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<p>Michael, I've tried so many set-ups while experimenting that frankly I can't remember exactly what set-up I was using here. But since this image, I've made good strides, both because of the advice here as well as my own experimentation. I have a large reflector screen that I think really helps. I've tried pointing the speed light toward the reflector board, then use the rebounded light as the fill, and I've also tried a diffuser umbrella over the speed light pointed at the subject. For awhile I couldn't control the speed light settings, but I've got that problem worked out now so I can set the speed light quite low if I need to.</p> <p>See my comment to Bill above about placement of my octobox and replacing with a large rectangles soft box instead. As for type of light, I much prefer Rembrandt or loop lighting, or for men even a snoot. But I find that most people like the 'Sears portrait' look and don't like anything too 'out there'. So I agree that probably 'plainer is better' in this instance. But I will give them a couple of choices at least, so maybe I can meet them half way.</p> <p>As for your comment <br> <em>'I do see some backlighting going on camera right from your background light'</em><br> <em><br /></em>I don't know what I've been thinking. I generally use the histogram religiously, but for some reason throughout this entire experimentation on portraiture with flash, I haven't used it once. I guess I was thinking that using artificial light would negate the need for a histogram.....don't know where my head was on that one! :-) I can't tell that it's blown out on my computer screen, but from now on I'll check the histogram, which should help. I'll be able to tell if I load them into the computer of course.</p> <p><em>'By the way when you light a white background don't go more than 1 stop over your main light on your subject.'</em><br> This is the kind of thing I didn't know and is really helpful to me. That should help. Also, I think I have the subject too close to the background and the strip lights may be bleeding. Today is my last day of experimentation before the 'show'. :-) So bottom line, I need to heed all of this great advice, and then just enjoy the day and try to make people comfortable and look their best.....and let my intuition serve me. I know this stuff.....I just need practice.....LOTS!!! </p>

<p>Tim.....don't worry about re-typing the info about the eyeglasses. Unless you have some 'trade secrets'. :-) I found a bunch of threads on the subject, and I experimented yesterday with my husband and was able to achieve a nice result with no glare.</p> <p>As for shooting the 'best' side of the face, all I can say is I'll have lots of practice. :-) Although as it turns out there will only be about 50 at the retreat. The other 25 will have to be shot at another time. But I'll have 50 times to experiment, and hopefully I'll get good at assessing pretty instantly the best side for each gentlemen.</p> <p>Thanks for your time in writing about the eyeglasses.....sorry you lost it! </p>

<p>Bill, thanks for being picky! :-) I would include an example of the head shots they sent to me, but I am reluctant to do that because I don't know the people and don't have their permission to post their images.</p> <p>But yes, non-photographers may not be aware of the options. So what I'll do is use my husband as the subject (he'll be thrilled ;-) and prepare a few different lighting scenarios to show them. Perhaps they'll like something else. I don't mind the white background particularly, except for the fact that the head shots will appear in a program, which is printed on white paper. Not having a border to delineate the edge of the image looks funny.....white on white. So perhaps I can get them to go for a grayer background.</p> <p>Since I posted this image, I've made a larger reflector panel out of foam core, and I've also finally fixed the problem I was having with my speed light, which I'm using for fill. I've also bought another soft box.....a large one, but rectangle. I couldn't get the octobox in the right position in the space I have with lower ceilings. If I put it straight out from the subject, it hangs down to low and encroaches on my ability to shoot the subject. So I think I'm getting a better result now with more light on the face. I'm going to experiment more this afternoon and will pay attention to the light on the sides of the face and determine where that is coming from. I may want to leave the 2 rear strip lights pointed at the background, but move the subject further from the background. </p> <p>I hear you about the shoulder and balance, and I agree with you.</p> <p>I was strictly concerned about lighting, so I didn't 'fix' anything on my husband's attire. He was patient enough to help me.....I didn't want to press my luck. :-) I'm usually very attentive to things like wrinkles, misplaced hairs, make-up smudges, etc. One good thing is that the men will be wearing tuxedoes, which are pretty sturdy and starched. That shouldn't be too much of a problem if I'm just attentive to it, which I am.</p> <p>I greatly appreciate the time it took for you to send me your opinions. Thanks!</p>

<p>Just letting you know I haven't deserted the thread. I'll read all of this info tomorrow.....I'm sure there will be a lot for me to digest here. :-) Thank you all!</p>

<p>Eric and Tom.....thank you!</p>

<p>Rodeo.....that's a great site! Thanks! I actually bought Lee filters, after originally just purchasing the little swatch books. It's really nice to know their intended purpose, and I'm looking forward to 'playing' with them soon. Thanks for all of your help on this thread!</p>

