Derik here is a real estate agent who wanted to update his head-shot and specifically didn't want the cheesy muslin background cliche. Bravo Derik, bravo. I honestly can't figure out the fascination most agents have with the cookie-cutter head-shots - this was definitely a welcome change.

The shot is really straight-forward: a set that tells us what Derik does, a composition that can be cropped for both horizontal and vertical orientations, and a two-light setup that defines and separates him from the background. The set and composition are obvious, but the lighting may not be as easy to decipher. The one-light setup works really well, but by adding a second light, we can further separate the subject from the background as well as light up his hair. Lighting up someone's hair may seem a little odd at first, but without it in this lighting environment, all we get is darkness, not hair. The light illuminating the front of Derik is diffused using an umbrella at a distance of about 3 feet. The separation/hair light is the bare flash (not diffused) about 2 feet behind him, and is also about 1 foot above his head angled down. All totaled, it makes a nice combo of light and shade which defines the features of our subject's face and clothing.