Need help reverse engineering a picture

Hi,
I would like to know what the lighting setup of this picture was.
I found the look of it very appealing and I wonder how it was done.

From the catchlight in the eyes I can tell that a square softbox from above is involved, but since there are no shadows in the face, I guess there is an on axis fill or something like that.

Here is the picture:
http://www.horizont.ne​t …cs/artikel3-34166-org.jpg

There is a second picture from the same shoot, but slightly different:
http://www.medienmilch​.de …/pics/paar_946e​23bf7f.jpg

Thanks!
Dirk

If those images are not yours, you need to remove the images and post only a link to them. That's a strictly enforced rule on the forums here.

SkipD wrote in post #12194569
If those images are not yours, you need to remove the images and post only a link to them. That's a strictly enforced rule on the forums here.

Yep. See here: https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=50442

4.All images posted are copyrighted to their respective owners.
5.You agree to post only content that you have copyright for, or with written permission from the copyright owner.
6.Content copied in it's entirety from other websites, Forums or other media must be accompanied by a link or reference to the material, along with credit given to the original author.

dirks wrote in post #12194538
Hi,
I would like to know what the lighting setup of this picture was.
I found the look of it very appealing and I wonder how it was done.

From the catchlight in the eyes I can tell that a square softbox from above is involved, but since there are no shadows in the face, I guess there is an on axis fill or something like that.

Here is the picture:
http://www.horizont.ne​t …cs/artikel3-34166-org.jpg

There is a second picture from the same shoot, but slightly different:
http://www.medienmilch​.de …/pics/paar_946e​23bf7f.jpg

Thanks!
Dirk

I would guess that the first one is "butterfly" lighting. A nice soft light over head, and slightly camera right (hence the shadows on the camera left side of the face) and another light or more likely large reflector just out of frame below. Maybe some on axis fill as well.

Note in the second there are shadows under the chin/nose, so that is not butterfly. The light is a little harder. Might be a beauty dish? hard to tell being so small.

In both there is enough ambient (or an additional soft light) on the background to provide separation of the subject.

The link to the first shot is so tiny, that you have to inspect a copy of the file at 300% to see anything, but there is a low contrast butterfly shadow under the nose. So I presume a reflector could have been held by the subject on their lap to fill in the shadow area a bit.

The shot of the gentleman is simply 'broad' lighting.

Thanks everyone and sorry for hotlinking the images.