Strobist-style Headshots

[Scott_Quier]

Wasn't sure exactly where to post this one. There's a bit of technique here (if you read the strobist blog linked below), but there's also a people component. But, because I'm talking more about the lighting than the people it goes here!

Last week I was introduced to Le'Royce - the artistic director or and owner of Iron Street Productions (http://www.ironstreetproductions.com/), a semi-professional theatrical production company and was asked to do the headshots for the program for their next productions.

This being a low-stress and low-risk environment (OK, I could re-shoot if I totally hosed the shots :D) and having just recently read of the strobist blog Lighting 101 : Headshot in a Corner (http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/04/lighting-101-headshot-in-corner.html) I went looking for a corner that would serve. Found one. OK, the walls were a light blue instead of being white, but shooting a gray card solves that problem.

Set up - Well, I should have taken a wide view shot of the "studio". Next time!

The building was a dancing, theater arts, performance center. The ISP folks were going to be rehearsing in one of those dance practice rooms where one whole wall was mirrors. I found a corner there that had enough empty space on one wall but the other wall had a window to the main office in it.

I used the blank wall for the backdrop. I put up a light stand in front of the window (camera right) and suspended a silver reflector from it.

Camera left and up against the white ceiling tiles - a Sunpak 622, shooting though a white umbrella, set to 1/8 power.

Things to change the next time I do this:

Use my trusty DOFMaster calculator. I should have shot this at f/5.6 rather than f/4.
The silver reflector should have been white as the lighting ratio is almost 1:1 rather than the 1:2 I was hoping for.
Set up a little further from the background wall to bring it down a stop or two. I had the room and I should have used it.


With the above mistakes taken into account, I think the following shots show that maybe (just maybe :D) DH knows what he's talking about:


This is Le'Royce, the owner
http://LoveNLaughter.smugmug.com/photos/287713171_UawYJ-L.jpg
One of the players in the current production
http://LoveNLaughter.smugmug.com/photos/287711748_ndxmq-L.jpg
And, it works for white skin as well :D
http://LoveNLaughter.smugmug.com/photos/287712305_BvyVr-L.jpg

As always, C&C is welcome and encouraged. Thanks for looking.

[pathfinder]

I think these possess excellent color balance, Scott. The background for the gentleman is darker than for the two ladies.

If you move your flash closer to the subject, and the subject farther from the background wall, and you will get your darker background your want.

Could you post a diagram of lighting, walls and subject placement with distances used, Scott? I think that might help folks see what you are describing more clearly.

[MarkW]

Scott,

I think they look pretty good with the last shot being the best. I don't know if your setup changed at all but the fill from the reflector doesn't seem to be as apparent on last shot as the first two. I also like how the background on the last shot went to grey instead of looking white.

I definately agree the fill reflector is too much. I would have probably shot without it to get more contrast between the highlights and shadow or like you said shot with the white side of the reflector. The way I read the lighting 101 is that the wall in your corner setup is used as your reflector so a silver reflector wouldn't even be needed.

The only other thing I think I would change is a slightly higher camera angle.

[Scott_Quier]

Scott,

I think they look pretty good with the last shot being the best. I don't know if your setup changed at all but the fill from the reflector doesn't seem to be as apparent on last shot as the first two. I also like how the background on the last shot went to grey instead of looking white.

I definately agree the fill reflector is too much. I would have probably shot without it to get more contrast between the highlights and shadow or like you said shot with the white side of the reflector. The way I read the lighting 101 is that the wall in your corner setup is used as your reflector so a silver reflector wouldn't even be needed.

The only other thing I think I would change is a slightly higher camera angle.
Could shoot without the fill reflector as that "wall" was actually a window with an off with curtain. Tried it - not much reflecting there. So, I over compensated with the silver reflector. Should have been a white one - that would have been less reflective and done a much better job.

A slightly higher camera angle, like you say, would probably have enhanced these a bit. I agree with you on that one. I'll carry that idea to my next assignment. I had a little trouble in that I'm a little short:D

[SloYerRoll]

Isn't that technique so easy? :D It still can yield some great results though.

