Portraits Archives - Page 2 of 3

Explore with your subject

Nikon D3S, 85mm ƒ/1.4, ISO 200, ƒ/1.4, 1/5000

A couple of years ago, I made environmental portraits of the students in the executive MBA program at Georgia Tech. I would take about 15 minutes to walk around with the student at the campus and create the photos you see here.

The setup for all these photos is pretty simple and not all that different in each image.

KISS Method

Keep It Simple Stupid: I think TTL off-camera flash is effortless to use. If it is too bright, turn down the flash by adjusting the flash compensation to -1, -2, or whatever. If too dark, go in the opposite direction of +1, +2, or more.

You can make the background darker by underexposing the camera by adjusting the exposure compensation the same way you did the flash, except this time, you change the camera and not the flash.

Nikon D3S, 85mm ƒ/1.4, ISO 1000, ƒ/1.4, 1/8000

I cranked up the ISO a bit in this photo to lighten the background, and the flash is just winking.

Nikon D3S, 85mm ƒ/2.8, ISO 200, ƒ/1.4, 1/125

The basic setup never changed, and I moved around to get the three different looks. However, I still wanted some variety, so we moved.

Nikon D3S, 85mm ƒ/1.4, ISO 200, ƒ/1.4, 1/1600

I moved him to the street from the courtyard. I thought this caught the “executive” look a little better.

Nikon D3S, 85mm ƒ/1.4, ISO 200, ƒ/1.4, 1/1000

I like the shallow depth of field so that I am helping the subject “pop out” from the background. Shallow depth of field is a way to take a busy background and still use it but subdue it.

Nikon D3S, 85mm ƒ/1.4, ISO 200, ƒ/1.4, 1/1600

Other than changing locations and keeping the depth-of-field shallow, I kept the camera below eye level. This is because I wanted the audience to look up to him. This is my way of trying to create a sense of authority.

While the flash helped add catch light in his eyes and give some shape to his face, it also had another benefit. It assured me that I was using a full spectrum of light, helping me render the best skin tones.

Take your camera, find a subject, and shoot your own “executive” portraits.

Loving the Fuji X E2 for Portraits

by Stanley LearyDecember 13, 2013September 29, 2022Portraits

[X-E2, XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS, Mode = Manual, ISO 200, 1/125, ƒ/11, (35mm = 83)]

I love the Fuji X E2 with the 18-55mm kit lens for shooting portraits.

The first time I was shooting in the studio on manual, I discovered a problem with the default setting. As a result, the screen will be black when shooting in a studio with, say, settings of ISO 200, 1/180, and ƒ/11. I was talking with my friend Gibbs Frazeur who had bought the Fuji X100S, and he called me up after I complained and told me to go to the manual on page 40.

You can change the preview exposure in manual mode to off so you can see what you photograph with the available light. Then when the camera takes the photo, it will capture the settings you have set on the camera.

What I like about the camera is how sharp the photos are from the camera. For example, here is a closeup of the eyes from the image above.

Here is another photo of my daughter and a closeup in that photo.

Closeup of the photo above.

$50 Headshot December Special

by Stanley LearyDecember 10, 2013September 29, 2022Portraits

I sent an email using a similar photo above for a promotional piece.

Why?

I saw too many friends out of work with terrible or no headshots on their Linkedin profiles. They either looked unprofessional or like creepers.

Too many people would not spend the money right now to get a professional headshot. So I wanted to give them a way to get one without appearing needy.

What I sent out

[first name], The software puts their name in the spot to personalize the email.

I am offering this special to those who would like to stop by my home studio for five minutes for a quick portrait. I will make no more than a dozen photos for you to choose one photo for $50 that I will then email to you for you to use however.

Keep in mind, that you want it to put you in the best light possible — literally. Lighting is key to having a good headshot and amateur headshots are pretty obvious.

The pose in your headshot is important as well. The trick to a great headshot is one that exudes your personality. You want the people looking at it to be able to discern the kind of person you are simply by taking a glance at the photo.

Stay with solid colors for your outfit. Patterns are distracting and pull your attention away from your face. I would avoid white shirts they can have a problem depending on the monitor someone is seeing them on.

