Headshots from London-Newbie here

Weedinner

Hi Everyone.

Just introducing myself to this forum. I am a professional headshot photographer based in London. I do things a little different to the American market so you might wanna take a look at my website. I can post pictures here so you can see them in more detail if you wish and fire away any questions you may have
Thanks

http://www.johnclarkphotography.com

anonymouscuban

Welcome to the forum.

We're lazy around here. A lot less clicking if you post a couple shots in the thread rather than make us do all that work required to click on your link and go to your site.

BTW, I clicked and liked what I saw. But now I need a break because I'm spent.

divamum

Welcome! Fantastic work... and your client list kind of speaks for itself (more than a few familiar faces in your portfolio....)!

As a former UK-er - although music rather than actress - it's great to see what's coming out of London. The "movie still" approach is pretty popular in the US these days, too, at least for actors. I'll be glad when the classical music world catches up to this trend, but it will probably be a couple of years since they've only just fully emrbraced colour and landscape orientation

Weedinner

divamum wrote: »

Welcome! Fantastic work... and your client list kind of speaks for itself (more than a few familiar faces in your portfolio....)!

As a former UK-er - although music rather than actress - it's great to see what's coming out of London. The "movie still" approach is pretty popular in the US these days, too, at least for actors. I'll be glad when the classical music world catches up to this trend, but it will probably be a couple of years since they've only just fully emrbraced colour and landscape orientation

Thanks Divamum, It has only been the last couple years we have embraced colour. We are not ready yet for landscape orientation but I hope to start to introduce this to a couple of agents soon.

Mitchell

Lovely work. Can you comment about your setup? In particular, I am curious about your locations and the backgrounds.

Bilsen

Welcome to Grin.

I did go to your site and the work is incredible. You're gonna be the C&C giver more than receiver on here.

I agree with Mitchell, would love to know your set up but more about the lighting than locations.

Weedinner

Two headshots
OK. Here are two headshots. I prefer not to give all the info in the way they are shot straight away but prefer you to have a go at guessing the set up. Its the way I learnt (and still learn). As a starter they are bth shot at the same location

divamum

I'd love to believe you have a magical, skylight studio since these certainly give the impression of natural light, but knowing the average light levels in the UK I'm throwing that idea out the window right away

It's hard to tell exactly what's going here because I can't enlarge them enough to see exactly what the catchlights are, particularly on the gal. You've obviously got multiple lights going on, and large ones at that for the complex catchlights to be there at all; possible a large window with added fill, or maybe a very large softbox+fill. The noseloop makes it clear there's a source from camera right, and you've got some kind of a rim behind her for that shoulder to be edged. Possible one light flagged to ensure it doesn't hit her forward shoulder?

On the rh side, I'll guess some version of a clamshell (light plus reflector or possibly light from above and below, given th pinpoint catchlight so high in his eye) with one or two kickers from behind.

Back to styles: what's really interesting to me is that even though I always offer my clients a more "actor-y" look as well as a more traditional operatic/musician portrait, MANY opera singers (the bulk of my business - I'm a singer myself) will still choose what I feel is the more old-fashioned look. At the other extreme, website photos tend to be heading for a fashion/editorial vibe - ballgowns + NYC fire escapes is almost a cliche at the moment.

I personally love really vibrant shots about personality more than clothes, just like you see from actors; there are some musician photographers driving a move towards this, but it's interesting how the idea that opera is "glamorous" tends to push shots to a more conservative and/or imo outdated style. We are beginning to see fresher looks (on both sides of the pond), but it has been slow!

Mitchell

To me, the one on the left almost looks like a large, well lit loft with a large, broad window behind the photographer and another window behind the subject with enough distance for good separation.

anonymouscuban

I'm going with a two light setup on both shots, sans any light on the backdrop in the woman's photo.

Main directly overhead, with maybe a reflector below for fill. Hair/rim light as the second light. What is throwing me off a bit is the catchlight from the main. Not sure if it's a gridded box or maybe a brolly since it's not exactly square or round.

Gotham

I'm curious why you say you do them different than the U.S. market? They are very nice but wouldn't be oddballs here, I don't think.

Weedinner

Gotham wrote: »

I'm curious why you say you do them different than the U.S. market? They are very nice but wouldn't be oddballs here, I don't think.

I know that. I do a shoot many actors here that have US agents so I know the pictures work. Generally though I try not to shoot the headshots quite as commercial as a lot of the US ones are. No criticism I just do it I hope a bit different

Weedinner

Mitchell wrote: »

To me, the one on the left almost looks like a large, well lit loft with a large, broad window behind the photographer and another window behind the subject with enough distance for good separation.

Close MItchell....

Weedinner

divamum wrote: »

I personally love really vibrant shots about personality more than clothes, just like you see from actors; there are some musician photographers driving a move towards this, but it's interesting how the idea that opera is "glamorous" tends to push shots to a more conservative and/or imo outdated style. We are beginning to see fresher looks (on both sides of the pond), but it has been slow!

Your right. I have seen that myself. I have shot a few singers but you need good faces to produce the fresher shots. THis opera singer was great

Weedinner

OK. THe main light source is manipulated daylight and not much of it. Shot at ISO 2000 on a 5D MK11 at f5.6. I use up to 3 580EX strobes to fill shadows and use as kickers. Those who thought I used studio lighting sorry but I would really be pushed to produce this with studio lights. The end result looks simple and honest but try and get the same result in your back garden. You have to manipulate the daylight carefully.

