Shooting headshots

[sf]

Strange that my initial posting of this thread is not visible on the site.

I am shooting my sister's headshots tomorrow and would appreciate a little advice, since I've never worked on a project with so many limitations before.

I'm using :

Contax 645 with 80mm F2 and 140mm Macro lenses
Profoto ringlight (is this a good idea?)

-that's it

Should I use conventional strobes with softboxes or umbrellas instead?

See this image and tell me how far it is from a headshot

my initial reaction is that it is too flat, the detail is muddled, and she should probably be smiling.

 

[sf]

please ignore this post - now my first post is visible.

Sorry.

 

[ZorkiKat]

Hi

the technique is as important as the technicals 😀

Use the longer of the two lenses you have. They're better for headshots. Not only is the perspective better, but the [relatively greater] space between sitter and lens would prove to be helpful.

Use daylight -in the shade or better still, as it comes through large windows if you don't have suitable lighting equipment. Daylight is WYSIWYG. You'll immediately see where the highlights and shadows are. Add a large reflector to the rig.
The reflector can be a 1x1 metre square styrofoam board. One side lined with crumpled foil will do a lot. The white side can be used when the foil side throws too much. This reflector can be used outdoors.

Avoid the ringflash. Though it gives shadowless effects and an illusion of greater skin smoothness, its position (ie, around the lens) can give rise to unsual, surreal lighting. It's almost always seen in fashion/glamour/music video shots- the ringlight can give good effects but can also do the opposite.

You'd probably be better off with umbrellas or softboxes. Begin with one light and one reflector. Try the 45/45 degree setup for starters.

Then shoot on. From hereon, its up to you how your sis would look in her pictures. 🙂


CLICK HERE FOR SOME EXAMPLES
Jay

 

[remrf]

I think your 80 mm would be the lens of choice. As far as lighting goes I've never been a big fan of ring lights for portraits. Or of flash "fill" lighting. It is too even and frontal for my taste. If shooting outside I prefer natural light and preferably late afternoon natural light. If need be use a foam core white reflector as a fill .

Oddly enough I am also shooting some head shots this weekend. A lovely young lady who works with me has agreed to model for me. And I am meeting her downtown in the late afternoon . Attached is a photo I took using the late afternoon light I mentioned. I was shooting a group of lovely young ladies for a hair salon and I had both photo floods and strobe units on hand. We had been at it for a few hours. The girls were changing styles and I was playing with different lighting set ups. Some were quite involved. We took a break and I went out the back door of the salon for some air. The back door was white and the indirect afternoon light was very soft. Randi came outside and I saw how the light was treating her features and I asked her to stand closer to the door. It was probably the best shot of the session and used only the available sunlight.

 

[sf]

thanks lots for the input. I'm probably going to forget the ring flash because I don't have any polaroid backs for the COntax, and don't want to mess with that in the field - I'll probably just use folding reflectors. . . . only thing that worries me is that the light will not be enough, and I won't be able to get sharp images.

Is it a bad thing to shoot a headshot with vewry narrow DOF? If using the 140mm Macro at, say, F4 from a bodylength distance, is my DOF going to be too shallow for a decent headshot?

I might just rent a profoto 7B setup and just go set myself up somewhere that will allow me to play with lighting a bunch - I just wanted to be able to move from set to set - like on the University of Washington campus or somewhere like that (I knopw the legal issues), instead of staying put.

 

[Jungle Jim]

I like to use the 120mm macro lens with hood. Outdoor shade with a reflector. Best reflector I have used is the sunshade from the car's dash. One side reflective, the other side white. It's long and supple so you can wrap the light to where you want it. I prefer the white side. Try to position the reflector (or use two) to add a little catchlight to her eyes.
But most important, HAVE FUN!

 

[ZorkiKat]

Is it a bad thing to shoot a headshot with vewry narrow DOF? If using the 140mm Macro at, say, F4 from a bodylength distance, is my DOF going to be too shallow for a decent headshot?

.

DOF from the position and at settings you quoted would probably be enough for head shots. At f/4 or f/5,6 you'd likely have enough DOF to render the eyes (your point of focus), tip of nose, and ears sharply rendered.

 

[VinceC]

You can always use a long cord and have someone hold the fill-flash unit well off the axis of the camera, say at a 45-degree angle. I carry around a six-foot flash cord for this reason. But, as others have said, reflectors are better. More control over the light.

 

[jano]

If they are headshots for something like hollywood, I think there are specific guidelines. 9x13, portrait, etc etc. If you want to see some good examples, check this guy out.

Good that you decided to stay away from the ringflash for now. Unless, of course, you are looking to experiment and have fun, provided your cute sister is willing to cooperate 🙂

 

[SolaresLarrave]

One important thing, George: she should never look at the camera frontally. She can turn her head and look at the camera or tilt it or any other way, but not frontal. It looks a bit like a mug shot, and makes faces plain and featureless.

But I guess you already knew this.

I really wish I could do what you'll do this weekend! Portrait is the most challenging and also the most rewarding kind of shot. 🙂 Good luck and have fun!

 

[jlw]

If they are headshots for something like hollywood, I think there are specific guidelines. 9x13, portrait, etc etc. If you want to see some good examples, check this guy out.

Yeah, but those are for movie-industry casting. I think the standards for modeling agencies are different.

Maybe the easiest thing would be to get back in touch with the agency (the same one that gave you the obscure advice to make sure the pictures "weren't portraits") and ask if you could have a look at a few examples of what they consider good headshots...? After all, it's their opinion that counts, not ours!

 

[jano]

Yeah, but those are for movie-industry casting. I think the standards for modeling agencies are different.

