Headshot questions.........

[christopher_lee5]

Hey fellow photographers!

 

I'm a photographer of about 5 years now, and I'm finally doing my

first headshot....don't ask why now....

 

 

I'm photographing an actor, black and white etc.

 

 

My questions for an effective headshot:

 

1. Focal length -- I own an 85mm....this is too short correct? 105

or 135 correct?

 

2. Lighting -- my initial idea was to give a gray background a

slight glow behind the actor's head and shoulders with one light and

then 2 lights for the face, and a 4th for the hair.....the 2 for the

face being about a 1/2 stop different, across the face for gradation.

Either softboxes or umbrellas for the face....

 

Lastly are there any sights with example shots, and the lighting

setups?

 

Thanks for your time!

Christopher

[blueisland]

There is no correct lens for a headshot. (how can there be?)

A headshot is simply that. a shot of someones head.

 

in my experience as an amateur photographer but someone who works in tv/film industry it is something most actors get all worked up about. (understandbly)

In terms of composition the bottom edge should be somewhere between the middle of the chest and the lower neck and the top edge around the forehead or an inch or two over the head. It depends on the face your photographing.

 

I've done headshots with a 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm & 135mm

 

If you look through a casting directory (go to your libary) you will see a range of ways that people present themselves. You have to ask the actor what they want. Some go for an almost "glamour" look and are very made up/ obviously lit, which may suit those going for more fashion/commercial jobs. Others want a natural look, maybe for more stage or drama orientated work, so ask the actor themself rather than you imposing....

 

Personally What I (as a director) want is a photo that looks like the person that is going to walk through the door of the casting suite. Shots that are soft focus, dramatically lit etc put me off and generally the actors don't get called... but thats just me....

[aris_lancrescent]

Blue, did you mean softly lit, instead of soft focus? I personally really don't like the soft focus achieve by using filters in most of the situations (only a handful of exceptions).

 

Christopher, the two headshots I have in my portfolio are taken with a 300mm lens. The model got nervous when the camera got too close. So no, there isn't a "correct" lens for headshot, only the "best" lens for the situation. As lighting goes, it all depends on what the client wants. In my photos, I wanted to have a very high key look so I placed a light behind the model. I think the standard 3 light setup should be enough. with two lights on the face, the light in the back probably won't be too obvious. Get rid of one of them, and you might be better off. Try and see. Good luck

[steve_levine]

Use the 85.

[ed_bae]

Blue, thanks for your insight, it's good to hear feedback from people in the industry.

 

Chris, one suggestion I might offer on your set up is to use softboxes for frontlight to enhance the actor's catchlight. It really brings the person's eyes to life when you have the big boxes reflected in there. I personally use natural lighting because a) I can't afford the lighting set up and b) I really like the natural background, it makes the subject look more dynamic.

 

In terms of lenses, I usually shoot with 105mm. I started using a zoom on my DSLR as well and I find I stay between 80mm and 120mm. I would shoot with the wider lenses if the actor asks that they want a more intimate or closer feel to their headshot. Really depends on what the actor wants.

[jim c]

There are standard portrait lenses. The 85mm and 135mm are classic lenses. If you shoot digital that changes things a bit with the crop factor. An 85mm will be more like a 135. I have a Nikon D2h and use the 85 with great results. The 50mm will work ok on a film body especially for head shots. It won't exaggerate the facial features if used with digital but will distort with film. You might find the 135mm on digital is a little long and compressing but is fine on a film camera. I?m giving you classic answers and you can use most any lens to do portraits. Just realize there is a reason people use the 85 and 135 as standards. Using the grey background sounds fine and you can mix it up with gels too. I?ll give another classic answer. The most flattering glow behind the subject comes just above the shoulders and not as high as the head. Again no hard fast rule but a standard. One light for the background, one for the hair and two for the subject sounds like a plan too. Softboxes or umbrella?s are a personal or financial choice. The softboxes are softer with less spill but do cost more. I have both and find myself using a diffusion panel and an umbrella all the time in the studio. If you use a ? stop difference that is considered flat lighting and won?t give much depth or modeling effect. I would start with at least 1 stop and try to go to 2 or even a 3 stop different. Again there is a difference in contrast latitude with film and digital. You didn?t say what you were shooting with and you?ll have to experiment to see the effect of the different ratio?s. Good luck Christopher.

