Guess his profession OR

Ann McRae

the reshoot.

A while back I posted my first ever head shot try. Because of the setting the first time around, we redid the shoot at his office in the board room. Much more space to set the lights so they weren't right on top of him, and more space for me to move about. Big difference though from shooting outdoors, where you can move to the right angle soooo much easier.

We came up with about 5 poses(positions), but always used the only colored wall for backdrop. We did this because we all loved the paintings on this wall - local art - but in hindsight I wished I'd insisted on one of the plain walls as well.

As soon as I got the shots onto my computer at home I realized I made one error - jacket buttons undone.

I won't go overboard here, but will try to be selective in showing what we got. Editing so far is just some lightroom stuff. When he picks shots, I will get rid of power cords etc in the background. And likely the bright spot on his forehead.

1. Edge of board room table:

2.


3. Seated at the board room table:


4. Jacket over shoulder:


5. Arm on chair:


6. sans tie:


His wife prefers him not smiling - she feels his smile comes across as fake.

Gallery includes the first set.

Scott_Quier

Ann, these are so much better than the first set - well done. And, as far as his wife's opinion about his smile .... well, let's just say that I differ.

As for the jacket buttons on the first - you did it right. With him sitting down, a buttoned up jacket would not have hung correctly. #1 is well done.

The best of the litter, in my opinion, is the last one. This one makes me most comfortable.

jeffreaux2

I agree with Scott about the jacket. A men's tailor will tell you one button or two when standing, but unbuttoned when seated.....which by the way is a good reason to steer clear of double breasted....unless you wanna stand all day!


I like the first, third, and last shots.


Not sure of his profession, but convinced he is NOT a wedding photographer. His jacket sleeves are much too short for that! I have a dark grey suit with sleeves altered a tad longish so they don't ride or bind when holding a camera to my eye.

angevin1

His Profession?? Lessee, Boardroom...ummm..How about Director for an Arts Council?

Honestly, his eyes are very nice and smile too...but I have to say, His wifes' statement about his smile is strangely telling about their relationship....yikes!

In your Gallery of him, I like the one where he sits on the table...caveat the art/frame and all coming out of his person...otherwise it'd be my pick!

Oh, Meant to mention the gig line is totally crooked in the jacket off shot. Seam of shirt even with fold of trousers: think vertical here.

I prefer his smiles and I prefer the artsy tie...not the plaid thing.

cheers, tom

ps: Nice set!

divamum

DEFINITELY better shots - well done!

I lke #3 "formal" and 4 as the "sleeves rolled up, ready to work" alternatives.

Presumably he's something to do with houses. Realtor? Mortgages? Architect? Head of contractor/rehab company? Siding? Urban renewal projects? Er....????

jeffreaux2

divamum wrote:

DEFINITELY better shots - well done!

I lke #3 "formal" and 4 as the "sleeves rolled up, ready to work" alternatives.

Presumably he's something to do with houses. Realtor? Mortgages? Architect? Head of contractor/rehab company? Siding? Urban renewal projects? Er....????

You forgot opera singer.

divamum

jeffreaux2 wrote:

You forgot opera singer.

Butcher... baker... candlestick maker....

~innocent look~ wait, so you're saying my next headshots need to be taken in front of pictures of porchfront houses??? scratch

roflrofl

jeffreaux2

divamum wrote:

Butcher... baker... candlestick maker....

~innocent look~ wait, so you're saying my next headshots need to be taken in front of pictures of porchfront houses??? scratch

roflrofl

Nah.....only saying....in a manner...that you cracked me up!:D

divamum

jeffreaux2 wrote:

Nah.....only saying....in a manner...that you cracked me up!:D

Harumph. I'm DEEPLY disppointed. Here I was already envisaging the shot in full evening gown and joooweeels, posed a la Nik across a large boardroom table, classic Jeffreaux +1/2 CTO warm, reflected light playing across the image .....

roflrofl :lol

SORRY Ann - don't mean to hijack your thread with silliness - please forgive me.... normal programming will now resume! (Although you have to put me out of my misery and tell me what your client really DOES do, since you've now got me wondering!!)

NateW

I really like the jacket over the shoulder one, but it depends on the purpose of the shot. A partial smile that indicates a little humor, maybe a bit of sarcastic humor, in a good way. (OK, that _could_ be because that's my kind of humor....)

I also liked having the art in there, but a little less in focus (i.e.: a bit out of the DoF and not interacting with his head outline too much; again like the over the shoulder pose).

The left side of a few of these faded to black rather quickly; I found my D80 was doing the same thing with a shutter of 1/250 (_should_ be OK, but...). Is the fade at image left possibly from something similar?

I'm going to go with Executive of a local manufacturing company. Depending on where you guys are, I'd start guessing at what he makes. (West Michigan and I might have said automotive or office furniture.)

