Aspiring Actor Headshots Part ll

briandelion

This time I found an interesting place in the city- an old factory building with lots of window light and no heat. A very cold windy day but we managed. This is not meant to be a cohesive series since he will not be showing more than a couple at a time. I used a big round reflector and a 40-150 in addition to my 50mm prime. C&C appreciated.

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8. reworked this one: less tilt and removed distraction from bkgd.


9. reworked this one too: tighter crop as suggested in part l


10.


11.

Qarik

thye look terrific...I am digging 2

Icebear

There is an amazing amount of "character" in these shots. How to choose!?!?

TenThirteen

My faves are #3, #5, and #9, but they are all great! :-)

briandelion

Qarik wrote: »

thye look terrific...I am digging 2

Thanks! Also, one of my favorites. I almost skipped over this one initially.

briandelion

Thanks for your comments Icebear & TenThirteen. I have my favorites so It's very helpful to see how my choices hold up to the critical experienced eyes of the forum. He is very open to me choosing so your input helps narrow down the candidates.

divamum

In haste right now so no time for detailed c&c, but 2 (great expression but clone out the writing or whatever it is on camera right), 3, and 10 are FANTASTIC.

On the one from last session you cropped, it's too close to left edge for me - can you crop it the other way around, ie leaving more space to the left and crop from the right? Or, alternatively, just crop it even closer, taking it from the rh side.

Great job - some groovy light and much more expression from him. He should be thrilled!

PorkysGotDGrin

Like 2 & 3

adbsgicom

#2 is the stand-out for me... Nice work.

briandelion

divamum wrote: »

In haste right now so no time for detailed c&c, but 2 (great expression but clone out the writing or whatever it is on camera right), 3, and 10 are FANTASTIC.

Good catch. Will do!

On the one from last session you cropped, it's too close to left edge for me - can you crop it the other way around, ie leaving more space to the left and crop from the right? Or, alternatively, just crop it even closer, taking it from the rh side.

In my attempt to get rid of the distraction on the left I probably cropped it too tight. I could try more off the right for balance but I've hacked this one down so much already I'm afraid of losing the resolution I need for an 8X10. Maybe I'll try darkening that area on the left instead of cropping and see how that works.

Great job - some groovy light and much more expression from him. He should be thrilled!

He was more relaxed this time and we had less distraction. In any event thank you again for your detailed comments from the last round. It helped me get my priorities in order.

Hackbone

2-3-5-7-9 work for me. Good job. He still has an unusual nose though. Guess it's honest.

briandelion

Hackbone wrote: »

2-3-5-7-9 work for me. Good job. He still has an unusual nose though. Guess it's honest.

Thanks, Hackbone. In todays world of forgetable perfect featured types who knows, it might be an asset. Remember Carl Maldin, Basil Rathbone and Jimmie Durante?
Not that his features are anywhere near that extreme.

briandelion

adbsgicom wrote: »

#2 is the stand-out for me... Nice work.

Thanks for your input, everyone. Looks like #2 is the one. I almost didn't include it.

Hackbone

Not to criticize ....you should see mine.

dsloan

i like them, but 4-10 kill me with how you've cropped off the very tippy top of his head. other than that, they look great!

zhousu

I like *3 best.

zoomer

7 for me.
Quite a few of the shots have hot spots from the lights.
Notes for next time...make sure the skin is nice and dry to help reduce the hot spots. Use the most neutral settings available for camera picture control when processing. You can also very easily clone out the hot spots, just enough to make them less noticeable.
He could use some "minor" skin cleaning...imagine you already know that and will do it on the one he picks.
I think he looks the best in 9 but the crop is to tight, and the angle is not ideal.
Overall a good set, you have given him several options to choose from, sure he will be happy with them.

briandelion

dsloan wrote: »

i like them, but 4-10 kill me with how you've cropped off the very tippy top of his head. other than that, they look great!

I hear you. I usually avoid this kind of cropping but was trying to make these headshots conform to the current trend. Since this is my first attempt at actor headshots I figured I'd go with the flow. Here is one link I got from Divamum that gives an idea of what I'm referring to.
http://www.theoandjuliet.com/__310-973-7315__/photo/ph_Frameset.html

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it.

Brewster

3, 10, and 11

zoomer

Nothing wrong with cropping the top of the head, common. It needs fit with the crop/composition, and for headshots it nomally does.

briandelion

zoomer wrote: »

7 for me.
Quite a few of the shots have hot spots from the lights.
Notes for next time...make sure the skin is nice and dry to help reduce the hot spots. Use the most neutral settings available for camera picture control when processing. You can also very easily clone out the hot spots, just enough to make them less noticeable.
He could use some "minor" skin cleaning...imagine you already know that and will do it on the one he picks.
I think he looks the best in 9 but the crop is to tight, and the angle is not ideal.
Overall a good set, you have given him several options to choose from, sure he will be happy with them.

A comment you made on another thread a few days before I did this shoot helped me enormously. About the light first, the background second and the subject third.
I'll keep your current advice in mind and put it to use when he makes his final picks.

Foques

yes! I like these much much better! awesome job!

briandelion

Thanks for your comments Zhousu and Foques. And thanks everyone for your input. It helps me to take a step back and be more objective.