Stop by the hair salon or barber before coming if you like.

I recommend men shave just before to avoid those five o’clock shadows.

I am hoping that this will help many out there who have been looking for jobs and need to do something to help them standout. Hopefully a good headshot on their Linkedin page and Facebook can help put them in their best light to land that next job.

If you know someone who could benefit from this send them my way. It would make a great present for them.

Thanks,
Stanley

Results

I have had many people contact me to schedule an appointment. Some are who I was targeting, and some just knew this was a good deal they couldn’t pass up.

I also received emails from photographers asking to use this same promotion in their market.

Here is one of the best emails I received. I liked it because someone got what I was trying to do.

Hi Stanley – I just want to say hi and what a really terrific service this is that you are providing to people. It reflects the generous heart you have and is a lovely thing to do at the holidays. I miss not seeing you and Dorie often, but love keeping up via newsletters, etc.
Warmest and best to you for a very Merry Christmas!

I think the rewards are more significant than the immediate financial. I am building my brand, and what I choose to offer as special builds or tears down the brand.

Rock Band Promo Shot

by Stanley LearyNovember 6, 2012September 27, 2021Group photos / Portraits

Nikon D4, 28-300mm (44mm), ISO 100, 1/160, ƒ/5

“Hey can you take some photos of our band for a promo shot?” Was the request from Late Night Reading’s drummer Drew Cottrell.

Earlier I took some pictures of the band when they were in town a couple of months ago. Here is the blog post I did then. What I wrote about back then was that even the D4 was struggling to take photos in a dark hole like the Swayze’s Venue in Marietta, GA.

I had in my van my monobloc lighting kit this time in addition to the Nikon Speedlights.

I went into the parking lot a little later after they had played and set up my lights. I also asked them if they had something they were looking for. They didn’t have any ideas, so I took the lead and told them about this concept you see above.

Here is the setup for the photo.

Now lets play

Once I have the lights set and get a few of the shots that I was initially looking for, I asked the band to have some fun.

I then took the same setup and moved it to where you could see the Tatoo Shop and the Pawn Store lights in the background. Here are some of those shots.

For these I used a tripod and dragged the shutter to 1/13th of second. Everything else stayed the same since there was almost no light on the band.

I would prefer to shoot the promo photos all the time over the concert photos. Just compare these above to the same band performing below.

Live Performance

Nikon D4, 14-24mm ƒ/2.8, ISO 6400, 1/60, ƒ/4

The strobes are on the PocketWizard Transceiver TT5 and They are on Manfrotto 5001B Nano Black Light Stands and the Manfrotto 175F Justin Spring Clamp with Flash Shoe to hold the flashes. I am triggering the TT5 using the PocketWizard Mini TT1 and PocketWizard AC3.

I turned the ISO up to about ISO 6,400 because I didn’t want the background to go totally dark.

Nikon D4, 14-24mm ƒ/2.8, ISO 6400, 1/60, ƒ/4

Nikon D4, 28-300mm ƒ/3.5-5.6, ISO 10,000, 1/60, ƒ/5.6

While these are pretty good for shooting in a dark hole, I still prefer having the control I had with the studio strobes and moving the band members around.

My friend Zach Arias launched his successful freelancing business just shooting bands like Late Night Reading’s promo shots. He started by just using a Vivitar 285 on a light stand. He was so successful he started a workshop teaching photographers his “One Light” technique.

You can see my whole take here from the evening.

Butterfly Lighting and Foot Lights

by Stanley LearyJuly 25, 2012August 21, 2024Portraits

Available Light

First, always start with no lights before adding lights. This photo at the top shows you the excellent diffused lighting of the open shade on our deck.

Foot Lights

One of the lights used in theater is the foot lighting. This helps the older actors look younger. So, while they can act better after some years of experience than they did when they were young, they need the footlights to help soften the wrinkles of the skin.

If you go to Broadway and see the stages, you will usually see some lights built in the front of the stage floor near the audience. These lights give you the ghostly lighting children like creating using a flashlight under the chin. Bringing it away from the face looks more like your theater footlights.

In the photo above, we are still getting some overhead lighting from the sky in this outdoor photo, but look in the eyes and see the lower light being very bright.

