This first image is from the Photographers Gallery in London.  The title is "When You're a Boy".  I think the most interesting thing about this show is that its main focus is about the fashion designer Simon Foxton, rather than about the photographer, who is Nick Knight.  It is more of a collaborative effort than about the vision of just the photographer.  The image itself is interesting because it portrays a mythological creatures head on top of a mans body, with several muscular arms combined to enhance the girth of the arms.  As far as the lighting goes, it appears to be lit under studio lighting.  If I had to guess how they lit it I would say that the main light is directly in front of the subject slightly higher than him/them.  I would also guess that there were probably two fill lights at about the same height, but on either side of the photographer. Thus way of lighting the subject enhances the muscle tone, but also creates more drama than having even flat lighting. 

This is an image by Nick Brandt titled Baboons in Profile from his show "A Shadow Falls" at the Staley Wise Gallery in New York. What caught my eye with this photo is how calm the scene appears to be.  When I think of baboons, its not usually in this calm of a setting.  I think what really adds to the image is the lighting.  It looks like it was taken outside using available light, but he chose to expose for the shadows.  By doing this he accounted for the streak of light that seems to be showering between some trees.