Sculpting light with a simple scarf

Using props to create interest is a common tactic used in studio work throughout the world. I thought about studying/experimenting with the effects of sculpting light using these props. My wife volunteered to help me with this exercise as always in my life.

I decided to start with flat lighting and then change the highlights/shadows + drama + feel using this simple scarf. A simple one light setup was used to get somewhat flat light, but also can be easily setup and that doesn't require a lot of incremental changes to finalize. So the light was set up almost behind the camera and shot into the subject with a very tight frame (Crops in this are pretty much as was framed during the shot).

Here s the picture we started with -

As you can see in this picture, the lighting was soft and beautiful.. but wasn't creating interest through any cast shadows. Then I introduced a simple scarf used in the winter and wallah... ! I got the following shot. Of course it needed some posing, tight framing etc....

It not only creates interest, it also added different emotions into the shot... While helping to capture and retain the viewers eyes in the middle of the frame. I did went a bit extreme with this scarf during this shoot and that result will be posted here in the near future. (something to look forward to :D )

Would love to hear your thoughts on this...


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Thanks
Akila.