Butterfly Lighting

If you put a light straight above the lens pointing down at a model, you will get a butterfly shadow under the nose. To see this effect, the model must look straight into the camera with no foot lighting.

In the last photo of my daughter, I kept the footlight and the butterfly light the same power and underexposed the overall picture by one stop.

The Setup

To trigger the Nikon SB800 and Nikon SB900, I am using the PocketWizard Mini TT1 on the camera and the Flex TT5 transceiver on the flashes.

I am shooting through the white umbrellas with the soft domes on the flashes to soften the light.

To keep the background blurred, I shot with the Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.4 lens at ƒ/1.4 opening. If you look closely, you will notice that the front of her nose is out of focus as the edges of her face are just behind the eyes.

I am focusing on her eyes.

To control the amount of power from the flashes, I use the PocketWizard AC3, which attaches to the Mini TT1.

The flashes are set to 0 compensation for the photos above, and the camera is set to -1 EV using the exposure compensation dial on the Nikon D4.

I am shooting in Aperture mode.

ISO 100
ƒ/1.4
1/500

These are the camera settings for all the photos above.

You must use a lens hood to avoid lens flare when taking these photos.

The Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.4 comes with a lens hood, which is made of metal. You can always buy a rubber off-brand hood if you choose.

Why not use a reflector?

Most photographers will use a reflector to act as a footlight, which is perfect. However, the advantage of using a flash with TTL control is you can control even more so the effect of the footlight.

The best you can do with a reflector is come close to the same value of light as the leading light; however, for some people, you may want to pump it up to be even brighter.

I suggest going out and trying some of this yourself. You can get comfortable with the setup and try different things to have one more lighting option for your portraits.

Super simple off camera flash portrait

by Stanley LearyJuly 6, 2012Nikon D4 / Off Camera Flash / Portraits

Nikon D4, 85mm ƒ/1.4, ISO 200, 1/8000

The key to any good photo is the old KISS rule, which is simply put Keep It Simple Stupid.

For this portrait of my dad I chose to shoot this outside and use some of the sunny weather we were having down at the beach. We shot this outside on the balcony of our cottage. The reason for the location was it was the fewest steps I needed to make to get a good photo.

Start with the sun back lighting the subject

One of the reasons I always start with the sun on the back of the subject and not where it is lighting their face has to do with expression. I find it almost impossible for getting a good expression when people are squinting and straining due to the sun being directly in their eyes.

The benefit of the back lighting of the subject is you get a good rim light around the subject, which will help you separate the subject from the background.

Look for a darker background

I like to find a simple background that is not have blown out highlights in the background. I normally look for a much darker background than I chose here. My point is to be careful or your blinking highlights will be in the background and distracting rather than complementary to the subject.

Choose a shallow depth-of-field

I am using my favorite portrait lens for this photo, my Nikkor 85mm ƒ/1.4. You need to be sure that the eyes are what you are focusing on and the sharpest point in the photo when shooting with this lens. I still recommend having the eyes the place you focus even if you choose to shoot this at ƒ/22.

In general if you are doing a portrait of a person and not an environmental portrait, then the background and surroundings is not really that important. Since this is the case here for this photo I threw that background way out of focus by shooting at an aperture of ƒ/1.4.

Fill Flash

I love to use an off camera flash as my fill/main light outside for portraits. Here is a diagram showing you where the sun was and the off camera Nikon SB-900 speedlight placement for this photograph.

You can trigger the off camera flash many different ways. I often use the Nikon SU-800 which uses infrared to trigger the off camera flash. I chose to use the PocketWizard Mini TT1 on the camera with the AC3 which lets me alter the power of the flash from the camera and not the flash. Saves you a lot of steps back and forth for tweaking those fine adjustments.

The Nikon SB-900 has the PocketWizard FlexTT5 on it to receive the signal and talk to the cameras TTL system to give you consistent exposures.

I placed the light 45º to the right of the camera and not quite 45º above the eyes. I am a little lower since my subject has deep set eyes.

What is the benefit of the flash say over a reflector? If I used the reflector I will be bouncing the sun into their face and often getting the squint I was trying to avoid.