OK, so when do we find out the answer to the pressing question? D

Mike J

I like the tieless one. Looks ready to go to work and solve some problems (or bark some orders)

What does he do? Humm... president of the local real estate association? Mayor of the town?

goldilocksandmy3bears

Scott_Quier wrote:

Ann, these are so much better than the first set - well done. And, as far as his wife's opinion about his smile .... well, let's just say that I differ.

As for the jacket buttons on the first - you did it right. With him sitting down, a buttoned up jacket would not have hung correctly. #1 is well done.

The best of the litter, in my opinion, is the last one. This one makes me most comfortable.

I like his smile. I also like the one with the jacket over his shoulder. Good shots!

Ann McRae

Scott_Quier wrote:

Ann, these are so much better than the first set - well done. And, as far as his wife's opinion about his smile .... well, let's just say that I differ.

As for the jacket buttons on the first - you did it right. With him sitting down, a buttoned up jacket would not have hung correctly. #1 is well done.

The best of the litter, in my opinion, is the last one. This one makes me most comfortable.

Thanks, Scott. I appreciate your input. Having a good setting, and better clothing choices definitely helped. More space to move around also gave me lots more perspectives.


So, how is the lighting? I went in with a plan to follow the tutorial in Nik's assignment 105 (single light) but ended up using two for the whole shoot.

Ann McRae

jeffreaux2 wrote:

I agree with Scott about the jacket. A men's tailor will tell you one button or two when standing, but unbuttoned when seated.....which by the way is a good reason to steer clear of double breasted....unless you wanna stand all day!


I like the first, third, and last shots.


Not sure of his profession, but convinced he is NOT a wedding photographer. His jacket sleeves are much too short for that! I have a dark grey suit with sleeves altered a tad longish so they don't ride or bind when holding a camera to my eye.

Thanks Jeff! I appreciate hearing from you.

Now, is the special jacket sleeve length something y'all should patent? The "jeffreaux"?

ann

Ann McRae

His Profession?? Lessee, Boardroom...ummm..How about Director for an Arts Council?

Nope, not at all!

In your Gallery of him, I like the one where he sits on the table...caveat the art/frame and all coming out of his person...otherwise it'd be my pick!

Yes, the art out of the head is troublesome, but some angles are better, and he really liked them behind him so

Oh, Meant to mention the gig line is totally crooked in the jacket off shot. Seam of shirt even with fold of trousers: think vertical here.

Okay, don't have a clue what that means!

I prefer his smiles and I prefer the artsy tie...not the plaid thing.

I like his smile too, but the artsy tie is all wrong for the message he wants!

ps: Nice set!

Thank you!

Awais Yaqub

Seems like a Property dealer

Nice portrait

Nikolai

Ann,
sorry for being late, both our cars suddenly decided they need some major work done (total ticket is closing to $5K fast...:cry ) so I was kinda busy yesterday...

Sooo, you're starting to follow Yuri's game of "guess who s/he is"? Hmm, maybe I should do it too. I would never in my life be able figure out the day jobs of some of my models...:-)

Anyway, back to technicalitites...

• ANYP (Always Number Your Pictures!)
• Two lights in diagonal pattern was a good decision I think.
  However, It also seems that rim/bg one spills too much light on the background, thus bringing far more attention to it than it deserves. I would consider some gobo. I know, umbrellas are very hard to control in that respect, but
• On ##1,2,4 his face is overexposed IMHO.
• Be *very* careful with forehead reflections. Males tend to have a lot of exposed skin on their heads after certain age, and since the head is essentially a giant refletive ball, your hair/rim light will be caught. Solutions: more careful position of the lights; foundation makeup (I know, I know, men hate the idea, but you can get thier wives to help you with that).
• WTB (Watch The Background)!
  We are all familiar with tree trunks/branches and streetlight poles "growing" from somebody's head. Indoor portrait are often harder in that respect since your choice of shooting angles/positions is usually very limited. Nevertheless, the picture frames striking his head is not the best way to introduce a fine art into somebody's life:-)
• As to the posing, guys already mentioned everything that was worth mentioning :-)

HTH

Scott_Quier

Ann McRae wrote:

Thanks, Scott. I appreciate your input. Having a good setting, and better clothing choices definitely helped. More space to move around also gave me lots more perspectives.


So, how is the lighting? I went in with a plan to follow the tutorial in Nik's assignment 105 (single light) but ended up using two for the whole shoot.

angevin1 wrote:

Oh, Meant to mention the gig line is totally crooked in the jacket off shot. Seam of shirt even with fold of trousers: think vertical here.

Ann

Gig line: The alignment of the uniform's shirt, belt buckle and fly.

