope, Erwin used 5 lights. Camera: Medium format, with Kodak EPP 100 transparency film and an 80mm lens. Set on a tripod 11 feet back. Shot at 1/30, f11, ISO 100. Lighting: It’ll be easier to break this down by model. Our man’s key light is a small softbox at f13 (+1/2 stop) over his head and slightly frontal aimed at his face. A medium softbox at f8 (-1 stop) is set high and three feet to camera left, also aimed at his head, providing fill. For our woman, a small softbox at f11 is over her head and also slightly frontal and just to her right. Another small softbox at f11 is positioned behind the wall the man is standing against and aimed at her face. A large octabank at f8 (-1 stop) is high and six feet to camera left. This provides fill for her body as well as the entire wall and left side of frame. The models kept very still with the slow shutter speed so Erwin could capture the wall sconce lighting (though it was enhanced in post).
Comments: The models were not the docile, overly reserved duo they appear to be. They were two members of the now-defunct German comedy troupe, The Supernaturals, and had themselves, the crew and even Erwin in stitches most of the day. Apparently, their bit about a fax machine salesman with two right feet caused the digital tech and the stylist’s assistant to wet their pants. Once and twice, respectively. Share this:
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cinematic, environmental portrait, lighting, location, olaf, photographer, photography, soft light,
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Nadav Kander lights the most important man in the Middle East December 18, 2012 — 9 Comments
copyright, Nadav Kander. Nadav Kander is one of the most successful advertising and editorial photographers today. What makes his portraiture unique is that he doesn’t have a single photo lighting “look,” but many, actually. He’s consistently trying different setups, pushing himself to remain fresh and relevant. This shot for a recent Time Magazine cover illustrates this point. It’s a standard, tight headshot of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, but the lighting and subtle retouching make it anything but ordinary. Fitting for the “most important man in the Middle East,” right? Nadav achieved this look with 4 lights. Camera: Medium format, digital, with 100mm lens set on a tripod 6 feet back. Shot at 1/125, f8, ISO 50. Lighting: The key lighting for this image is perfectly symmetrical. Nadav uses two, small softboxes (with the outer baffle removed to increase specularity) at f13 (+1 1/2 stops). They are placed 3 feet to either side of Morsi’s head and slightly behind it. This placement creates the sharp highlights on his cheeks but also manages to fill the front of his face. It also keeps away any reflection from his glasses. Two white umbrellas at f5.6 (-1 stop) are aimed at the seamless from both the right and left sides to create a flat background. The shadow behind Morsi’s head is added in post. Comments: A big fan of Hank Williams Sr. (definitely not Jr.), Morsi played a medley of his songs on his oud between shots. His crooning and wailing were pretty spot on, too, with more than one crew member suggesting he tryout for next season’s the Voice.
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kander, lighting, magazine, morsi, photographer, photography, portrait, studio, time, tips
In Memoriam: Sandy Hook Elementary School. Newtown, Connecticut December 16, 2012 — 1 Comment
Charlotte Bacon, 2/22/06, female Daniel Barden, 9/25/05, male Rachel Davino, 7/17/83, female. Olivia Engel, 7/18/06, female Josephine Gay, 12/11/05, female Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 04/04/06, female Dylan Hockley, 3/8/06, male Dawn Hochsprung, 06/28/65, female Madeleine F. Hsu, 7/10/06, female Catherine V. Hubbard, 6/08/06, female Chase Kowalski, 10/31/05, male Jesse Lewis, 6/30/06, male James Mattioli , 3/22/06, male Grace McDonnell, 12/04/05, female Anne Marie Murphy, 07/25/60, female Emilie Parker, 5/12/06, female Jack Pinto, 5/06/06, male Noah Pozner, 11/20/06, male
Caroline Previdi, 9/07/06, female Jessica Rekos, 5/10/06, female Avielle Richman, 10/17/06, female Lauren Rousseau, 6/1982, female (full date of birth not specified) Mary Sherlach, 2/11/56, female Victoria Soto, 11/04/85, female Benjamin Wheeler, 9/12/06, male Allison N. Wyatt, 7/03/06, female Share this:
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Dimitri Daniloff lights the gritty birth of an adult male for PS2 December 13, 2012 — 11 Comments
copyright, Dimitri Daniloff. Oh, to be a fly on the wall of Dimitri Daniloff’s imagination. His volume of work goes from cool to shocking to what the #$@*? It’s highly stylized, highly conceptual and usually with quite a bit of compositing and post work. Which makes sense since his college schooling consisted of mathematics and science, instead of photography and art. This image entitled “Rebirth” for Sony’s launch of its PS2 game station won lots of critical acclaim, as well as the Cannes Grand Prix for Advertising. I’m going out on a limb and guessing the man’s head and shoulders were not shot in-camera. The lighting is achieved with a mixture of HMI and strobe lighting that Einstein, himself, would be proud of. If Einstein were in to photography. Dimitri used six lights in total. Camera: Medium format, digital, with 80mm lens set on a tripod 8 feet back. Shot at 1/125, f16, ISO 100. Lighting: The key light is a 6K HMI fresnel shot through a 6×6 silk at f16. The light is positioned high and 10 feet to camera right. Let’s suspend our disbelief for a moment and pretend the man’s head could be where it is. A gridded, silver beauty dish at f22 (+1 stop) is high, just to camera right, and aimed down toward his newborn face, with a more specular feel than the rest of the lighting. Dimitri has a ring flash on his camera at f8 (-2 stops) for subtle fill and a nice layering of light. Another 6K HMI fresnel shot through a 6×6 silk at f18 (+ 1/2 stop) is set 12 feet to camera left and slightly behind the mother. This gives her just a touch of rim/high light on her arm and neck. Two standard reflectors in white umbrellas at f22( +1 stop) are aimed at the background, blowing it out just a touch.
