Color: Often utilizes strong contrast between warm, intense light sources (golden, orange) and cool, dark shadows or backgrounds (deep blues, blacks). Alternatively, can feature rich, saturated colors captured under direct, dramatic light. The palette emphasizes mood and impact over subtlety, often feeling visceral or highly stylized.
Lighting: Characterized by highly directional, high-contrast lighting – harsh sunlight, studio strobes, dramatic spotlights. Creates deep shadows, sharp highlights, pronounced rim lighting, and emphasizes texture (skin pores, freckles, feathers, water droplets, fabric weaves, wall surfaces). Lighting is a key tool for sculpting form and conveying intense emotion or attitude.
Design Technique: Focuses on tight framing (extreme close-ups) or impactful compositions placing subjects against textured or atmospheric backgrounds. Meticulous attention to detail and texture is paramount. Subjects often exhibit intense gazes, powerful postures, or a sense of captured motion/stillness, conveying strong character or mood. The juxtaposition of human and animal subjects, treated with similar dramatic weight, adds depth.