Corporate headshots?
Hello all,
My girlfriend asked me to take some corporate headshots of her non-profit leadership. Most likely less than 10 people. I have traditionally shot my family, friends and my son for albums, digital sharing, etc. I have zero experience with this type of event, and I'd like to pick your brain to avoid commonly made mistakes.
My goal is sharp shots with good white balance and symmetry (between shots..ie, posing, lighting, white balance, etc) for a clean presentation on their web site. I plan on low ISO (around 100 if lighting allows) and an aperture of f/5.6 or so. I will also be using a grey card in my initial shots, and copying that setting throughout.
I will most likely be in a conference room with no windows and fluorescent lights above. I haven't seen the space yet, but I'm hoping to have enough room to stage them away from the wall.
As far as equipment, I have a 1DsMkII, a 24-70 f/2.8 and a 70-200 f/2.8. I have a Yongnuo Speedlite clone for flash and a Gary Fong diffuser. I think the 70-200 would be best, but am open to suggestions. I also figure I'll aim the flash (sans diffuser) to the ceiling and bounce it.
Being a non-profit (and my girlfriends place of employment), I am doing this out of the kindness of my heart. If they don't end up perfect, that's acceptable, as there is no exchange of money...but I'd like to put my best foot forward and give them something they can work with. For what it's worth, they lobby on Capitol Hill (Washington DC) for STEM education and are a part of the Challenger.org organization in support of the Challenger shuttle disaster in 1985.
As far as my process, I'm fairly certain I'm going to use a tripod, shoot portrait (shoulders up), and place some tape on the floor as an index point to guarantee good body placement, etc.
Should I manually focus?
Do I need a background? Clean white paper? I don't really feel like spending money as I'm not making money.
Any tips? Pitfalls? Commonly made mistakes I need to be aware of?
Thank you in advance.
Ed
My girlfriend asked me to take some corporate headshots of her non-profit leadership. Most likely less than 10 people. I have traditionally shot my family, friends and my son for albums, digital sharing, etc. I have zero experience with this type of event, and I'd like to pick your brain to avoid commonly made mistakes.
My goal is sharp shots with good white balance and symmetry (between shots..ie, posing, lighting, white balance, etc) for a clean presentation on their web site. I plan on low ISO (around 100 if lighting allows) and an aperture of f/5.6 or so. I will also be using a grey card in my initial shots, and copying that setting throughout.
I will most likely be in a conference room with no windows and fluorescent lights above. I haven't seen the space yet, but I'm hoping to have enough room to stage them away from the wall.
As far as equipment, I have a 1DsMkII, a 24-70 f/2.8 and a 70-200 f/2.8. I have a Yongnuo Speedlite clone for flash and a Gary Fong diffuser. I think the 70-200 would be best, but am open to suggestions. I also figure I'll aim the flash (sans diffuser) to the ceiling and bounce it.
Being a non-profit (and my girlfriends place of employment), I am doing this out of the kindness of my heart. If they don't end up perfect, that's acceptable, as there is no exchange of money...but I'd like to put my best foot forward and give them something they can work with. For what it's worth, they lobby on Capitol Hill (Washington DC) for STEM education and are a part of the Challenger.org organization in support of the Challenger shuttle disaster in 1985.
As far as my process, I'm fairly certain I'm going to use a tripod, shoot portrait (shoulders up), and place some tape on the floor as an index point to guarantee good body placement, etc.
Should I manually focus?
Do I need a background? Clean white paper? I don't really feel like spending money as I'm not making money.
Any tips? Pitfalls? Commonly made mistakes I need to be aware of?
Thank you in advance.
Ed
0
Comments
Bounce flash works best when your flash output is set to a stop or so above ambient. So you'll end up most likely at ISO 1600 to get decent results. Otherwise if you really crank up your flash power then you'll dealing with harsher lighting, hot spots, etc. You'd be better off just using your Gary Fong. It's actually made for this purpose (although always a last resort).
The right way to do this shoot is to get your flash off-camera on a lightstand with a modifier such as an umbrella or softbox, plus a reflector for fill. Position your main light for "loop lighting" (up and slightly to one side), and use the reflector close-to and opposite your subject from the main light as fill. Now you can really crank up the flash power and have flattering light, plus overpower the fluorescents.
If you're adamant about not spending any money, then creative use of poster boards to cobble up an approximation of the aforementioned off-camera setup could be done if you've got the time and patience for it.
A white wall will suffice for your background, as long as you can get your subjects several feet away from it like you were thinking.
Maybe your best bet is to simply do an outdoor natural light shoot in open shade. A court yard or an alley can work great for this. You can use your speedlight set very low for a fill, or just forego it completely. Use a wide aperture, make sure there are no close objects in the background and whatever is there will be blurred into a soft abstract. Bada bing, and you will get good results as long as you don't use too much flash.
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