Corporate Portrait - Photgraphers Block

pemmett

I'm doing some internal corporate portraits and seem to have got stuck for ideas. They are supposed to be formal portraits but "not too serious"!. Can you take a look at the shots below and let me know if i'm on the right track or what I can do to improve them :lust. (PS. I know the model looks lousy, but he was cheap ) Thanks.

Three light setup - Main, Fill, Hair

Two light setup. Main, Hair

Four light setup. Main, Fill, Hair, Back

Four light setup. Main, Fill, Hair, Back

Four light setup. Main, Fill, Hair, Back (brighter)

Four light setup. Main, Fill, Hair, Back (blue gel)

Four light setup. Main, Fill, Hair, Back (red gel)

You can see the gallery here which includes setup shots and some lighting information.

Dooginfif20

You are shooting too low and you are in need of a little more fill on the right side of your face. I would go with #1 with a slight bump to your fill and raise your shooting angle and it would be golden.

rmkoch

I agree with the previous response regarding the low shooting angle, and also like the first pic and background. That BG will work with just about any clothing colors and not distract from the subject. My preference would be to shoot B&W, but that's just me. :-) And with the ladies, keep the light soft, formal or informal. :-)

Dooginfif20

another question is where is your lights at? They look like they are too high and far away.

pemmett

Dooginfif20 wrote: »

another question is where is your lights at? They look like they are too high and far away.

The lights are about 2 feet from my face as I was trying this in my basement and do not have a lot of space. The photo is cropped with the softbox on the right and the strip softbox on the left just outside of the frame. I have a hairlight top back about 4 feet and a back light behind to the left.

Thanks for the help.

pemmett

Dooginfif20 wrote: »

You are shooting too low and you are in need of a little more fill on the right side of your face. I would go with #1 with a slight bump to your fill and raise your shooting angle and it would be golden.

I had the lights low to get a catch light in my eye, but that may be because it was too close to me. Thanks.

divamum

Lights 18" from face - the closer, the better. JUST out of shot is the best of all unless the umbrellas/softboxes are huge. Remember, the larger the PERCEIVED light source, the softer and more flattering the light in a portrait.

Agree on the low shooting angle - it will add "authority", but it also looks a bit fierce; you said you want a lighter, more fun mood, so it's directly contradicting that.

Is there a window or work area you could use as a background but blur out of focus so as to still be neutral? It depends what "look" the company wants for their portraits, of course, but that hint of an environment could immediately soften the corporate formality.

Just ideas

pemmett

divamum wrote: »

Lights 18" from face - the closer, the better. JUST out of shot is the best of all unless the umbrellas/softboxes are huge. Remember, the larger the PERCEIVED light source, the softer and more flattering the light in a portrait.

Agree on the low shooting angle - it will add "authority", but it also looks a bit fierce; you said you want a lighter, more fun mood, so it's directly contradicting that.

Is there a window or work area you could use as a background but blur out of focus so as to still be neutral? It depends what "look" the company wants for their portraits, of course, but that hint of an environment could immediately soften the corporate formality.

Just ideas

Great ideas, especially the background one, which they tried before, but couldn't find anywhere which didn't need some photoshopping which they want to avoid. I'l continue to work on the lighting and come up with something over day or two and post what I come up with.

Thanks/Peter

Weedinner

I agree with Diva about backgrounds , shooting angles and lights. All good advice. You might also try a more casual and less complicated approach. This has not been shot for a corporate client but is good enough example to show what I mean. 2/3 light set up. One on the background (go neutral and uncomplicated unless they want corporate colours), beauty dish above right and close to subject, and either a strip light (as per the shot) or silver reflector under his chin. The lighting is less formal. You get the intensity from the clients eyes and works well with both male and female clients. I think your set up might not be so flattering for the females on the board. With this set up if you move the dish a little more central you can virtually create a beauty light which will impress the girls!

WillCAD

Of the examples you posted, I like #4 the best.

I like your framing and positioning. The slight turn of the body makes it more like a portrait and less like a corporate mug shot.

The 4-light setup gives you the fewest harsh shadows, though I think the right side of your face is still a bit dark. You might be able to move the lights around a bit to even it out. Aside from that, I defer entirely to Divamum's comments, as I have no experience with fixed lighting.

