Headshot Photography

travissawyer

Hey everyone,

I'm pretty new here and really enjoy everyones photography. I recently decided to get into Headshot photography, over in Atlanta, and was wondering if any of you would be willing to give advice. I respect you all a lot as photographers so I thought I would ask for input of any kind. Whether it's on how to light (I don't have a studio), getting natural poses, making their eyes pop, or just making the pictures stand out, ect. I would really appreciate it.

I'm still trying to build my portfolio and have been working a lot with reflectors lately (can't afford lights yet). If you would like to see some of the headshots I have taken recently you will find them on my website (www.mellowphotography.com) obviously the headshots I have so far are in the portfolio section of the site. i would love some C&C.

Thank you all so much in advance. Hope you're all keeping busy this month!

divamum

I think you have some very nice shots there! Natural reflected light is extremely popular among actors at the moment - definitely the predominant style in headshots currently - so the lack of studio lighting isn't a problem rigt now (although you may find you want to start building your indoor lighitng kit and skills for the future when trends undoubtedly change again. Plus, it's useful to have choices ).


I do notice that a lot of your shots have the subject square on to camera - try some more angled and interesting poses for variety, try shooting from above, and finding interesting compositions of arms/legs etc. The latter is something I find challenging too - I'm not sure I'll ever master the "seated on the ground but still looks amazingly flattering" pose that some headshot 'togs manage - but keeping the subject's body angled while they're still looking back at you is a good place to start

One thing that does jump out at me on your website is your pricing/shot structure: if I were a client (I'm also a professional performer), I would click to the next on the list no matter how much I liked your portfolio... because you're only delivering 40 shots. Particularly in this digital age that would turn me off immediately - I want at least 100-200 to choose from (and if you go look at most of the NY headshot studios, 200 is a pretty standard number of proofs to offer - go to www.reproductions.com, enter an east coast zip, then go to the directory which links to the galleries and portfolios of dozens of established NYC headshot photographers). Also, even outside NY, I think your lower package price seems too low - either offer fewer edited final shots (1 or 2?) and treat it as a "special" budget package, or up the price a bit; sadly, the psychology of underpricing is true, and if you seem "too cheap" people assume - often wrongly - that the product isn't "good enough".

Just my opinion and I'm still new at this too (building my headshot reputation by word of mouth rather than actively promoting it at this time - first and foremest I'm still a performer, with the photo stuff running as a sideline for the time being. ) That said, I've been in the performing arts business for many years, so feel I've seen a LOT of headshots (and dealt with a lot of photographers as a client) .... both good and bad!

Two of my favorite articles about headshots linked below - the pix themselves are a touch out of date since the article was written in 2006, but I think the information in it is dead on:

Well worth a read and a click through the examples.

Bad Headshots, Good Headshots (link to examples at bottom of column)
Bad Headshots, Good Headshots II

b08rsa

travissawyer wrote: »

Hey everyone,

I'm pretty new here and really enjoy everyones photography. I recently decided to get into Headshot photography, over in Atlanta, and was wondering if any of you would be willing to give advice. I respect you all a lot as photographers so I thought I would ask for input of any kind. Whether it's on how to light (I don't have a studio), getting natural poses, making their eyes pop, or just making the pictures stand out, ect. I would really appreciate it.

I'm still trying to build my portfolio and have been working a lot with reflectors lately (can't afford lights yet). If you would like to see some of the headshots I have taken recently you will find them on my website (www.mellowphotography.com) obviously the headshots I have so far are in the portfolio section of the site. i would love some C&C.

Thank you all so much in advance. Hope you're all keeping busy this month!

Here is my 2 cents worth... I do not care for the crop in #1 and #4
#2 I like how the hair is highlighted.
#3 I love the color you have in it.
#5 If you look into the eyes, you have reflection (may be you taking the photograph), maybe a little to much catch light in the eyes.
Outside of that, I think they are very nice work. By all means, I am not a true professional, but these are somes things I noticed.

travissawyer

Thanks for all the valuable advice! I actually offer more than 40...which means I probably need to reword it on my site. The sites new so I still need to tweak it. You're right about the pricing and poses. I was planning on going up in price after I got some more clients, I'm also trying to advertise via word of mouth. When I get a chance I'll change my pricing and all that jazz.