A gig is a "demerit" or "negative" brownie point in the military, usually at places like basic training.

I can't believe I missed that!

As to the lighting and other things - well Nik already covered it pretty well. But, just in case it didn't sink in

1. Light is a little harsh on the head and it "suffers" significant fall-off as one looks down his body. Don't know if it's because you feathered the light or if the light was just very close to your model. The light in the upper right corner is much too brights - but that can be brought down in photoshop (and, yes, I remember that you didn't do any PS on these and that you would do so on the one(s) selected by your client). The hands :sad :cry - not a goodness. This is much akin to the "Adam Fig-Leaf" pose. I might have looked to put one hand (his right) on his hip and the other on his raised knee.
2. Same as #1, but the light's a bit better - not near as much fall-off
3. "Seated at the board room table" - Much too dark on left of frame, too bright on right of frame. Need a bit of fill on his left cheek.
4. "Jacket over shoulder" - Background lighting - same as above. I like this shot other-wise. The left hand in pocket here is just the right touch of informaal / relaxed.
5. "Arm on Chair" - Hand stuffed into the pocket - not a goodness. Finger pointed at the camera - also not a goodness.
6. "Sans tie" - This is the best of the litter (I guess I said that in my first response) - he's nice and relaxed and appears very approachable. The only fix, as noted by angevin1, is the gig line - makes him look like he has a problem with "attention to details" - not good for someone working with other's money.

Ann McRae

divamum wrote:

DEFINITELY better shots - well done!

I lke #3 "formal" and 4 as the "sleeves rolled up, ready to work" alternatives.

Presumably he's something to do with houses. Realtor? Mortgages? Architect? Head of contractor/rehab company? Siding? Urban renewal projects? Er....????

Hi diva

Thanks very much - well, your guess is in the vicinity but not the right arena yet!

ann

Ann McRae

divamum wrote:

Harumph. I'm DEEPLY disppointed. Here I was already envisaging the shot in full evening gown and joooweeels, posed a la Nik across a large boardroom table, classic Jeffreaux +1/2 CTO warm, reflected light playing across the image .....

roflrofl :lol

SORRY Ann - don't mean to hijack your thread with silliness - please forgive me.... normal programming will now resume! (Although you have to put me out of my misery and tell me what your client really DOES do, since you've now got me wondering!!)

posed a la Nik across a large boardroom table

This is just too

Ann McRae

I really like the jacket over the shoulder one, but it depends on the purpose of the shot. A partial smile that indicates a little humor, maybe a bit of sarcastic humor, in a good way. (OK, that _could_ be because that's my kind of humor....)

Yep, but the worry is that the 'smirk' will come across as slimey!

I also liked having the art in there, but a little less in focus (i.e.: a bit out of the DoF and not interacting with his head outline too much; again like the over the shoulder pose).

I also wanted to have the art slightly OOF on some - and acheived it, but I really tried to shoot from as many angles and heights as I could in the space I had, so as I moved DOF changed of course.

The left side of a few of these faded to black rather quickly; I found my D80 was doing the same thing with a shutter of 1/250 (_should_ be OK, but...). Is the fade at image left possibly from something similar?

Yep, as I increased aperture to reduce the DOF, I increased shutter )the usual outdoor without flash response). I now realise this is why the light fall off became a problem. More to learn!

I

'm going to go with Executive of a local manufacturing company. Depending on where you guys are, I'd start guessing at what he makes. (West Michigan and I might have said automotive or office furniture.)

Nope, but he used to be a banker....

Ann McRae

Mike J wrote:

I like the tieless one. Looks ready to go to work and solve some problems (or bark some orders)

What does he do? Humm... president of the local real estate association? Mayor of the town?

Thanks!

Nope.....

Ann McRae

goldilocksandmy3bears wrote:

I like his smile. I also like the one with the jacket over his shoulder. Good shots!

Thank you, Courtney.



ann

Ann McRae

Awais Yaqub wrote:

Seems like a Property dealer

Nice portrait

Hi Awais,

Thanks! He isn't in the real estate business but he does deal.....

Ann McRae

Ann,
sorry for being late, both our cars suddenly decided they need some major work done (total ticket is closing to $5K fast...:cry ) so I was kinda busy yesterday...

Yikes! Sorry to hear that. I feel your pain. We have had plenty of car spending this year, and it hurts (dh backed into my parked van, son backed into sisters parked car, son hit a curb with his car & broke something in front end, son hit same curb with d's car and totaled the front bumper....and then Thursday, daughter lost control of car on ice and hit a tree, air bag went off and body damage!)

Sooo, you're starting to follow Yuri's game of "guess who s/he is"? Hmm, maybe I should do it too. I would never in my life be able figure out the day jobs of some of my models...:-)

But, Nik, your models don't need their day job to show in the portraits. This guy does!

