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DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> actress headshot session coming up
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 01/12/2005 03:53:21 PM · #1
My boss has asked me to photograph her. She says...

"I need 8x10 black and white glossies of me for my theatre work. Head shot... I need one by Jan 26 at the latest. Is that something you can do and how much would you charge? And you have to make me look beautiful, or at least interesting."

I will find out what exactly they will be used for- I know she's about to be in a play so my guess is in the program and/or the actual 8x10 in the theatre lobby.

Here are my challenges:

- We're probably going to do the shoot next Saturday, Jan 22. I have to learn a lot fast.
- She's in her 50's. She needs photos that flatter.
- I have a D70 with kit lens (18-70mm), a 70-210 and an SB-800 and can cough up a black or white background, just so long as it doesn't have to be too large. This is the extent of my equipment.
- This is the closest thing I've done to a headshot. I stuck him next to a window in the late afternoon and put a black velvet blanket behind him. Nothing else.

I've told her I won't charge as long as she'll allow me to use her image to promote my services. She said she'll refer me to her other theatre friends.

So now.... any suggestions on how to best accomplish this with the tools at hand? Indoor? Outdoor? Focal length? Ap? Should I high key it a little to flatter? Should I get a couple reflectors? Bueller?

I think a white background would be best as she's got dark hair- I don't want it to melt into the background like the above shot.

Thanks in advance.
 01/12/2005 04:04:43 PM · #2
I wish you lots of luck on this one!

Photograph your boss? Make her look beautiful? Want to still have a job after 26th?

My advice would be to shot 100s of shots and experiment like crazy until she looks like Nicole Kidman, then emigrate!!

If it is a nice day with good light, take her out and about...use the natural light available...it is also easier to do a runner if things go egg shaped!

Seriously, use what you have and I'm sure it will work out great for both of you. And, show us the results.
 01/12/2005 04:05:52 PM · #3
- frame them so you don't have to crop much.
- use the flash for catch lights ( read the catch light section of the flash manual - just aiming it her won't cut it).
- i would use the 70-210 @ 150mm or so if it was good quality glass. ( better bg blur with a longer focal length )
- use a tripod.

just some things that came to mind - i'm no pro...

01/12/2005 04:28:58 PM · #4
Flash is good for catch lights, but you have to get it off the camera. Flash mounted on the camera will create catch lights towards the center of the eyes which only works good in some situations.

You'll want relatively soft directional light from one direction, a windows works great. If the light is harsh, throw a cheap white sheet over the window to soften it up.

Take along a reflector of some sort, the white foam board used for mounting posters and prints works well. Use this to add fill light.

Use a tripod, there is nothing worse than having everthing work great and then realizing that the eyes are soft because of camera shake. The eyes are key in a headshot and they need to be perfect.

Traditional focal length is probably 105mm (nikon) - 135mm (canon) range. Your 70-210 is probably better if it's decent glass.

Practice on a friend or family member first and compare to examples done for actors and models.
 01/12/2005 04:33:10 PM · #5
Here are some tips for you:

Head shots can be accomplished with two flashes. One should directly in front and above her head in order to hide those age wrinkles. The other flash will be directly behind her to illuminate the background and create some depth.

White backdrop is your best bet. You can do a lot with it later in PS.

Use between a 75mm and 105mm lens with aperture set at f8. You'll want some decent depth of field to keep the entire face in focus. In order to achieve your shallow depth of field against the background, separate her at least 4 ft away from it.

Shutter speed 1/60

Don't forget to set your ISO speed to 100-200 for a high quality image.


01/12/2005 04:37:54 PM · #6
Don't use a tripod - you don't want that level of formality these days. Keep talking to her while you shoot, just get her animated and interested, she'll look better then, and might forget about you tkaing photos.

I'd scout somewhere to use as background, with decent natural light, a little dirrectional if possible, but definitely not direct sunlight.

The primary use of these photos is to get work, rather than for inclusion in programmes or foyers. You don't want to flatter her too much - it needs to be believeable. The 'interesting' bit is what you should be after. Look for character.

After a couple of test shots for exposure, you can then forget about camera settings and just shoot, and hope you catch that moment when the facial expression is just perfect.

Get it right, and you can get loads of work from doing that stuff.

E
 01/12/2005 04:38:53 PM · #7
I think I'd use a light blue or gray for the background. With white you'll start to run into exposure/contrast problems. Make it so everything in the room is neutral and even, except her.