When it comes to getting poses that look relaxed I have a really hard time. I guess I'll just have to experiment. I like making them sit and getting poses from above, slightly.

When I get a chance I will take a look at those website, thanks for the very informative post. Do you have a Headshot portfolio I could look through?

divamum

My headshot gallery here. Bear in mind that a lot of the shots in my headshot gallery are opera singers rather than actors and as such chose the more formal and more "serious" looks from their sessions. I personally prefer the more casual "light and airy" look favoured by actors at the moment, but Operaland still tends towards a more studio "glam" styling, so I try to offer both in my sessions and it seems clients are still leaning towards choosing the more traditional look; if anything, my goal is to bridge the gap between those styles (not sure I've 100% nailed it yet, but clients were happy with their shots and I keep working on it! )

r3t1awr3yd

Diva, thanks for those articles above. They really touched on a few great points (and some weird ones but whatever lol). Good read!

travissawyer

Great work! I like it a lot. The lighting is awesome. Do you shoot mostly in studio?

divamum

Just curious Wally - which points did you find weird?

Great work! I like it a lot. The lighting is awesome. Do you shoot mostly in studio?

It's a mixture. I shoot out of my "studio" - aka my small living room - but I also have occasional access to a wonderful atrium with TONS of gorgeous natural light at the college where I teach, and I've done quite a few shots in there. These days it's pretty easy to use any location setting, especially since shallow DOF is the style du jour and thus you can blur out pretty much any neutral-ish background and still be "on trend" - even the street in front of my house looks pretty good with enough bokeh...

(this just a pic of my daughter rather than a headshot, but the bg worked really well and I want to try it with a headshot shoot at some point! I'd need to pick a different time of day and bounce more light onto the face, but in theory it should work)


My living room has two large windows, so in any session at home I usually get some which are mostly natural light from that, although it almost always needs boosting from flash. I also will use my Photek Softliter or a large shootthru umbrella with reflectors to try and mimic a windowlight look even when it's entirely artificial. Then I'll usually do a few more typical "studio-style" shots as well.

r3t1awr3yd

divamum wrote: »

Just curious Wally - which points did you find weird?

The weird fetish/pedophile stuff. Some people really creep me out... ever notice when they show those kinds of people on the news you're like "Yeah! He looks like a kiddie creeper!!" lol

I work with youth at my church and have done facebook headshots for a lot of them and that second article made me wonder if I shouldn't just give the kids a point and shoot and say good luck lol.

divamum

Ah right - gotcha. Yep, agreed - it's kind of disturbing..... :nono

travissawyer

That shot of your daughter looks great! what was the background? it does a great job of separating and looks really nice. The lighting on her face looks great to me, what would you do differently to it? I have started shooting when the sun is high rather than sunset (which I'm used to for engagements and such). What time of day do you normally shoot?

divamum

The background in that shot of my daughter was the street in front of my house - that's just the grey of the tarmac and sidewalk, but I was shooting down (our yard is slightly raised) with the 135L, which melts things away... I like the light in it mostly - it's just a tiny bit flat and the catchlights aren't quite as strong or copmlex as I like them. I can't remember if I used a reflector there or not (we were just fooling around one afternoon when she got a new haircut); if I try that setup again, I'd definitely want a reflector and probably use the gold side to warm it up a tad (depending on what the natural light was, what time of day etc etc etc).

Btw, a headshot photographer whose work I really admire for "serious" headshots is http://www.newmanwilliamsheadshots.com/ (I see she's added some famous faces, including Stephen Fry and Richard Armitage ) While the lighting and styling's a little same-y when viewed side-by-side in the portfolio, I really love the way her subject's eyes always communicate; I like her soft lighting, depth of field use and the *simplicity* of her shots, too. She strikes what is for me the perfect balance of a clean, easy-to-read classic headshot, with real pizazz in the way the subject connects with you.

