copyright, Eric Ogden

This highly cinematic and dramatic fine-art portrait of Penelope Cruz tells a million stories, each one as haunting as you care to make it. It was created with 3 lights.

Camera: Mamiya RZ67 with 90mm lens and Kodak Portra VC 400 ASA film, set on a tripod 8 feet back. Shot at 1/125, f8, ISO 400.

Lighting: Eric considers shadow and darkness additional “characters” in his images – as important (if not more) than the subject. The key light is a medium octabank at f8 positioned outside the window and out of frame to camera left. I only call this light the “key” because it’s responsible for illuminating Penelope’s face. A gridded, 7” reflector with a straw-colored gel at f8 1/2 lights her back from the waist up. It’s placed just out of frame to camera right near the back wall. A silver umbrella with a straw-colored warming gel at f8 sits hidden outside to camera right of the window aimed at the hanging foliage and ground. Penelope’s reflection was added in post.

Comments: After Eric served a specially-prepared dinner of duelos y quebrantos, Almodóvar’s muse got into character by reflecting on what life may have been like as Penelope Cruz-Cruise.