How is the lighting achieved in this pregnancy photo?

[griffin002]

Hi Everyone,
I am interested in taking some pregnancy photos of my wife, and I want to achieve the lighting effect as shown in the attached photograph. Can anyone tell me how is the lighting done?

I have two off-camera flashes with translucent shoot through umbrellas.

Thanks for your help

[SusanH1970]

The attachment isn't showing. Can you link to it?

[griffin002]

Is the attached image showing now?

[SusanH1970]

I can see it now. I'd use one light, camera right 90 degrees to the subject in front of her, but not directly - so it'd be a bit to her left if she was facing it. I'd use the other light to light the backdrop.

[zona5101]

need a nice big translucent background such as a big octobox. You could replicate it with any large translucent material (white shower curtain perhaps) and your flashes. She is essentially backlit or more closely 3/4 backlit with some of the light coming in to fill. There may also be a large panel reflector on the camera left that is filling in just a bit of that light from the main...

[griffin002]

What kind of power setting would you set on the flash? How far would you place the flash away from the subject? Would you use a translucent umbrella? or a snoot?

When I try to take this photo, I was unable to get the foreground dark enough.

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by zona5101

need a nice big translucent background such as a big octobox. You could replicate it with any large translucent material (white shower curtain perhaps) and your flashes. She is essentially backlit or more closely 3/4 backlit with some of the light coming in to fill. There may also be a large panel reflector on the camera left that is filling in just a bit of that light from the main...

Good point - that's how I do silhouettes.

[sk66]

The only hint of bounce I see looks like it's probably coming from the floor (if anything).
I don't think the lighting is actually nearly as strong as it appears (but it could be)...I think it's just exposed to bring up the shadows in an under-lit subject (blowing the background). This could easily be done in front of a large glass door/window with a diffusion screen (sheet/shower curtain).

[i speak in math]

wow, looks a lot like one of mine from a while ago



My set up was white background, flash shooting at it from behind and overexposing to white. Nothing in front at all, just the background light.

[zona5101]

Originally Posted by griffin002

What kind of power setting would you set on the flash? How far would you place the flash away from the subject? Would you use a translucent umbrella? or a snoot?

When I try to take this photo, I was unable to get the foreground dark enough.

I speak in math pretty nailed the technique.
As far as not getting the foreground dark enough I would suspect the space you are in is too small and just pushes the light around in the room too efficiently. A couple of things to try. First would be to use the inverse square law to your advantage...increasing the power of the light and the fstop on your camera results in the light fall off occurring at a shorter distance (and therefore not being recorded when it bounces it's way around the room and back to your subject.)The other thing you may try is adding black scrims to absorb the wayward light thats bouncing around.