ETA: Just been perusing her updated portfolio and have to admit that some of the new shots she's added don't float my boat as much - a few of them are dead square to camera and don't work for me, but ymmv (she must have changed it quite recently - she's pulled one of my all-time fave headshots, sadly!)

(Btw, from this it seems that in the UK clearly B&W is still popular while here in the US it's moved mostly to colour, fwiw.)

Somebody closer to home is Taylor Hooper in NYC http://www.headshots-newyork.com/portfolio/ He did some shots for a singer friend of mine and they were terrific.

reyvee61

I haven't much more to add to what's been written already but some interesting points have been made by Dive that I would like to explore a bit further on another thread.
I think you did a fine job capturing eyes which is most important but I agree that in this business you have to go beyond the norm to really grab attention and some of the suggestions here are perfect for achieving that.
Nice work!

travissawyer

I really like Taylor Hooper's stuff!

I just had two Headshot sessions. I think I'm improving?

http://mellowphotography.smugmug.com/Headshots/Nathan-Spring/14997835_k4ZZJ#1120385291_hHgGd

Would love some C&C started using a reflector and tried to frame it a little different. I also made him sit in about 4 of them to get a different angle that wasn't so head on, like advised.

Thanks again for all the input I really appreciate it and am trying to put it into action. I have another headshot session in a few days. Wondering if I should do anything differently? At some point I wouldn't mind doing a little bit more dramatic lighting, just not sure how to go about that outside..Unless I just used direct sunlight but then it seems to harsh.

puzzledpaul

I'm not a pro and - apart from occasional HSs of the offspring don't do them - but imo there's scope for getting some cleaner / less distracting backgrounds

pp

divamum

I think you're on the right track just keep looking for more varied and flattering poses.

I'd agree about the backgrounds on this bathc, though - even blurred with a wide aperture there are some horizontals which look like they're going "through" heads. Of the ones in the gallery you posted, I probably like #7 the best. (btw, if you post shots in the thread - and number them - you'll likely get more responses - a lot of people don't like to click through to galleries)

If you've got this many headshot sessions booked, why not reinvest some of the profits back into the business and get a flash, some ebay triggers and an umbrella or small softbox? That will open up a new world of lighting possibilities... ! If you're not already familiar with the site, www.strobist.com is recommended for getting set up on a budget and learning the basics.

travissawyer

Haven't had enough sessions to purchase more equipment sadly. Still trying to pay rent lol. Mainly because I'm not charging full price yet, still trying to build my portfolio and get my name out around here via word of mouth. Seems to be working. Actually I don't even own the reflector I'm using it's a friends. I just ordered one today from ebay though.

I also have an external flash but it's so bright ( probably don't know what I'm doing, I'm used to working with continuous light having a film background)

It's pretty old school:

(http://www.photographyreview.com/mfr/sunpak/flashes/PRD_143429_3121crx.aspx)

On the next shoot I will try to avoid getting horizontals "through" their heads. I can see where that would get a little distracting. I actually had a problem with vertical lines going through there head before lol. Didn't think Horizontal mattered as much. My mistake.

I like the background not being completely solid all the time though, like a lot of Taylor Hooper's headshots. I think it makes them seem more at relaxed and inviting.

I will be a lot more cautious about lines for this next shoot. I need to look over strobist again. It's been a while...kind of hard to put anything into action when you don't have the equipment though ha.

travissawyer

Ps. I will remember to post images next time. Didn't think about it

Icebear

Travis, when your model has big ears and a short haircut, you'd get more flattering images if you don't have both ears visible. In the last gallery you linked to, only one of the shots was posed this way. My $.02. YMMV.

divamum

One other thought: remember that the prime goal isn't "just" a flattering, technically strong photo. A topnotch headshot is about PERSONALITY. Something engaging that really shows what that actor is about and might be able to bring to a role and an audition. Try to keep the subject talking and projecting their personality/personae rather than "posing". This is for sure the biggest challenge of headshot shooting, but something the best headshots achieve IMO.