Put some reflectors or white cloth on the ground in front. Light coming up from below should help minimize any shadows from wrinkles and stuff.

Make sure the eyes are in focus. Especially if you use a shallow DOF, it's easy to get the nose in focus with the eyes slightly OOF.

Most theater headshots are straight-on and pretty tightly cropped, but try some angled shots as well. Have her bring one or two changes of clothes/jackets/scarves ... see which one sets off her face most attractively. If she wears hats, try that too, although they're not common, they sometimes add real character if it's something she's used to.

If you have a laptop, take it along so you can check a few pictures at full size.

I'm not an expert either, but I know how to sound like one : )
 01/12/2005 05:16:15 PM · #8
Can you do it outdoors? It's a headshot, you can pretty much do those anywhere. A nearby park or something would be great. If not, just natural light like near a window again..except the shot you posted is a bit gray, you'll need more contrast..especially for black and white. Flat doesn't work.

And just as importantly, tell her to wear all black or black and white SOLIDS.

Good luck :-)
 01/12/2005 05:37:00 PM · #9
Thank you all for your suggestions. I just got to work and grabbed a couple "test" shots of her sitting in her office at her desk, so the background is crap- but at least it gives me some idea with the suggestions you gave. I bounced the speedlight off the ceiling for a shot or two and off the wall in front of her for a shot or two, used the 70-210mm at 105mm but didn't have enough space in her office to really back off of her enough. I will post the best of the shots tomorrow (once I get home and can resize and upload) so that you can give me some more direction. Thank you so much.

And e301 you're right, in the long term she will be looking to use these for work (apparently up until she's been using ones she had taken a few years ago and she needs to "be more honest" and have current photos done ;), but as for Jan 26 they will be in the program and in the lobby of her current play.

Thanks again!!
 01/12/2005 05:44:22 PM · #10
Oh, and my lens is the Nikkor 70-210mm D AF lens. Good glass.
 01/12/2005 05:54:32 PM · #11
View this:

Head Shot Photography

Then look at these:

Portfolio

If you aren't blown away by his simple setup, then you need to reassess what you think you need for great headshots.

-danny
 01/12/2005 06:00:49 PM · #12
yeah that one can definately make good use of natural light.
makes you think about composition quite a bit, not too many include the entire head...

some thing i have had critisism about in the past, but still don't think is legitimate.
01/12/2005 06:07:50 PM · #13
They're really good headshots (besides the fact you can see him in a few of the eyes)..but if you had 40,000 clients all wanting almost the exact same thing: you'd be kickass at it, too.

(Yup, says he's had 40,000 headshot clients..EEEP!).

01/12/2005 06:26:49 PM · #14
Relax, you're a good photographer. Just follow your instincts and do what comes natural. Remember the basics: fill the frame, make sure she's well lit. Keep her talking and smiling. I've never done headshots either, but you'll do fine. Break a leg!
 01/12/2005 06:41:31 PM · #15
Don't forget to leave some space in the photo about the head and to the sides of the head so you can crop it to differen't sizes and not lose any of the image (5x7,8x10,etc).
 01/12/2005 07:11:03 PM · #16
Review some of the Liz Taylor shots that were done past her prime.
 01/12/2005 07:52:39 PM · #17
Once you have your photo, there is a good way to tweak head shots in Photoshop, or similar, that is specific to shots of females.

Basically it is ....

1) Sharpen the lips and eyes slightly - so they stand out

2) Slightly blur the rest of the face to give smoother skin. I also use the healing brush to take out any "defects" (such as zits) as long as they are not something that helps define the person (such as a beauty spot).

I learned this approach recently from a book and am amazed how well it works.

Needs to be subtly, as most things in PS should be, and when done well the change can be drammatic, but without there being any real indication that any work on it has been done.
01/12/2005 07:53:07 PM · #18
I can tell someone will have to stick up for the over 50 crowd. Do try and make her look younger in some of the shots but donĂ¢€™t do this for all. Some of us, who are on the wrong side of 50, believe that our faces have a certain degree of character. If the photos are for acting it might in fact be part of her assets.

I have seen photos where there was so much effect to hide the true nature of the face that what was left was kind of gross looking. I canĂ¢€™t speak for everyone but be aware that some of us donĂ¢€™t mind the way we look, we had our time for looking young and we have grown use to the way we look.
01/12/2005 07:59:10 PM · #19
Originally posted by scottwilson:
I can tell someone will have to stick up for the over 50 crowd. Do try and make her look younger in some of the shots but donĂ¢€™t do this for all.