Comments: Coincidentally, the “mother” model’s sister was actually giving birth to a baby-sized boy at the exact moment Dimitri was shooting. The sister’s husband was stationed overseas, so she was alone in the delivery room. The third assistant rigged a cell phone (set to speaker) to an autopole and dangled it just out of frame. The model was able to yell “push, Chloe, push” as the entire set was privy to some of the most unbelievable cussing imaginable. A trucker, delivering supplies to the studio, hadn’t even heard a few of those peaches, before. Share this:
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advertising, birth, composite, daniloff, edgy, HMI, lighting, photographer, photography, ps2,
Achim Lippoth’s apocalyptic Mad Max lighting for Kids Wear Magazine November 15, 2012 — 9 Comments
copyright, Achim Lippoth. I’m going to go out on a limb and say Achim is the world’s preeminent children’s photographer. He’s consistently finds a way to visually capture the honesty of childhood without ever surrendering to the saccharine style so often associated with the genre. He shoots kids the way they’re dying to be treated: with respect and adult-like. This image, from Promised Land for Kids Wear Magazine (which Achim also happens to publish), is one of the raddest (and probably most expensive) editorial stories for children’s clothing ever made. Now don’t think this was all shot in-camera. It wasn’t. It’s a Mad Max inspired collaboration between Achim and German post production house The Scope, with loads of CGI combined with incredible styling and propping. Shot in a massive studio. Composited with great expense. Oh, and with the assistance of 3 lights. It kicks ass, right? I couldn’t image any photographer not wishing they’d shot this themselves. Camera: Medium format, digital, with 50mm lens. Set on a tripod 11 feet back. Shot at 1/125, f11, ISO 50. Lighting: This was shot in a studio, but Achim wanted to imitate desert sunlight as closely as possible. The key light is a gridded, silver beauty dish at f11 1/2 (+1/2 stop) 8 feet to camera right and 3 feet above the kid’s head level. A magnum reflector at f18 (+2 stops) is 6 feet to camera right of the boy, about head level and 4 feet behind him. This mimics the hard, late day sun and creates the strong highlights and long shadow on the ground. The fill light is a large octabank at f5.6 (-2 stops) 8 feet to camera left and even with the boy.
Comments: While the stylist was putting finishing touches and dirtying up the wardrobe, Achim playfully asked the 10-year-old boy if he’d ever heard of the movie Mad Max. “Yep,” he answered. “The trilogy kinda made Mel Gibson’s career, right? Mad Max 2 blew, but Beyond Thunderdome was more complex and visionary than even the original. Possibly one of the best films of ’85. Without Mad Max, there may not have been a Lethal Weapon worth seeing. In my opinion, anyway. Hey, Achim, can I please get a ginger ale? My mom doesn’t let me drink soda at home.” Share this:
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Armed with only a wacom tablet, less-than-mediocre drawing skills and an acute sense of smell, professional photographer Ted Sabarese guesses how individual images were lit by other photographers and then sketches corresponding lighting diagrams. He also offers, sometimes humorous, behind-the-scenes insight. It's what you always wanted to know but didn't know who to ask.
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Annie Leibovitz lights the cast of Game of Thrones for Vanity Fair July 3, 2014
Annie Leibovitz lights Lady Gaga in Vogue Hansel + Gretel story January 31, 2013
A brand spanking new guessing venture: Guess the Pooch January 16, 2013
Mert & Marcus light gorgeous-voiced Adele for US Vogue, gorgeously January 14, 2013
An odd favor to ask. Entirely unrelated to photo lighting. December 21, 2012
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