Second, by using the flash I get good skin tones because of the color temperature of the flash will give it that “pop” I like to see.

Third, I like seeing a catch light in the eyes and the flash helps me be sure one is there. I think this helps bring the eyes to life.

Go and try this setup yourself. Adjust it to your conditions and the subject and see what you come up with.

What clothing works best for a portrait?

by Stanley LearyJune 10, 2012July 7, 2022headshot / Portraits / studio photography

Pick your clothing carefully

There are two types of photos when it comes to clothing: 1) For Portraits and 2) For Fashion.

If the photo shoot is for portrait you need to be sure that the clothing doesn’t distract, but rather compliments the person’s face. The fashion photo shoot is all about the clothing and the model is just there to make the clothing look good.

Look at these three examples of tops for a typical head shot.

Photo #1

Photo #2

Photo #3

To be sure we are concentrating on how clothing can add or distract from a portrait I shot these all the same so that the only difference is really the clothing.

First of all all three outfits look good on the model and the point isn’t about which one you like the most. The point in a portrait photo is which one makes you look more at the model’s face and less about the clothing?

Simple Tips:

Avoid busy patterns as in Photo #1
Choose a solid as in Photo #2
Avoid Stripes as in Photo #3

Each person will look best in one of the following necklines: v-neck, oval or round.

Color choices can be tricky as well. Everyone will look good in Aqua. The reason for this is this is the closest to the complementary color for the skin.

While different ethnic groups have different skin, the general rule is it is more about how light or dark the skin is more than color differences.

However the other factor is our eyes and hair color. Complimentary and the same color are generally good on a person. Complimentary colors tend to make you pop more than the same colors.

The general rule which is often the most difficult to follow is always keeping it simple.

Lighting diagram used for examples

Items:
(2) Alienbees B1600
1-stop brighter on background than lights on subject

White backdrop
I recommend not having it perpendicular to the camera. Slight angle will help avoid light flare caused by light bouncing off background

(2) Alienbees B1600 with bounce white umbrellas

Nikon D4 with 28-300mm
No description for this item.

YWAM School of Photography: Rembrandt Lighting Assignment

by Stanley LearyFebruary 29, 2012June 27, 2023Portraits

I gave the class an assignment on making a Rembrandt light portrait using just one light with a 10º or 20º spot grid.

Most of the class has never even turned on a studio strobe.

Here is the assignment:

Description:
Rembrandt portrait using one grid light

Items:

Subject
Please get the best possible expression. It would be best if you saw a triangle on their cheek. Be sure the triangle includes lighting their eye.

Monobloc with ten or 20-degree grid
You may use any power setting you choose. Be sure your skin tone is exposed correctly and correct white balance.

Camera
Choose the lowest ISO setting for your camera. Use a portrait lens 85mm – 100mm; if you don’t have a full frame, 50mm will be OK.

Backdrop
You may also use a black background—no other lights are to be used in this assignment.

Here are some of the student’s results:

Senior Portrait Should be Fun

by Stanley LearySeptember 12, 2011Portraits

Each photo here captures another side of Emily. To me this captures the soft innocent child.

I was honored when my friend Fauve called and asked me to photograph her daughter’s senior year photos. This was all because of a photo I took of her playing her Cello in an orchestra concert. She loved the photo and figured if I can make her look good playing the Cello then I should be the guy for her senior photo.

This is Emily and her sister Jane. Siblings bring out the best in us.

The hard part about this photo shoot is Emily didn’t bring her cello. It was just my camera and her. I had to talk to her and get her to play with situations. She trusted me and did her best. Because of her efforts we came up together with some real winners.

As you will see I couldn’t just have one of them together.

Emily let me know she didn’t want formal shots. She wanted some moments where we were getting glimpses of her. She didn’t see herself as look straight into the lens and smiling. While we definitely got some of those shots, they were really moments in between other moments where she was looking up and waiting for some guidance. Sometimes she was just relaxed and enjoying the moment.

I am not sure what I was capturing here. I can’t quite put it into words. Maybe it is just cool play on light.

We used different things that were naturally around for props. I think these help relax some people. I think here Emily already looks like a college student.

