The storyline for this particular shot which was created as part of an independent film, is of a young internet model and her self discovery and journey through a world that was slowly destroying her. I literally ran with the movie’s premise which inspired the image you see here. A model who has become ‘ordinary’, no more glamour, no more high profile–just normal. Returning to a world that she had long since left, yet refusing to see and accept the reality of her new life–denying to see and to be seen.

To create this look, I wanted to highlight and separate my main character from the rest of the image.  In order to do this, I used a grid on my beauty dish directed at the models face.  The grid also created a very tight fall-off on the model so that the light diminished quickly past the neckline.  The rest of the image was under exposed, further isolating the character from her surroundings.

For my technical friends, here’s the lowdown on the lighting and such. I used four Profoto Compact 1200 strobes as well as one Profoto 2400 Acute Strobe pack. All units triggered by PocketWizard Camera, Hasselblad H2 CFH39 Digital with 50-110 zoom lens.