I think it works well as an exercise in problem solving with lights and sets. It could have all too easily been done in photoshop with stock images for the fire and other elements that don't intersect the edges of the model; but then there would have been no studio lesson. Training is when you learn something practical, education is when you learn how to think.
A.K. Nicholas,
I am sorry I don't understand your comment:
"Training is when you learn something practical, education is when you learn how to think. “
If your point is that on this set there is only practical issues to solve, you are on wrong track, there was more than that, and even the practical issues sometimes need to change the way you think to creative mode to solve that issue.
Too many people who practice photography have attitude „It can be done in Photoshop“, maybe it can be, but how many persons out there is capable of doing it properly?
Lets take the logs that we construct, this is highly creative process of solving the problem, not as easy as it seems. Of course it looks simple once you see solution, as do everything else. So many things that we take for granted was invented only after thousands of years of what we call „civilization“. If they are so simple and easy why none invent it in ancient Egypt?
Of course that you can insert logs in Photoshop – but what about lighting? How will the light spread from glowing logs? Also light on the top of stick, after all it is done in Photoshop, but initially we have original light and shadow casting from this light. Again – some highly skilled illustrator will take care about this particular part of scene, than we have to ask question, if we hire Photoshop art illustrator to do most part of the picture, why bothering taking photo at all? He or she can do everything much simpler and easier than we did.
All idea on this set was constructed by me and my students, and believe me it was not easy task to do. There was no help from previously made images, actually I never saw anything like this image, try to search the web and you will find it unique. There is some illustration, and as I mentioned we was to some degree inspired with them, but to take photo like this was not common task. I never see such photo before. During that process we learn how think out of the box and how to solve many problems that come with an unusual idea. Taking pretty girl and shoot it in the studio on plain background is as easy as spread the butter on the bread. We did it hundred times in past. But I want to make some specially tasted food I am no longer satisfied with bread and butter.
It does not matter if you like this genre of photography. I am not doing it regularly, that was the first time for me. What is important to all of us involved in that particular shooting is that we have a lot of new insight in creative thinking of problem solving in photography.