How to achieve a photo like this...

kingslife wrote in post #11461639

I dont have any strobes, external flashes, or softboxes. Just a DSLR and natural light!

Is it as simple as having a black background with natural light on one side and nothing on the other...and just raising the shutter speed until the unlit part of the face has a black gradient going? Or would it require an off-camera flash on the right to achieve a photo like this?

Thanks a lot!

You could get this with natural light. But the thing is you have to control the spill.

Your best chances are with OFC.

Yep, Just window light should do the trick. By the way window light is wonderful!!!!

Can you guys give any specific details?

Would it have to be that one side of the room is really dark and the only light is the window?

How can the other side be so non-lit/black? Is it just a faster shutter speed/lower ISO?

If you did not take that photo, then only supply a link to the image -- it's against forum policy to post photographs taken by others.

You can have a white background. Just place your subject far from the background and move an umbrella/softbox in close -- camera right. This appears to be lit with just one light.

I guess I am wondering why anyone would want to take an image like this. His dark hair blends in with the background so he has no top to his head, and the entire right side of his head also vanishes into total blackness, not to mention the main light is too low.

Yes light from a window CAN be used but the above image is what you will get, so I suggest trying it, then add a silver reflector at camera left, holding it so it will redirect some of the wasted window light back into the shadow side of his face and see if you don't like that better.

Benji

Almost looks like the beginning phase of body scaping in a way. Search the forum and you see what I mean and you can determine if that is the type of results with shadows and such that you are attempting to do.

kingslife wrote in post #11467468
Can you guys give any specific details?

Would it have to be that one side of the room is really dark and the only light is the window?

How can the other side be so non-lit/black? Is it just a faster shutter speed/lower ISO?

Use light to subject distance to control the light. So place subject as close to window/light source as possible without getting it into frame. Mask off, by using black/non translucent material, area of the light source that would be behind the subject so that only a narrow source is left. Expose for brightest part of subject. Play around adjusting the exposure to get the look you are after. A little spill/detail in back ground would be removed when you adjust levels/curves.

Hope this helps,