<p>Michael....next time! :-) I'll start researching the local area's pricing. Thanks!</p> <p>E.J......advice accepted. Thank you! I realize what you say is true about so many other factors being involved in pricing. Fortunately, I don't need to make a living at photography. I'm in the position of being able to shoot what I want when I want, but making some money in the process wouldn't be such a bad thing! :-) Mostly, I just want projects that fulfill me in some way. </p> <p>Jeff.... As in your situation, I think doing charity (or pro bono) work can lead to good things.....in more ways than one. I'm actually going to shoot for an organization called Help-Portrait....http://help-portrait.com. And I'm exploring a couple of other options as well for donating my services to worthy causes.</p> <p>Thank you all!</p>

<p>Okay....here's the latest. First of all, Rodeo, I was mistaken. The sync cord was NOT plugged in to the back of the Alien Bee (I had told the tech support guy it was, but I was mistaken about that). It was plugged in to the receiver, which was attached to the AB. Is that better? </p> <p>When I talked to Paul Buff tech support this afternoon, he told me to turn off the slave/master mode, which is what a couple of you were saying above. So I went in to custom functions and disabled that. Now it's working.</p> <p>Here I've pasted what he said to do.....which is the same stuff you guys were telling me. He basically just told me exactly how to do it. :-)</p> <p><em> Rather than putting the cord into the Alien Bee, plug it into the 3.5mm jack on the receiver. Be sure to place a different plug into the sync jack of the light to lock out the slave eye. </em><br /><br /><em> Also, be sure your auto sleep timer is extended or turned off. If the light goes to sleep, and it will do so quickly by default, it will not awaken remotely. I am not sure if this requires power cycling, or just the test button (this varies from model to model).</em><br /><br /><em> Be sure the speedlite is in Manual mode, and the slave/master mode is turned off (if it cannot be disabled entirely, then set to Master).</em></p> <p>At any rate, all is well now, and it's working. I'm getting a much better result with my headshot. Thanks so much for helping!</p> <p>Rodeo, I love that link....thanks! I'm a little in the dark about flash, so I need to read up on it. I took a quick look, and I think I'll be able to understand most of that. :-)</p>

Craig, the technician at Paul Buff told me to plug in the Alien Bee with a power cord. Then I used the sync cord to connect the back of the Alien Bee with the Speedlite. It plugs into the hot shoe adapter on the speed light because my light doesn't have a receptor for a plug. I'm still waiting to get a response from the technician at Paul Buff. If he doesn't respond by email, I'll call this afternoon when I get home from work

Henry....I'm not sure. When I get home I'll look in the manual to see if there is a sleep mode. But like I said, the flash is working when I put it on the camera. If it were in sleep mode, it wouldn't work on the camera either, correct?

Oh....and yes, I'm using the remote for triggering.

Matt, I'm triggering with a CST transceiver by Paul Buff. I also have the cyber commander but I only use that to control the lighting because I'm short and can't reach the lights. The job I have is in 2 days so I don't think I can get another receiver for the Speedlite at this point. However, I have another cord. I can try it to see if it works any better. I agree with you about the cords, & I intend to tape them down at least.

<p>It's a Canon 430 EXII on a 60D camera. When I take the flash off camera, I have a speed light foot adapter that I use to attach the speed light to the stand. I've only had the adapter for a few days, so it has not had a lot of use, but it worked perfectly when I first set it up, but now I can't get it to flash at all off camera.</p>

<p>I have my speed light off camera on its own stand. It is connected to my Paul Buff Alien Bee light so will flash when the Alien Bee flashes. This worked for awhile, but now I'm having trouble with the speed light not flashing or regenerating when attached to the Alien Bee. It works just fine when I attach it to the hotshot on the camera, but when I remove it from the camera, place it on a stand, and attach it by the cord to the back of the Alien Bee, it does not flash. What could be the reason for this? I will mention that I changed the batteries in the speed light, thinking that could be the problem. </p> <p>I'm using the speed light as fill light for the darker shadows on the face, and I really need to get it working. I don't know what to try. I did post a question on the Paul Buff technical forum, so I hope to get an answer back from them. But I know there are a lot of smart people here, so I thought I'd post the problem here as well. Thanks so much!</p>

<p>Tim.....my gosh!!! Thanks for all of this! Now my responses.......</p> <p>Ideally I would have loved to do Rembrandt or loop lighting. But this group showed me an example of what they wanted, and they wanted pretty flat, nothing dramatic, stark white background. The guys will have on black tuxes. So ordinarily this type of shot wouldn't be my first choice. </p> <p>Having said that, some of your suggestions are really great. In fact, tonight I went out and bought pieces of foam core, taped them together with white gaffer tape, and now have a tall self-standing accordion folding reflector panel. I tried it and it works great. Thanks for the suggestion......works much better than the smaller reflector I was using.</p> <p>I was primarily concerned about lighting.....highlights on the face, shadows on face and neck, brightness of the background, etc. I actually didn't pose him at all.....I should have! :-) Yes, I'd probably angle his body a bit more, then have his head turned to kind of make a 'c' curve down toward the lower shoulder. But your idea to have something to lean on is good.....I should work on that idea.....find something they can rest an arm on to help them assume a more relaxed pose.</p> <p>Good info also about the heavy and thin side of the face.....I hadn't considered that. I'll look for it. The only problem with that is the type of job I'm doing. 75 guys head shots..... I won't really be able to move the lights around to accommodate each guy because there simply won't be time. But I'll keep that in mind for the future and do the best I can to consider it and work around it for this shoot. Thanks!</p> <p>Do you happen to have any tips or suggestions for shooting someone with eyeglasses? I may make another post about that. Thanks again for your generous time and advice!</p>