Mitchell

Can you post a photo of your studio location?

Bryce Wilson

Simply wonderful stuff on your site...

Curious if you are using a black scrim on the subjects side camera left? There seems to be a nice and distinct definition line on the opposite side of the light.

divamum

Ha! I should trust my instincts - it's only because I know how much light there ISN'T in London that I decided you must be using more artificial sources than you are.....

I do the same thing, btw - mix light, that is - although nothing like as skilfully. I just prefer the look of natural light, and incorporate it whenever possible. I'd love to see a BTS and pullback to see how you're using what you've got. .

Weedinner

Bryce Wilson wrote: »

Simply wonderful stuff on your site...

Curious if you are using a black scrim on the subjects side camera left? There seems to be a nice and distinct definition line on the opposite side of the light.

Thanks Bryce. There are plenty of black non reflectors around

VayCayMom

Nice!!!!!!!

Weedinner

Hers a new one. Shot today
Very Little PP on this one. HOw is it shot

Mitchell

I still think a large window behind the photographer and a reflector down below the subjects face. This all with a partially obscured window behind the subject.

Foques

I rarely ever click on the links.. man, am I happy I did this time!

divamum

Def a reflector on this one - lower catchlight is clear. And if this is your same source as the first gal you posted, we now know the upper catchlight is the skylight/window/conservatory/whatever of your space.

I'm thinking maybe the "backdrop" could be a gold reflector behind her, separated enough with distance (and wide enough aperture) to blur it out?

Weedinner

It is shot on entirely in daylight. The 'studio' is a small tunnell in my garden with a lot of black cloth to manipulate the daylight. The background is a diffused mirrored sheet reflecting daylight. Temperature was 1C and the light quality was crap. I lied on the PP. I forgot I use quite a complicated sharpening method to mimic HD.
Thanks for your kind comments. Will post another piccies soon
Lens (mm): 70-200
ISO: 2000
Aperture: 5.6
Shutter: 1/100

Weedinner

The beautiful Neerja
She is just gorgeous. Have a look closely and try and work it out.

divamum

Do you use a makeup artist, or have your clients do their own? I remember when Geoff Shields did my shots after I left conservatory mumblecough years ago, he was surprised when I asked about a MUA (my first shots, done in the US, had insisted on one); at that point, it seemed most British actresses were just doing their own. As it happened, my sponsor sent me to a BBC mua to teach me what to do for film so it worked out just fine (very educational!) but just curious how things work these days.

Foques

Sort of related question.
Diva, Mitchell, you guys seem to agree that there was a large window behind the photographer. Can you share with me how come the upper catchlights are more of a triangular in shape? I'm sure i'm missing something.
i'm really curious what the OP says on this one.

Weedinner

divamum wrote: »

Do you use a makeup artist, or have your clients do their own? I remember when Geoff Shields did my shots after I left conservatory mumblecough years ago, he was surprised when I asked about a MUA (my first shots, done in the US, had insisted on one); at that point, it seemed most British actresses were just doing their own. As it happened, my sponsor sent me to a BBC mua to teach me what to do for film so it worked out just fine (very educational!) but just curious how things work these days.

WOW Geoff Sheilds. Blast from the past! I suppose I took over when he Geoff retired. He was the main man for years.
Clients do there own make up. Infact I actively discourage make up artists. The clients in the UK have to look like their picture. They would not use a make up artist for a casting so why for their picture? This can lead to problems but with a bit of advice from me and some careful PP I usually get away with it. This girl had great skin. I have just made it glow more and cleared up the bags (yes we all have those!). Its exactly what you would expect her to look like on screen. Glamorous. Only a few clients though get the glam treatment. I try and keep it looking real. Here is the original and the retouched version.
Daylight shot with a small strobe back left of model. Main light is a window.
Shot mid winter at 1/80 at ISO 3200 (honestly the light over here is crap in January) 85mm f4

Weedinner

Foques wrote: »

Sort of related question.
Diva, Mitchell, you guys seem to agree that there was a large window behind the photographer. Can you share with me how come the upper catchlights are more of a triangular in shape? I'm sure i'm missing something.
i'm really curious what the OP says on this one.

BTW Foques this is a different location to the previous shots. This is daylight inside

divamum

WOW Geoff Sheilds. Blast from the past! I suppose I took over when he Geoff retired. He was the main man for years.

Hey, I'm not that antique This was in the 90's - he was definitely the man at the time. I absolutely LOVED his shots when I leafed through Spotlight - every single image I liked turned out to have been done by him. I had won a grant/sponsorship which was picking up the tab and I was so grateful to be able to get some really good shots even while still on a student budget right after getting my PP diploma. He did well, since even though I'm good onstage in a big house, I don't have "film" face, and had zero experience in front of the camera (and stage expression definitely does NOT always translate well to film, as you know). Although I was already fascinated by the headshot process from the photographic side, this was long before I started taking shots myself and I knew nothing, so I needed *tons* of help to try and project something of myself into the lens. It remains the best shot I ever had done; I've never had another picture that managed the combo of being flattering AND looking like me AND capturing something of what I can deliver onstage as well as that one did.