Hats & Headshots

by Stanley LearyPhotography

My wife just got her fire helmet for her role as Chaplain for our local fire department here in Roswell, Georgia.

I wanted to get a good photo of her in it for her to use in some PR for her role.

Chaplain Dorie L. Griggs [NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/400, ƒ/1.8, (35mm = 85)]

The main light I used for this portrait is the Godox V860iiN on a Godox Bracket which let me use the Godox Beauty Dish. Here is the setup, which also included one more Godox V860iiN as rim/background light.

I usually put the main light 45º above the person’s eyes, but when they have a hat on like my wife did in these photos, I had to compromise and lower the light.

Chaplain Dorie L. Griggs [NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/1000, ƒ/1.8, (35mm = 85)]

Here I just backed up a bit and got a nice vertical using the same lighting setup.

Chaplain Dorie L. Griggs [NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 100, 1/200, ƒ/3.5, (35mm = 85)]

I also came in much tighter and shot this as well. I shot these at an aperture of ƒ/1.8 to keep the emphasis on her face. The background is legible but not distracting.

I hope these tips help you with your next portrait.