This is my first corner headshot I took about a year ago using that technique. Ya, I know I should have been in portrait orientation. But I've long since learned my lesson on that.

I'd post others, but you posted your first one. So I felt only more first Strobist corner shots were appropriate :deal

*same setup, except an SB-24 w/ a 35" brolly.
http://jbritt.smugmug.com/photos/140973627_mypJH-M.jpg

[MarkW]

A slightly higher camera angle, like you say, would probably have enhanced these a bit. I agree with you on that one. I'll carry that idea to my next assignment. I had a little trouble in that I'm a little short:D
I have that shortness problem too. lol.

[LiquidAir]

Things to change the next time I do this:

Use my trusty DOFMaster calculator. I should have shot this at f/5.6 rather than f/4.
The silver reflector should have been white as the lighting ratio is almost 1:1 rather than the 1:2 I was hoping for.
Set up a little further from the background wall to bring it down a stop or two. I had the room and I should have used it.

1: The DoF doesn't bother me on these shots, but then my taste runs toward shallow DoF on portraits.

2: The lighting ratio looks fine to me. Particularly if your shots are destined for print you don't want much more contrast than this because the medium can't reproduce darker shadows well. That said, I personally will amost never use a silver reflector for fill because it doesn't provide much diffusion and I generally want my fill light to be softer than my main light. My favorite reflector to use for fill is a 4 foot diameter one I put as close in as the shot will allow. That said, these days if I am going to the trouble of setting up a second stand for fill I'll usually put a strobe and a 60" shoot through umbrella on it rather than a reflector.

3: As featureless backgrounds go, I think the high key background is serving you pretty well here. Personally I'd be inclined to go with the lighter background of the first two shots. To really improve the background my feeling is you'd need both some more separation and an extra light to give it a little more interest.

[Scott_Quier]

Could you post a diagram of lighting, walls and subject placement with distances used, Scott? I think that might help folks see what you are describing more clearly.
Here's the diagram you requested (it's amazing what you can find on the web if you look for it...this was created with a PSD file I found. All the elements were already there.)

[evoryware]

What changed between shot 2 & 3 to make the background darker?

[Halite]

What changed between shot 2 & 3 to make the background darker?

Everything else held constant (aperture, shutter speed and flash power output), the darker background likely resulted from the setup for the guy being slightly farther from the back wall than for the two women. The further the light is from something, the less light reaches it. If Scott had wanted to, he could have had the guy sit so far from the wall that none of the strobe light hit it, rendering the white wall totally black.

[Scott_Quier]

Actually, and for some reason, #3 came in just a little hot. So, I tuned it down a bit and that had an affect on the background. This was caused by the guy standing just that much closer the the key light then the rest of the group. Oh well....

[Halite]

Actually, and for some reason, #3 came in just a little hot. So, I tuned it down a bit and that had an affect on the background. This was caused by the guy standing just that much closer the the key light then the rest of the group. Oh well....

Right: subject closer to the light source and farther from the background = brighter subject and darker background. Turn the light down and the overall exposure decreases, but the ratio of light between subject and background holds.

[photoj]

Scott,
Think they look great. Oher than the notes you and othrs have made. I have been reading strobist a good bit lately myself. I hope to get to take some more portraits this weekend.

PhotoJ

[TristanP]

Nice job on these Scott. Isn't that PS diagram cool? Found that a year or two ago on FM.

[joshhuntnm]

Nice shots, Scott. i was about to be really impressed with the diagram--I thought you just whipped it up real quick.

did the reflector have a white side? Would that be a bit softer?

[Scott_Quier]

Nice shots, Scott. i was about to be really impressed with the diagram--I thought you just whipped it up real quick.

did the reflector have a white side? Would that be a bit softer?
Yes it does and yes it would. But, even more importantly, from an exposure point of view, is that the white would be less reflective.