I don't know that flash, but if it's fully manual, adjustable and can be triggered with the cheapo ebay radio triggers (which I think are under $50 a set, iirc - I don't use them, but many here do), you've got yourself off camera lighting. Umbrellas and other modifiers are cheap (and/or can even be home-made), so you'd be good to go. Get thee to strobist.com!

Icebear

When the Diva opines about headshots, we'd all do well to listen. She swings both ways .

divamum

Icebear wrote: »

When the Dive opines about headshots, we'd all do well to listen. She swings both ways .

(although why is everybody mistyping me as "Dive" of late? You're like the 3rd person to do that in the last couple of days - it's hilarious!!!)

reyvee61

I would never do that

travissawyer

Icebear wrote: »

Travis, when your model has big ears and a short haircut, you'd get more flattering images if you don't have both ears visible. In the last gallery you linked to, only one of the shots was posed this way. My $.02. YMMV.

Normally I wouldn't frame it like that, but I have been reading a lot about not cutting off appendages lol. Still trying to figure out how much wiggle room I have, agents and those casting are very picky about things like that.

The last picture he is angled differently so one ear is hidden behind his head. I think that looks better. Not a fan of his look though. Doesn't accurately represent him as a person. Plus that shirt he choose looks really awkward. lol.

I do agree with you though, the ears were a little much, better framing or positioning could have made the pictures look a lot better.

travissawyer

divamum wrote: »

One other thought: remember that the prime goal isn't "just" a flattering, technically strong photo. A topnotch headshot is about PERSONALITY. Something engaging that really shows what that actor is about and might be able to bring to a role and an audition. Try to keep the subject talking and projecting their personality/personae rather than "posing". This is for sure the biggest challenge of headshot shooting, but something the best headshots achieve IMO.

I don't know that flash, but if it's fully manual, adjustable and can be triggered with the cheapo ebay radio triggers (which I think are under $50 a set, iirc - I don't use them, but many here do), you've got yourself off camera lighting. Umbrellas and other modifiers are cheap (and/or can even be home-made), so you'd be good to go. Get thee to strobist.com!

I agree, I don't like when photo's look posed...just my personal preference. On my shoots I make sure to talk with the actors and engage in conversations with them in hopes of evoking genuine expressions.

I will definitely check out strobist. How do the umbrellas handle wind? that's really my only concern with shooting outside (especially lately). In film we would normally just toss a sandbag on the stand and be good to go. Lugging around sandbags doesn't seem to practical though.

divamum

Softbox easier outdoors (see thread here - I'm researching budget SB's for myself right now), but sandbagged umbrella manageable, especially if you can find an assistant to hold it for you (either on a lightstand, or as a boomlight attached to a monopod or paint pole). When I plonk it on a stand I use a set of ankle weights from walmart (cheap), wrap it around the stand and let it sit on the base.

reyvee61

travissawyer wrote: »

I agree, I don't like when photo's look posed...just my personal preference. On my shoots I make sure to talk with the actors and engage in conversations with them in hopes of evoking genuine expressions.

I will definitely check out strobist. How do the umbrellas handle wind? that's really my only concern with shooting outside (especially lately). In film we would normally just toss a sandbag on the stand and be good to go. Lugging around sandbags doesn't seem to practical though.

I've done both in good gusts.....brollies fly really well.....softboxes!

puzzledpaul

<< I like the background not being completely solid all the time though >>

Agreed - can look somewhat anodyne, especially if said shots also used in a portfolio / gallery situation.

pp

sara505

divamum wrote: »

(although why is everybody mistyping me as "Dive" of late? You're like the 3rd person to do that in the last couple of days - it's hilarious!!!)

Maybe it's meant to be an affectionate nick-name (of a nick-name), as in Deev.