Sophie Sommers Beauty & The Brand: Test Images of the Lighting and backdrops for advert

So in the studio I wanted to have a test of the lighting with the wig and butterflies. I was thinking I wanted to have a Yousuf Karsh lighting effect, which is very hollywood looking, shadowed. But when I took the pictures they came out way to dark and didn't suit the look.

So I went back to the drawing board and looked at 1700's/1800's portrait artists paintings. Giovanni Battista Lampi, Meister der Erzherzoginnenportraits and Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Burn. They all have the soft quality with lighting, from above and at the side making the main glow on the face of the sitter, which makes the veiwers eye go straight to their faces and then look around at the rest of the scene.

So I went back into the studio, and set up the lighting with a boom light to have the light from above, I then got a slave light at the side facing the side of the model and the background.

The background was a little too dark but this can be easily changed, but the main thing is that the face is lit, there isn't a shadow under the wig and the soft lighting is achieved. Which I think came out rather will below you can see the before and after editing that I did on the text image.

I lightened the back drop, and softened her face. I have over done it but this is the idea I have to make her look porcelain in the day shoot and for the night one have a dark backdrop and very textured skin.

So for my actual shoot, I will set up the light the same as the images below which I took in the studio to remind myself how I did it. I may even add an extra light behind to light the backdrop a bit more. I also will be testing out with the butterflies stuck onto the back drop and see how that comes out.