MORE Headshots

jarboedoggart

Had an appointment for an aspiring actress' headshots. Half were done in the lobby of my condo building (the metal she is leasing against is a antique elevator) and half we done using white and black backdrops. This girl is only TWELVE YEARS OLD and I struggled making her look here age. Especially in the non-backdrop pictures, she looks so much older.

Also, thank god for the "Acne removal" thread cause I needed it.

FYI, This was my first time for:
- using backdrops, in this case just white or black
- two light sources, I always got away with one

Equipment?
Canon 50D
canon 50mm 1.8 (cheap, but it does the trick)
two Canon 580EX II flashes shot into reflective umbrellas

All pictures can be seen here: http://www.jarboedoggart.com/Special-Requests/Michaelah/15565999_aVF8w#1166093687_FJN2W


Let me know what you think...be honest!


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divamum

You're right -s he does look a lot older than she is! Given that she IS only 12, that means that some of these may not work to her advantage. What is she actually doing - is this for professional submission, amateur/school/youth groups, TV, theater? Makes a difference as to what she needs to "sell" in her shots.

Remember that final shots need to have an 8x10 version for printing (industry standard), even if a different crop is used digitally/online.

My comments are as much to do with style/theater-self-promotion as photographically. If she has an agent, then they will know the "look" she needs for the work they're trying to find her -my comments are all without knowing anything about the specific situation, so somewhat in a vacuumn

1.

I probably would toss this one - it's not supersharp at this size, and it's a bit dark; generally headshots have clear (almost flat) lighting. It also makes her look about 25 (if you hadn't said 12, I'd have guessed from this she was at least in her late teens/early 20s), and definitely has a kind of Sigourney Weaver thing going on.

2.

Nice shot for a website or promotional stuff, but not sure about it for a headshot, even though I like her expression. You ARE starting to see more "album cover" shots like this, but not sure how typical they are for actual submissions. Regardless, I'd crop it some - to above the bottom button, and losing some headroom accordingly.


3.

This one's a maybe. Would be a great, intense serious look if she were 19 or even 17 - it doesn't really sell her as a young teen, however, where it's usually far more about being smiley and "fresh" rather than intense. The shadows are a touch obtrusive here too, and I'd clean up her under-eyes (those dark circles add to her age, too - most young teens don't have such pronounced dark circles.)

4.

SCORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Clear, clear, clear winner for me. The hair looks great (more styled here), the smile is infectious and, while she still looks older than 12, she DOES look like a teenager. The top is simple but the colour really flatters her skintone and it's a great shot. Clean up the wispies on her hair and maybe brighten her teeth a tad and it's ready to go. Any more from this series with her looking at the camera?

5.

This one's awfully "school picture" or "old fashioned senior portrait". What happens if you crop DEEP to make it a head and shoulders (if you have the resolution to do that). I'm not entirely sold on the away from camera look on this one - it works with the laughing one, but this one's more static. She probably does need a 3/4 length shot (and she has the figure, so it's good to show that she's slim as well as pretty), but not sure this one works. Any others from this part of the shoot?

6.

Not a bad shot and the smile is great (even though she's kind of collapsed the back of her neck which gives her an odd posture), I'm just not digging the camo look for her and, also, this kind of backlit shot against a plain background can sometimes be thought of as a bit old-fashioned. You've got an interesting contrast between the trendy/casual clothes and the 80's "glamour" style lighting so it might be fun to work that. What happens if you crop this way in, losing the backlit hair on camera right? Bring it right in, tilt, play around with it and see what you come up with. In general I think imaginative cropping can be a big part of a successful headshot - I've had some shots that were a bit ho-hum as taken, but as soon as I played with the cropping they POPPED and have become favorites.

As usual, I will mention the Reproductions Directory as a great place to find LOTS of headshot photographers' websites to peruse for current trends www.reproductions.com.

jarboedoggart

Thanks for the reply, I have about 30 pics for them to choose from. The six I posted are MY favorites, which like you said, even though I love them doesn't mean they are correct for head shots. But yes, in the gallery there are plenty of other angles with less dramatic lighting.

divamum

Whoops - missed that you posted a gallery link! Will have a look.

divamum

They need cropping tighter, but I really like 2 (great impish look!), 11 (the right crop will make this shot, I think), and 33 (she knows how to work that sidelong glance!). I really like 10, too, although I'd crop it right into her hair on CL so there's no wall at all, leaving the negative space to CR and maybe even tilting it CCW so it almost looks like she's leaning on a wall out of shot. A touch dodging/brightness lift on the lh side and that one's a compelling "serious" look from her.

HTH!

briandelion

Very nice. I checked your gallery and these were the standouts for me:

Page 1- row 3 #2, row 4 #2&3.
Page 2- row 2 #2&3
Page 3- row 2 #2, row 3 #3 and row 4 #1.

I would crop most of them just like the thumbnails. These look to be in the same category as the ones I recently posted. Divamum gives some straightforward, very practical advice which I found to be most helpful.

Hackbone

Not knowing her needs and particulars.......great job.

dsloan

very nice shots, but TWELVE?! WHAT

i looked at the photos before reading your description of the situation, and was thinking she was in her early 20s.

reyvee61

All I can say is you did a hell of a job with all the technical stuff and she did a nice job working with you to get these fabulous shots....
Nice work all around.....

BloodyMess

#4 is a great shot. Nice lighting on #2, but I'm not sure it's a "headshot" really. I get what everyone is saying about the age thing. My wife's youngest cousin is 14, and if you told a stranger she was 20 most wouldn't argue with you.

jarboedoggart

Thanks everyone for the comments. It is greatly appreciated, especially the critical ones...thats how we get better, right?

I certainly assumed that a headshot was basically just a portrait...but I now understand the differences. After talking to the customer, we went back and way lightened the shadows and changed the crops on some of her favorites...and she is super happy.

Thanks again everyone!

jarboedoggart

After taking everyone's advice and cropping in closer...and also making the pictures significantly brighter per the customer's request, here is the final product:

All pictures in the link below.

http://www.jarboedoggart.com/Special-Requests/Michaelah-re-re-edits/15626882_rE884#1171444531_vBKRb