Now, headshots are commercial thingymabobs essential for everyone who wants to get their face 'out there' into the wide world of public land. You want to look like yourself, but you also want to look dynamic and professional, right?
Well sure, but how do we do that?
Generally I shoot commercial headshots with a prime lens. Nikon's 50mm lens is my weapon of choice for portrait shots, but when I take my tiny lens out of the bag, the client usually asks 'Is that it?' because they're expecting some all singing, all dancing piece of kit the size of the Eiffel tower.
Well because it's tiny, doesn't mean it doesn't kick ass!
Try it some time.
I also shoot with a telephoto lens, because I love the depth of field it gives me (That's when the client says 'Wow - that's big!). You'll really stand out. It really depends on what look we're aiming for.
My client B has co-authored a very interesting book, entitled The Sixth Wave, and I highly recommend you add it to your reading list. It's fascinating stuff.
In her case, we're looking to get nice and close up and keep the background as a relevant part of her shot. It's lovely aged wood which has a great texture and colour. It's a nice shot given her science journalist background which we're keeping relevant. We're shooting outside using perfect afternoon light so no need for a load of lights and a softbox.
The client wants something natural, a little relaxed and something that is 'her' - not too posed and not too 'studio'.
I keep close up, shoot rapidly whilst my client is relaxing into the session and we're done.
This shot to the above is taken whilst I'm on a ladder I bought with me - a pretty essential part of kit if you're going to shoot people - which we'll talk about later.
Next post, I'm going to talk about how you can achieve great results with your headshots or in fact, any session in front of the camera.
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