I think the textured background gives you the maximum contrast for subjects with different skin, hair, and clothing colors, without needing to change the background or lighting to compensate when you shoot a very light subject and then go to a very dark subject. The worst kind of background is one that doesn't have enough contrast with the subject and causes the subject to fade into it.

Weedinner's example is an excellent portrait, but I think it's too sharp for what you're looking to do. I can see all of the subject's skin imperfections, and the fact that he hasn't shaved his neck in a while, and while that might be great for a cologne ad or an actor's headshot, I don't think it's really appropriate for a corporate portrait. Female subjects, in particular, tend to want their pics to come out a bit softer.

You're definitely on the right track, you just need to fine-tune the details a bit. You've done far better than I could have!

divamum

No matter how many lighting patterns I try, I always find that I prefer the look of clamshell (and/or modified clamshell) setup, as per Weediner's shot above. Entirely a matter of taste, but I find it flatters almost everybody, and by moving it more front or to the side a tad, you can create interesting shadows where needed. It's simple, reliable and just works. I always come back to it, it seems....

Pemmett, also remember that you can start the bg blur/light falloff process by pulling your subects way far forward of any "busier" background. Then open up your apertures - remembering to focus on the eyes with a single point - and you can get a really nice effect.

ETA: Willcad's point about texture is a good one in the corporate-portrait context, but that could pretty easily be solved by taking a looser-cropped shot; just keep more of the subject in the frame rather than the intense closeup of the example It's also about a 5-second fix with a skin-softening action....

pemmett

divamum wrote: »

No matter how many lighting patterns I try, I always find that I prefer the look of clamshell (and/or modified clamshell) setup, as per Weediner's shot above. Entirely a matter of taste, but I find it flatters almost everybody, and by moving it more front or to the side a tad, you can create interesting shadows where needed. It's simple, reliable and just works. I always come back to it, it seems....

Pemmett, also remember that you can start the bg blur/light falloff process by pulling your subects way far forward of any "busier" background. Then open up your apertures - remembering to focus on the eyes with a single point - and you can get a really nice effect.

ETA: Willcad's point about texture is a good one in the corporate-portrait context, but that could pretty easily be solved by taking a looser-cropped shot; just keep more of the subject in the frame rather than the intense closeup of the example It's also about a 5-second fix with a skin-softening action....

I have to admit that I really like the clamshell look the most and use it often, but find it too "over the top" for corporate portraits.

I've been looking at this lighting thread for ideas and will try a few of these also. At least I have something to fall back on if nothing else works for me

Thanks/Peter

anonymouscuban

I agree with Diva and Weedinner the most. I've tried quite a number of lighting patterns/setup and the one I've settled on as my favorite is a simple 3 light setup. Main from above, either two rim lights on each side or one rim opposite of the main and the 3rd light on the backdrop. Just depends on if I need to light the backdrop or not. For fill, a reflector.

This shot here was done with the setup I describe above:

pemmett

anonymouscuban wrote: »

I agree with Diva and Weedinner the most. I've tried quite a number of lighting patterns/setup and the one I've settled on as my favorite is a simple 3 light setup. Main from above, either two rim lights on each side or one rim opposite of the main and the 3rd light on the backdrop. Just depends on if I need to light the backdrop or not. For fill, a reflector.

This shot here was done with the setup I describe above:

Anonymouscuban, Thanks for the input. Was this the setup you were referring to? I saw this setup and was going to try it over the weekend. Would it still have the same rim lighting effect of light coloured hair or bald people? Thanks again for helping out. Cheers.

WillCAD

I love the lighting on that shot, Alex. Very even, just a scoche lighter on her left cheek but not enough to create a hot spot. I bet that shot got you some... additional portrait work.

You do pay her for those modeling gigs, right?

anonymouscuban

pemmett wrote: »

Anonymouscuban, Thanks for the input. Was this the setup you were referring to? I saw this setup and was going to try it over the weekend. Would it still have the same rim lighting effect of light coloured hair or bald people? Thanks again for helping out. Cheers.

Yes. That is the pullback of the setup. Bald person should work the same you may just have to adjust down the power on the rim/kickers since the bare skin will be more reflective than her dark hair.

WillCAD wrote: »

I love the lighting on that shot, Alex. Very even, just a scoche lighter on her left cheek but not enough to create a hot spot. I bet that shot got you some... additional portrait work.

