Lianne Ippel
Model: Lianne Ippel | Canon 5Ds / EF 135mm F/2.0 L USM | 1/125 - f/8.0 - ISO 100
The skull can symbolize many things. Whether it emphasizes the transience of life or beauty, the fact remains that you hardly ever come across them in photography anymore. These days, they tend to represent something macabre, even though entire generations have grown up with images of skulls. Of course, this skull is not real. It is a model used, for example, by doctors. You can simply buy them separately. I did have it airbrushed, though, so that it would not be so stark white.
By placing the skull in the corner at the bottom, it does not immediately draw attention. The light falls more on Lianne's shoulder and face; that is where the attention should be. To keep a little balance in the image, a reflector was placed on the other side. The reflector adds a small amount of light to the shadow side without removing the contrast created by the main light. This is often enough to make the darker parts of the image retain some detail while keeping the overall atmosphere intact.
The light was set up with a softbox on the left. This is a natural position because Lianne is also looking in that direction. Take a look at the paintings of Rembrandt, for example, and you will see that women often look towards the light, while men do not. It gives women a softer appearance, while giving men a stronger one. The direction in which the model looks therefore has an important influence on the feeling of the portrait.
In the style of Rembrandt, notice the small triangle of light on her cheek? That is a characteristic feature of his paintings. This small area of light is often referred to as Rembrandt lighting. It creates a strong but still natural-looking portrait, with one side of the face illuminated while the other side remains partly in shadow.
The combination of the skull, the subdued background and the soft but directional light gives the photograph a slightly mysterious atmosphere. At the same time, the lighting keeps the attention firmly on Lianne rather than on the skull. The skull is part of the composition, but it remains a secondary element.
