Maybe ill get more of a response here about Dan Winters and his style

AlTheKiller

I posted over on a much busier forum and have yet to get a response even with quite a bit of views.

For my large format (4x5) class I am wanting to mimic Dan Winters style of photography and lighting in the photos listed below for my final project:

http://danwintersphoto.com/#/P%20E%20O%20P%20L%20E/O%20V%20E%20R%20V%20I%20E%20W/4/thumbs

the photo above it looks to be Loop style key light or maybe closer to Rembrandt? Somewhere in between with a spot light for the back drop? Is the light on the back drop just from the key light? Almost looks like he is using a snoot (or that thick aluminum foil to make his own dish) to get that spot light look as well.

http://danwintersphoto.com/#/P%20E%20O%20P%20L%20E/O%20V%20E%20R%20V%20I%20E%20W/27/thumbs

this one its looks like a split with fill or possibly Rembrandt lighting with a spot on the back drop?

http://danwintersphoto.com/#/P%20E%20O%20P%20L%20E/O%20V%20E%20R%20V%20I%20E%20W/31/thumbs

this last one looks like it was Paramount but he turned his head slightly almost giving it a slight Loop style with a fill light it seems and spot light on the back drop? Does that sound pretty accurate or am I way off? Anything else that you notice or know of that is specific to his styling? Ive got a few weeks to figure this out and "perfect" it before shooting. Ill be using Kodak Ektachrome 100G (Color Slide) film with a Calumet Cambo camera.

:dunno

ziggy53

I suggest temporarily forgetting about lighting terms like Loop, Rembrandt, Split and Paramount.

Instead, please try to locate the source of each key light with respect to the subject's face, and then describe the camera's location relative to the face. To locate the key light, relative to the face, trace a line from the prominent shadow feature to the facial entity causing the shadow, and extend the line outward into space. That gives you the basic axis for the key light, along which the light must reside. Where the key light exists depends on the shadow's feathering and the type and size of modifier used with the light.

A really handy tool for estimating the location of the key light from the shadows of an existing image is at: "virtual lighting studio" (VLT)

This tool allows you to look at an existing portrait photo and to "design" a similar virtual portrait, setting the lights and modifiers until they produce an approximate "look" that is similar to the source image.

You still have to (sometimes) relocate the camera with respect to the subject, but the lighting criteria is pretty well set by that tool.

After using the VLT you can much better "label" the key light by the appropriate term, because it's easier to see how the key light relates to the subject.

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I'll start with the first image you linked. See how the nose is casting a shadow down to around the edge of the subject's mouth? I believe that this simulation, created with the VLT tool, comes close to the same shadow shape on the subject's face.


(Image link, if you want to download a copy: http://ziggy53.smugmug.com/photos/i-sTVMDs8/0/O/i-sTVMDs8.jpg)

Now that you can see the lighting relationships in space plus the shadow, what lighting setup do you believe this is? (Which common term?)

You can use these sites for examples:

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/portrait-lighting.htm
http://davedavisphotography.com/?p=4147
http://www.sekonic.com/whatisyourspecialty/photographer/articles/the-five-basic-portrait-lighting-setups.aspx

My answer: http://ziggy53.smugmug.com/photos/i-ch79qLS/0/O/i-ch79qLS.jpg