True.. I don't know what the standards are for modeling, and George didn't tell us the purpose of his shots *shrug* Whatever the end result, I'm sure he knows, and regardless I think that portfolio I linked to shows a nice variety of types of headshots. 🙂

 

[danielnorton]

headshots

headshots

Based on your other post I'm thinking this is for modeling. based on your location and the shot you provided, I'm thinking your sister is a "commercial/print" type model, not fashion.

While I'm not sure exactly what that agency will like, I think the image you posted is very close to what is needed for a models comp card.

That being said, the trick to getting a good commercial shot whether it be a headshot, 3/4 etc is to have the feeling like the model is "doing something" in other words, she shouldn't just smile, but maybe laugh off camera, she shouldn't give a "sexy look" she should flirt with some invisible movie star.

Bring her to a park, use the 140, put her in the shade with the sun bright behind her and use a bit of fill from a reflector.

keep it loose and natural, don't use soft focus, capture a moment. Then it will not seem like a portrait.

check out my site in the "archive section" you'll see the "lifestyle" gallery, most of that work was for commercial/print modeling agencies here in NYC.

hope this makes some sense 😀

Be sure to post some results.

Daniel

 

[jano]

Daniel.. really good stuff there on your site. I think my fav is the playboy girl portrait, wow. Not just because, well, it's a pretty girl, but the shot itself made me want more 😉

 

[sf]

Well, I'm just winging it - and making use of what you've all said here, since the agency won't talk to me because I'm not "one of their photographers" . . . in other words, no money is changing hands between us so they'd rather I just dropped off the face of the Earth.

I asked them if I could shoot with something like Portra UC or NPH and they said they needed a very sharp, very skin accurate film and that Portra washes out skin tone. I'll concede that. I asked to talk to the manager - the photographer wrangler - and they handed me off to a guy that told me I needed to shoot the headshots with "a very high definition, very hard to find film called Superia Extra 400" . . . . OK. . . . right. You mean the stuff that's on sale down at Bartell's?. Whatever. I used some Superia today, and some NPH. And for the ZED card, I'm just going to use Portra NC, because it would be moronic for me to shoot it with Superia. None of their samples are superia - unless they applied some very heavy post processing to everything. Which I doubt.

They just told me that the headshot had to be Superia 400. I said, I can't find any 400 in 120/200, so how about 100? THey said fine. Well . . . they apparently don't care at all because the 400 is totally different from the 100 in terms of contrast, color, etc, and I might as well use NPH and let it be. The photographer that shot my sister's first set used what looks like Tmax and Portra NC for everything.

I shot 5 rolls today - 120 - and shot most of it at F4 with soft frontal lighting, all natural against a dark background. Like in a doorway, from outside in, kind of lighting. Looked good through the viewfinder. Tomorrow, I plan on shooting some more headshots at F5.6-F8, just so they have a range of DOF. ZED card all NC.

PS - The Contax is a pain to focus. Very touchy, very large focus sensor makes it HARD to get sharpness on the eyelashes - I had to manually focus most of it.

 

[remrf]

Sounds like you got it handled. I hope your results please you and the model as well as the agency. The shoot I had planned for yesterday got cancelled because of weather. Rainy,windy and cold (for Tucson). We'll try again next weekend.

 

[PaulDalex]

Shutterflower,
this headshot is not so bad as you say. There is no recipe for lightning: the problem is to mach the subject with a of lightning solution that better highlights his/her character. You may get inspiration in souces like Pro-lightning, Glamour shots, Rotovision. In this case the ethereal diffuse illumination stresses the innocent sensuality of the subject. Rather, as you say, DOF is a bit too shallow. Also although the light is flat I do not perceive it exactly as a ring flash. Precisely, What didi you use?
Regards
Pistach

 

[danielnorton]

Daniel.. really good stuff there on your site. I think my fav is the playboy girl portrait, wow. Not just because, well, it's a pretty girl, but the shot itself made me want more 😉

Thanks, I tend to like images that "make you want more" vs letting it all hang out, so the nudes we did are sitting in a box somewhere :angel:


Shutterflower, sounds like this agent is a jerk. While most agencies have photographers they recommend, having an "in house" guy is usually a sign they make there $$ from shooting girls, not getting them work.

A legit agency should want your sister to have the best comp possible and most would go out of their way to show you some comps etc that they like so you get images they can use, thus they can get her work and get paid.

My advise, find another agency. Since she is more commercial in looks, she should be with multiple agencies anyway.

all the best

Daniel

 

[sf]

Well, I shot 5 rolls of NPH, Portra NC, and Superia 100.

We will be shooting the comp card this week - and I'm NEVER using that Contax, or anything else autofocus again. What a miserable experience. Heavy, VERY innacurate focusing with a HUGE center sensor that made it nearly impossible to focus on a detail like the eyes. SOmetimes I had a greast shot in my sights, and when I pushed the shutter release, the camera would suddenly decide it needed to focus again, and would jump around and I'd lose the image. Of course, I learned to use the manual focus button, but that was hard to get used to when you're shooting in motion. I'm shooting the comp card with the Bronica RF645 and with 65mm lens. It should be fine. Probably - certainly - sharper glass. And very certianly a better camera for the job. IMHO.

Here are the 5 I think are worth something for my 5 rolls. I plan on shooting probably 10-15 rolls for the three comp card shots, since they are only going to choose one headshot. I put one obviously NON headshot in because I just like it.

Criticism is warmly welcomed - since my sister's modeling livelihood depends on my successful completion of this project.

 

[Paulbe]

Shutterflower---thanks for posting these. I think I like the last one--the one on the far right best. She is a very pretty girl and the last picture shows that best.
Good luck to you both!
Paul