<p>Please critique this for me. I'm practicing on my husband in preparation for some head shots I'll be taking for a local arts organization. They want a solid white background. My specific concern here is with multiple catch lights in the eyes. I don't notice them too much until I enlarge it. I'd also like just general opinions about how I can improve this. This is way better than the head shots taken for this same group last year by another photographer, but it's still not at the level I'd like. I'd like to learn from this experience and get it as good as I can. So ANY help or suggestions on how to improve this would be greatly appreciated. Please be picky!! </p><div></div>

<p>Howard and Jeff, I think this version (the $39.95 one) does not work with RAW files, nor is it a plug-in for Lightroom or PS. I could be mistaken. The STUDIO version is the one I want (the middle of the 3 versions they offer) because it does have those things.</p>

<p>I continued searching, and I think I've answered my own question. I have to go to their website directly to order. It's still available. In fact version 12 is available in 3 different versions.....Standard, Studio, and Studio MAX. I tried to delete my post but didn't see a way to do it. If anyone else is interested, here is the link:<br> http://www.portraitprofessional.com/editions/</p>

<p>I was all set to order Portrait Professional for editing. I tried a downloaded 1-month version of it over the summer and liked it. Now when I go to Amazon or B&H, they say it's no longer available. Does anyone know what's up with that? Or if there is a way I could obtain it? I want the version that can work with RAW files. Thanks!</p>

<p>Brooks, thanks......and I also realize that I didn't thank you for attaching the picture of your set-up above. Greatly appreciated!</p>

<p>ML M......Mike, you're ON! :-) I'll call you soon!</p>

<p>Okay, guys, here is a little more info. Yes, it IS a big job....probably bigger than I realized when I agreed to do it. But I do have a passion for this group. This is a men's chorus....an exceptional one in which my own son sings. I know a lot of the guys in it, and they have been following my photographic journey. Though it's a non-profit and they do have to watch the bottom line, they offered this job to me thinking I may want the experience, being fresh from photo school. We discussed what they wanted, they asked if I felt confident doing a job like this, I showed them some of the work I did this summer, and I decided that I would do it. They offered to pay me, but I just decided I would do it for free.....originally hoping that I could write it off on taxes, which turns out not to be the case. Though I'm a perfectionist (by profession as a classical violinist) and intend to do a great job for them, I also realize that doing a big job like this (under pressure with time constants and all day long of shooting) is something I haven't had experience with. So I'm doing this as much for the experience as I am for the connections. And by so doing, I'm helping out people who mean a lot to me. Since I've been home from school, I've already had 3 people or families contact me about doing their portraits, just by word of mouth. I have no idea what to charge them either.....gosh, I really wish I had taken the business portion of the school. But I know there are online resources, and I'll also get online and take a look at what some photographers are charging.</p> <p>FYI.....I can't shoot each guy for 10 minutes because I have a concert of my own at 5:30 on that day. They realize the time constraints. I was planning on 4-6 minutes per person, and I've asked if 8-10 of them could start earlier at 9:00. If I'm set up and ready to go, and get someone to facilitate the flow so there are no long waits, I'm confident it will be long enough for me to get several good shots. </p> <p>At any rate, I appreciate the dialog about this. It's interesting for me to 'hear' different perspectives. Thank you gentlemen!</p>

<p>Ian......good advice......especially because I'm short! Thanks!</p>

<p>Michael....gosh, that sounds like a lot of money, but that's encouraging. I'm doing this pro bono, but if I were to charge, I wouldn't charge that much until I get more experience under my belt. But it's nice to get a ball park idea. Of course, I see that you're in NYC, and I imagine everything costs much more there than in the Midwest. But I appreciate your info! Thanks!</p>

<p>Ellis, they do offer extensive business classes and accounting, web design, marketing....and on and on. But that's in the 2nd part of the course, and I could only take the 1st part because I had to return to work after my Sabbatical. So I plan to take that next summer. Also, the program is outstanding (Rocky Mountain School of Photography in Missoula, MT), but it isn't a 4-year college degree like Brooks Institute. (And it doesn't have Brooks price tag either!) It's a 3-month summer intensive.....9-12 hours per day. I learned a LOT, but not everything yet obviously. If I had stayed for the entire program, it would have been 6 months. So anyway, I just haven't learned all of the business stuff yet! </p>