Anyway, back to technicalitites...

• ANYP (Always Number Your Pictures!)
• Two lights in diagonal pattern was a good decision I think.
  However, It also seems that rim/bg one spills too much light on the background, thus bringing far more attention to it than it deserves. I would consider some gobo. I know, umbrellas are very hard to control in that respect, but
• On ##1,2,4 his face is overexposed IMHO.
• Be *very* careful with forehead reflections. Males tend to have a lot of exposed skin on their heads after certain age, and since the head is essentially a giant refletive ball, your hair/rim light will be caught. Solutions: more careful position of the lights; foundation makeup (I know, I know, men hate the idea, but you can get thier wives to help you with that).
• WTB (Watch The Background)!
  We are all familiar with tree trunks/branches and streetlight poles "growing" from somebody's head. Indoor portrait are often harder in that respect since your choice of shooting angles/positions is usually very limited. Nevertheless, the picture frames striking his head is not the best way to introduce a fine art into somebody's life:-)
• As to the posing, guys already mentioned everything that was worth mentioning :-)

HTH

Thank you, as always, very helpful. I am getting somewhere though, eh?

Ann McRae

Gig line: The alignment of the uniform's shirt, belt buckle and fly.

A gig is a "demerit" or "negative" brownie point in the military, usually at places like basic training.

I can't believe I missed that!

Well, I've learned something new today. Thanks - I had not noticed that at all.

As to the lighting and other things - well Nik already covered it pretty well. But, just in case it didn't sink in

1. Light is a little harsh on the head and it "suffers" significant fall-off as one looks down his body. Don't know if it's because you feathered the light or if the light was just very close to your model. The light in the upper right corner is much too brights - but that can be brought down in photoshop (and, yes, I remember that you didn't do any PS on these and that you would do so on the one(s) selected by your client). The hands :sad :cry - not a goodness. This is much akin to the "Adam Fig-Leaf" pose. I might have looked to put one hand (his right) on his hip and the other on his raised knee.
2. Same as #1, but the light's a bit better - not near as much fall-off
3. "Seated at the board room table" - Much too dark on left of frame, too bright on right of frame. Need a bit of fill on his left cheek.
4. "Jacket over shoulder" - Background lighting - same as above. I like this shot other-wise. The left hand in pocket here is just the right touch of informaal / relaxed.
5. "Arm on Chair" - Hand stuffed into the pocket - not a goodness. Finger pointed at the camera - also not a goodness.
6. "Sans tie" - This is the best of the litter (I guess I said that in my first response) - he's nice and relaxed and appears very approachable. The only fix, as noted by angevin1, is the gig line - makes him look like he has a problem with "attention to details" - not good for someone working with other's money.

Thanks Scott - you and Nik will get me there I am sure!

Ann McRae

Lights are different in this one - can you tell?





and what about the camera position - does this work?


and, as to his profession:

Certified Financial Planner

angevin1

Ann McRae wrote:

Lights are different in this one - can you tell?





and what about the camera position - does this work?


and, as to his profession:

Certified Financial Planner

Yes. I can tell the lights are different. I like numba two...more of a power shot: "I got it handled", kinda thing.

I think the light on his right face is still a bit hot for my taste.

You know I actually thought financial planner yesterday somehow..but let my conscious mind influence me. I think it was the gallery...the artsy tie, the jeans and the cords even in these.

Scott_Quier wrote:

Gig line: The alignment of the uniform's shirt, belt buckle and fly.

A gig is a "demerit" or "negative" brownie point in the military, usually at places like basic training.

I can't believe I missed that!

...and I can't believe I still look for it in the mirror! Actually it is a normal component of Military Bearing and tradition....its just so ingrained into you in basic.

Great photos Ann, thanks for sharing these!

cheers, tom

Ann McRae

angevin1 wrote:

Yes. I can tell the lights are different. I like numba two...more of a power shot: "I got it handled", kinda thing.

Great photos Ann, thanks for sharing these!

cheers, tom

Interesting - 'power' from that pose, rather than condescension or 'looking down'......now if this had been a female


Thanks, Tom.

ann

angevin1

Ann McRae wrote:

Interesting - 'power' from that pose, rather than condescension or 'looking down'......now if this had been a female


Thanks, Tom.

ann

I have female (M.D.) to Shoot tomorrow and I hope it would convey the same. Perception rules here, though. That perception is colored by our experiences and such too. Fortunately all We typically have to do is do the shots and let THEM pick! Picking is the toughest part!?

I really liked your series here!

tom

Scott_Quier

Scott_Quier wrote:

someone working with other's money

Financial Planner - hmmm Not quite a home run, but I think I hit a 3-bagger with this one.