Vicente Esteban, a wedding and portrait photographer based in Spain, set out to shoot a fashion frame that would have a primary focus on the model’s hair and unique physical characteristics. The styling and lighting, therefore, were key, according to the photographer. With the styling in the hands of his creatives, Esteban homed in on the lighting.

Diagram © Vicente Esteban

He decided to use four different lights. Two would have Profoto D1 flashes with 75 x 100-inch honeycomb grids in front and in back of the model (shown below). A 50 x 50-inch overhead light illuminated her hair, Esteban explains, “and at the same time helped to soften the contrast of the two side lights.” Lastly, he included a flash head with a cone on it to project a beam of light in the background.

A behind-the-scenes frame.

The last step was post-production: in Lightroom and Photoshop CC 2018, Esteban did a little frequency separation, dodge and burn, smoothed over the skin and lightened it for more contrast, too.

“The expressiveness of the model and her attitude to the camera gives the photo an air of mystery,” he says, “being the key to this striking image.” Perhaps that is what earned him third place in the Creative Division’s fashion and beauty category in WPPI’s The Annual last year. Submit your print work to The Annual by January 24, and by January 31 for digital images.

(Shot with a Canon 5D Mark III and Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L USM lens at 120mm, f/11, 1/125 sec. and ISO 100.)

The final frame, which won third place in WPPI’s The Annual print competition.

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