[mark feldstein]

Howdy Chris. As for focal length, you'll find some lenses, particularly the 105-135mm variety in 35mm format work better than others. When I shoot these with medium format, I use a 150mm lens, although a 120 macro I'm told works well too. The primary reasons for these focal lengths are because they give you a reasonable camera to subject distance while being able to fill the frame with the subject's head and shoulders, and also these lenses deliver less distortion of features. Of course, distortion also depends on your camera angle. So, your camera height to subject is also important to avoid things like elongating noses or making ears look like Dumbo. The images need to be perfectly sharp. You probably should add some make-up or a basic make-up kit to your arsenal, one that you can use with men and women and kids.

 

Lighting? Hmmm, I think you're getting a little carried away here. I keep lighting simple, usually a single 3x4 foot softbox mounted on a 1500 W/S monolight, Tri-X Pro 120 - 320 ISO exposed at at 200 (0r 250 for the 35mm 400 ISO variety). That easily allows me to work at f11.0 producing sharp results with great depth of field. I've found that f11 on both my 105 and 150mm lenses is their "sweet spot". I usually use a single reflector panel to bump some fill light into the victim, although the wraparound effect of the large softbox is adequate for uniform facial lighting when it's positioned properly.

 

Personally, I hate the artificial look of a hair light, and I think if the subject is properly placed from the background, you don't need a background light either. Just let the exposure for the (black or white) background go where it will because you shouldn't see much of it anyway. It's a headshot, right?

 

Essentially, I treat headshots like portraits only with a bit tighter framing. You should go for a natural, daylight kind of look, simple, non-distracting background, and something that works with the (simple) clothing the subject has on. (I always advise for them to bring a couple of changes of clothes to try different looks).

 

In my experience, looking at a gazillion headshots, you can usually tell which photographer took the time to work with their subject and put them at ease in front of the camera and also which people felt comfortable without the photographer's help. Some shots look like the proverbial moose in the headlights or as though they were sitting and waiting for a root canal procedure. So, the most important thing is light sufficient to bring out the person's facial features while emphasizing some relaxed personal characteristics.

 

One trick I'll offer you is this: No matter how experienced the sitter is, it usually takes at least several frames for them to get used to the strobe(s) going off and to relax enough as to not appear tense. Sometimes I'll just shoot without putting a mag on the camera or leave film out of the camera until I feel they're sufficiently at ease with the process and not overly sensitive to the strobe.

 

Examples huh? You could call a few printers in L.A. that do Zed cards and ask for samples. Or, take a look at a book called "Portrait of the Theater" by Frederic Ohringer. Available very used from places like BN.com or Powels books online for about 10 - 20 bucks.

Best wishes.

Mark

[EricM]

<a href=" http://www.reproductions.com/NYC/Directory_Index.html">Reproductions in NY</a> has a great list of their photographers and examples. We've recently, finally, have come into a style change with the acceptance of colour. Why headshots didn't follow the change to colour with the motion film stock long ago, I'm not sure. Anyhowz, on 35mm film, an 85, 105, or 135 works. That's the general boring rule, and if you want more work in this genre, you shouldn't step out of bounds too far. Most repro places are using the digital labs like the frontier or agfa d-lab for high volume cheap 8x10's. This means you should shoot accordingly to the output device and disregard the conventional black and white film stocks mentioned above. For the fake c-41 b&w, the Kodak 400 is nice at 250 and for colour, believe it or not, I like the cheap fuji 200 @ 120 if it's printed properly on a frontier. But I only shoot digital now. I like outside headshots over the studio look. We see actors in this environment and rarely on a backdrop. A simple darker scene blown out with dof is my choice. Anyway, the link above is filled with some great headshot shooters. It's tough work doing it well repetitively day in day out with different personalities yo-yo'ing.

[EricM]

Actually, I changed my mind about that link. There are too many marginal ones mixed in amongst some of the good ones. <a href="http://www.rocketrepro.com/rocketframe.htm">My reproductions lab here</a> has the gallery with many single shots from various photographers. You can cruise each individual site from there.

[dai_hunter]

2 (tungsten) light shot. Done with MF645 and standard 80mm lens on Kodak B&W film.<div></div>