You do pay her for those modeling gigs, right?

Thanks Will. Pay her?

Have you noticed any article of clothing repeated in the 45 daily portraits I've posted? I doubt you see anything worn more than once in the entire 365 days when complete.

D'Buggs

Havent seen a mention so I will mention...
All the shots are broad lit and do not compliment the sitter - JMO.

pemmett

I completed these portraits with the setup as discussed. Do these work better? Model is bad - tired, unshaven after a long week at work - but it's the best I can do

I'm trying to decide whether to do short or broad lighting, although the way I placed my face means it's kind of nothing lighting!





Are these working better than the previous shots? Thanks again for all of you input.

Thanks/Peter

pemmett

D'Buggs wrote: »

Havent seen a mention so I will mention...
All the shots are broad lit and do not compliment the sitter - JMO.

D'Buggs - thanks for the feedback. I've just tried short lightening, but to be honest any lighting isn't going to compliment this sitter

anonymouscuban

Prefer these over the first batch and I like the first of the two the best. I think the lighter backdrop against the black shirt has too much contrast.

Bryce Wilson

Still think your angle of attack should be higher. Will hide some of that extra skin below the chin. (I have same problem

I also agree that this subject really should be lit short side.

pemmett

anonymouscuban wrote: »

Prefer these over the first batch and I like the first of the two the best. I think the lighter backdrop against the black shirt has too much contrast.

Thanks. I plan to shot two shots, one with each backdrop. I agree with the shirt, but I was too lazy to change into anything else after coming home from work

anonymouscuban

Bryce Wilson wrote: »

Still think your angle of attack should be higher. Will hide some of that extra skin below the chin. (I have same problem

I also agree that this subject really should be lit short side.

pemmett

Bryce Wilson wrote: »

Still think your angle of attack should be higher. Will hide some of that extra skin below the chin. (I have same problem

I also agree that this subject really should be lit short side.

Bryce, Thanks for the feedback. I'm stuck with the testing for the height as my ceiling gets in the way. I'm moving into the garage to get more headroom. I'm also trying to do a slightly more short light shot. Thanks.

D'Buggs

Short light suits you MUCH better!
I too think you're still waaaay to low on camera angle and also like the darker bg in that 1st reshoot.

Maybe try placing camera level with the forehead, lean forward from the hip, just slightly, then look up with the eyes into the lens.... these movements are subtle but I find it works pretty well once you're into the groove.


PS self ports are a PITA and if you can find a sitter, this will go A LOT easier.

divamum

If the camera is lower than your face - which it is - you can raise it higher ................

Agree with the others - that's my main nit, but I still prefer this second batch.

ETA: And if you can't raise the camera higher.... put the subject lower

pemmett

Thanks for all the great feedback you've all given. It's been great trying different things and continually improving. I finally got round to doing another set - and probably my final before the shoot on Tuesday (unless I get bored tomorrow!)


Dark Clothes - Dark Background


Dark Clothes - Light Background



Light Clothes - Light Background


Light Clothes - Dark Background


Do these work? Thanks/Peter

Dooginfif20

Im still trying to figure out why your light seems somewhat harsh and the catchlights are really small. How big are the light sources?

Bryce Wilson

If you do get bored and try a few more, do me a favor and try this.

Move the posing stool you are sitting on back about nine inches. Lean forward those nine inches to put your face in the same spot it is now and lift your face up toward the camera which should be slightly above eye level.

I think you will notice a big difference in the appeal of the photograph.

IMHO, so many people get all caught up in the lighting aspect and don't pay near enough attention to the posing aspect and the difference subtle moves can make in the overall look.

anonymouscuban

Of this last batch, I find the first two the best. And of those, I like the shot on the right.

With that said, I still think your shooting angle is still too low. Also, I think your light is a tad hot. I would have stopped down my lens about a 3rd of stop and that should have gotten the lighting right.

pemmett

Dooginfif20 wrote: »

Im still trying to figure out why your light seems somewhat harsh and the catchlights are really small. How big are the light sources?

I'm using a 24x24 lastolite softbox about 3-4 feet away from my head around 40 degrees above my head. I do have the Octo softbox (40") that I could use or a 60" umbrella. suggestions? Thanks/Peter