I believe there are times you just need to try a lot of things to then pick the best for your big moment. Graduating from high school is a monumental moment we celebrate. It is the transition year for many to leave home and start a new life.

Guess where Emily has applied to go next year?

Ceremonies help us to make these transitions. Having your senior picture made is a way to have something to hold onto to celebrate the last time at home and with our friends. Next year we will move on to a new beginning and new friends. Before we can move on we really need to celebrate where we have come to at this moment. Photos are some of the best ways to remember these times.

I like capturing moments where it looks like we are having a conversation.

While the shot above is wider and helps set a mood, this shot gets us close and see how friendly Emily is to folks.

I am not sure, but I think these two like to have fun.

I am not sure I would narrow this down to one photo. I like them all and there were many more that you are not seeing. Take time to remember and one of the best ways to do that is with photos.

We all liked the signage on the shop. I think every lady would like to see themselves as part of Vogue.

Sitting on fences and porches makes a photo seem like the girl next door. What do you think?

Emily just looks elegant to me.

Do your company headshots look uniform?

by Stanley LearySeptember 2, 2011Portraits

Example of a company using a modern look with the white background

When people go to your website and click on your team, do you have headshots? If not you need to seriously consider adding these in today’s “Social Media” environment. Just ask your kids what they call a person who doesn’t have a headshot with their profile–“Creeper”

Using a more classic look gives a different feel to the company headshots

While having a headshot will help you not look like a “Creeper.” having all different types of headshots can look quite unprofessional. Are you saving any real money by taking your own snapshot of your team to put on the website or your blog?

Remember you only have about 1/10th of a second to make a first impression. They are not reading your bio to make that decision–they are looking at your photo.

What does your “About Us” page have for your potential clients to learn about you? Are you a “Creeper” with no headshots? Do you look like you cut corners and try to save money and take your own headshots? Do all your headshots match or does it look like someone missed picture day at the high school and had a snapshot sent in for their senior year yearbook photo?

Give me a call if you want all your company headshot to look similar and help “brand” your company.

Themed portraits

by Stanley LearyAugust 19, 2011Portraits

When you create portraits that will run together you can create a “feel” for the portraits. One way is to use a traditional formal portrait where the backgrounds are identical. Another way is to use a similar style.

The last three photos are more traditional. But when used together they are not very good as a theme. What you need on a company website or organizations website is consistency of portraits. My recommendation is to find a theme and then have all the portraits done the same.

Tips for better profile photos

by Stanley LearyAugust 2, 2011headshot / Portraits

Clean and simple background inside.

All it takes is a tenth of a second to form an impression of a stranger from their face, and that longer exposures don’t significantly alter those impressions. This is how I started my blog about Skype Interview Tips. http://blog.stanleylearystoryteller.com/2011/07/skype-interview-tips.html

Today if you do not have a profile photo you might look like a creeper on facebook. There are 30 different types of profile photos according to Facebook http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-photo-styles-2009-03

The discussion on LinkedIn is to have a profile photo. http://www.linkedin.com/groups/IS-GOOD-PROFILE-PIC-IMPORTANT-1800872.S.45637410

I want to show you the variety of headshots you can have that are all similar except for one thing—the background.

Nice outdoor look for a background

As you look through these photos of my daughter Chelle, you may like one photo more than another, but notice how the background can set a mood, compliment or distract your attention. Remember pretty much all the rest of the photo looks the same in all the photos.

I recommend a simple and clean background. Next I recommend if your background has patterns or texture get as far away from the background so it is not so sharp and distracting.

The garage door is plain but the patterns are a little distracting

Background is simple and works OK

If want to make the photo outside go to the shade side of the house and have your subject face away from the house. The open sky will light them and not direct sunlight. This makes for softer light on the face. Also, you can turn on your flash to add a catch light in the eye and give more life to the eyes.

To make your photo inside find a plain wall rather than a busy wallpaper or busy background objects. Keep the light simple and soft, maybe a window for the light on the face.

If this is for something professional like for LinkedIn to find jobs, blog or website, get a professional to help you. Remember you only have tenth of a second to make a good impression.

Background is OK, but is dark

Even tho subject isn’t next to background–it is still distracting

Background is distracting

Storyteller

Category: Portraits