I don't necessarily want to make her look younger- she doesn't want that either. But I do want to flatter her. Anyone regardless of age can look like crap in photos. I seem to be highly adept at capturing people looking like crap, and I want to minimize that as much as possible!! :D
 01/12/2005 08:32:59 PM · #20
Try to do it outdoors in open shade.
Use a reflector.
Use a tripod.
Shoot from slightly above her eye level. A pro photographer friend tells me that this is a more flattering angle.

I agree too, with photomayhem about leaving yourself "cropping room".

I did my first ever headshot session at the end of November, and it was for a theatre major that needed headshots for interviews. I took 100 shots, we ended up with 15 good/5 really good shots. I am SO happy with that! I used my Sigma 70-200 f/2.8, most of the shots were between 85-105mm, if that helps at all.

Here are a few of those shots:


Having never done anything like that before, I was a nervous wreck, but it was OK. I watched the KMH (crabappl3 has this link above) video (the part showing his setup) about 50 times!! I also studied his portfolio (link above). Figured maybe I could learn a little bit.

You'll be just fine, and you'll get some great shots.
Good luck, post the shots for us when you're done!

Linda
 01/13/2005 09:18:23 AM · #21


Okay, here's the lady in question. As mentioned earlier this was just a quickie test shot in her office, so the real thing should look a lot better (with a nicer background and I'll be able to back off her more), but this was a good exercise. I shot this at 1/60th sec @ f/4.5, 105 mm, from probably 3 feet away with the speedlight bouncing off the ceiling. When I do the real thing I will stop down just a bit. As suggested earlier I sharpened her eyes and lips and ever so slightly blurred the rest. This is how she normally dresses (pantsuits with interesting jewelry) so I'm guessing she'll do something similar on the day.

Thoughts?

Message edited by author 2005-01-13 09:19:11.
 01/13/2005 09:24:18 AM · #22
I think your lens and flash will do fine for this. Technically it looks good. Take lots of pictures and just try to capture her real self. This shot, although just a test, appears a bit stiff. Try and get her to relax and just be herself.

Good Luck,
-danny

Originally posted by ahaze:


Okay, here's the lady in question. As mentioned earlier this was just a quickie test shot in her office, so the real thing should look a lot better (with a nicer background and I'll be able to back off her more), but this was a good exercise. I shot this at 1/60th sec @ f/4.5, 105 mm, from probably 3 feet away with the speedlight bouncing off the ceiling. When I do the real thing I will stop down just a bit. As suggested earlier I sharpened her eyes and lips and ever so slightly blurred the rest. This is how she normally dresses (pantsuits with interesting jewelry) so I'm guessing she'll do something similar on the day.

Thoughts?
01/13/2005 09:26:35 AM · #23
Originally posted by e301:
Don't use a tripod - you don't want that level of formality these days.


I'm not a professional portrait shooter by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm having trouble reconciling the logic behind *not* using a tripod. Seems like a good photographer could help the subject to overcome tipodophobia... And crystal clear end results which would stand up to enlargement scrutiny don't seem like a bad thing.

For candids, or a shot which includes a lot of motion I can see the need for freedom, but for a posed head-shot, seems like you'd be guarenteed a better image if you used the right gear.

I'll shut up now and go back to shooting landscapes :)
 01/13/2005 10:31:32 AM · #24
Originally posted by ahaze:


Okay, here's the lady in question. As mentioned earlier this was just a quickie test shot in her office, so the real thing should look a lot better (with a nicer background and I'll be able to back off her more), but this was a good exercise. I shot this at 1/60th sec @ f/4.5, 105 mm, from probably 3 feet away with the speedlight bouncing off the ceiling. When I do the real thing I will stop down just a bit. As suggested earlier I sharpened her eyes and lips and ever so slightly blurred the rest. This is how she normally dresses (pantsuits with interesting jewelry) so I'm guessing she'll do something similar on the day.

Thoughts?

Remember that the primary use will be for an 8x10 print, and that it will have to be cropped differently than these examples. For example, this can make a difference if she wears a necklace; a pendant will probably be cropped out while a semi-choker may be visible throughout its arc.

I'd do some both on and off the tripod. As mentioned, getting her to feel relaxed (and snapping the shutter at that moment) are key. Let her know that we all think you'll both do fine.
 01/13/2005 01:43:13 PM · #25
The photo looks fine. Just make sure that your background has some light on it to add depth.

I am sure that your shoot will go very well. Good luck with it.
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