Recent Headshot

[kjf]

You know, I agonize over eyes and teeth all the time Mindfloodz. You and Sailor Blue may have something.

Thanks for the positive comments.

[Rain Lily]

Originally Posted by kjf

Thanks Rain Lily. Yes, shooting at f1.4 results in this. I wanted to see if I could do it (hand held, two moving objects, and available light) for the web and 8x10 actress headshot prints. f2.8 is a bit more reasonable, but the BG of my garage would have been more visible. No window however. Just an open garage door. I do use f2.8 in the studio btw.

I apologize for missing where you said you were shooting your 85 at 1.4, Ken. That got by me in your post to Sailor.

My question now is, will the company accept a shot with such a shallow dof? It would seem to me they would want sharper images so that no one could use blur to soften a blemish. Just curious.

[kjf]

Great question Rain Lily. I wish I had a concrete answer for you. For actors, the headshot at 8x10 or on the web is a major part of the resume. First page! The mask of the face is most important. Eyes and mouth convey emotion. We chose eight shots for the web trying to present various emotions. Casting directors are not portrait judges and rarely spend more than 5 seconds on a print. They are looking for someone who can play a part. We can fix a broken nose in photoshop, but a broken nose may be what the casting director is looking for...or not. Look carefully at my shot and you can see a mole camera left on the edge of her eye. Removing that would be considered a sin. The narrow depth of field draws the casting director's attention to the actor's eyes and face where we want it. No distractions.

MORE on DOF: See my comment #9 on the first page RE: use of f1.4 I have been using f2.8 generally to isolate the mask of the face not for pretty bokeh although that is nice too. We do not want casting directors looking at necklines, jewellery, or background material. We only have seconds for the face and distractions take away from that. A vignette that darkens the corners and sometimes arms and chest may also help. I also doggedly focus on the eyes to help them pop. Eyes are most important in my humble opinion. This is how I do it, and it results in casting calls here in Australia.

I have studied many headshot photographer portfolios. Each one has an individual approach. One influencer for me is Benji. Feedback from my actor friend is huge. Then I just do the best I can do. I'm no expert, and headshots are only a part of what I do. Keeping customers happy is everything.

Thanks for your comments

[Bobby Deal]

F/4-F/5.6 at 135-160 mm will give a bit more DOF and still provide acceptable bokeh

[Bobby Deal]

Originally Posted by Sailor Blue

Very nice, but if it is allowed you might lighten the eyes and teeth a bit to add some additional punch to the image.

The catch light looks a bit odd. It looks like you use a strip light above the camera. The use of a large round softbox or a beauty light above the camera with a reflector or a softbox below for clamshell lighting is more traditional for beauty lighting. You can use a strip softbox below the camera since any catch light from the fill is much weaker than that from the main light.

Sailor you have to remember that Headshots are not Beauty Photography and they are not portraits. Also there are multiple types of Headshots and each is shot differently. The actor head shot is just that it is a shot of the adores face. Crisp focus on the eyes, adequate DOF to reveal any major perme ant blemishes and a don discript neutral background are key elements

Model Headshots are close to actors shots in that they should be minimally styled, makeup very light and show the the models face naturally. They are often composed a touch looser then the actor to show the torso and bust and are often accompanied by a full body shot

The corporate headshot is framed in a more traditional portrait style often on white or blue and has more pop to try and retouching then an actors shot to try and add personality to people who often have little if any

Musicians head shots are more about revealing the style of the artist and may actually be composed half to full body though 1/3-3/4 is more common. They tend to be more heavily stylized and makeup on both men and women may be quite heavy

There are several other categories specific to the industry the person is in and where they are located. High end actor Headshots can be a great business

[Rain Lily]

Originally Posted by kjf

Great question Rain Lily. I wish I had a concrete answer for you. For actors, the headshot at 8x10 or on the web is a major part of the resume. First page! The mask of the face is most important. Eyes and mouth convey emotion. We chose eight shots for the web trying to present various emotions. Casting directors are not portrait judges and rarely spend more than 5 seconds on a print. They are looking for someone who can play a part. We can fix a broken nose in photoshop, but a broken nose may be what the casting director is looking for...or not. Look carefully at my shot and you can see a mole camera left on the edge of her eye. Removing that would be considered a sin. The narrow depth of field draws the casting director's attention to the actor's eyes and face where we want it. No distractions.

I have studied many headshot photographer portfolios. Each one has an individual approach. One influencer for me is Benji. Feedback from my actor friend is huge. Then I just do the best I can do. I'm no expert, and headshots are only a part of what I do. Keeping customers happy is everything.

Thanks for your comments

Thanks for the information, Ken! Very interesting.

[kjf]

Originally Posted by Bobby Deal

F/4-F/5.6 at 135-160 mm will give a bit more DOF and still provide acceptable bokeh

Not sure what you are trying to say Bobby. I used 85mm, however, DOF is a constant given a constant subject framing and f-stop.