I love teaching at the School of Photography, run by my good friend Dennis Fahringer. I think it is the best school of photography I have come across. Here is a link to learn more about the school.
This is my favorite light for headshots. We didn’t have my Tri-Flector that I love to use, so we used a softbox lower under the person’s chin.
This was the lighting set up—the main light was 45º above the camera, and the fill light was below 45º. The key here is to keep the camera lights and subject in the same positions. You can have them face a little left or right but keep their head straight forward to get that butterfly formed under the nose due to the main light.
Photos by Jedidiah Pearson
You can get many excellent photos by staying with a lighting setup and just having the person move a little right and left by mixing your expressions and body language.
Photos by John Davidson
For this assignment, I didn’t have the photographer light the background. I did suggest the hair light up and directly behind the subject. Putting the stand behind the background lets you hide it.
Photos by Sarah Klinke
If a person was bald, I suggested not to use the hair light. If they had light hair, maybe no more than one stop brighter than the main light. If you have dark hair, you can often go as much as two stops more luminous than the main light.
Photos by Valentine Huss
Now, if you look closely at the eyes, you can see the main and fill light.
This is even closer for you to see the eyes.
This is a tip for deciphering photos. Look in the eyes; you can usually see where the lights are placed and the shape of the modifiers.
Here is my setup. I use it most of the time for headshots of actors and models.
This is the second modification where I light the background.
This last setup is where I have enough space. I turn on the lights behind the background for white and turn them off for a grey background.
KISS Rule
Keep It Simple Stupid – is what I have been taught through the years. Don’t overthink things.
I hope this inspires you to use lights with your photos.
I love teaching at the School of Photography, run by my good friend Dennis Fahringer. I think it is the best school of photography I have come across. Here is a link to learn more about the school.
I love to teach lighting. One of the setups I love to teach is one I learned first from my Uncle Knolan Benfield.
He is the one that taught me what a 3:1 Light Ratio setup looks like and why I should know how to shoot it.
Photos by Jedidiah Pearson
These are some of the shots that the students produced last week during my time teaching at the School of Photography in Kona, Hawaii.
Photos by Sarah Klinke
The problem with too contrasty lighting is that when it is reproduced in something like a newspaper, the shadows go black. The 3:1 ratio produces a good shadow on newspaper print yet still has some modeling on the face.
Here is ablog post that goes step by step on how to shoot it.
Photo by Wyatt Reed Alderman
I wanted you to see how students who had never done lighting before my time with them could not just master it but get great expressions as well of their subjects.
Photos by Tess Williams
They learned that having an excellent solid lighting setup can free you to work on expressions and pose.
Photos by John Davidson
They also were challenged to write a little story on their subjects. John Davidson wrote this about his subject.
Stan was a farmer who raised potatoes, alfalfa, and wheat and grew marijuana. Unfortunately, he also smoked marijuana and used many harder drugs. His life was a mess, and he almost killed himself. He went to a Drug & Treatment Center and got clean. He retired after working 27 years at Idaho National Laboratory as a nuclear reactor Operator/Instructor.
The idea is that sharing a photo with a story with the picture makes it so much more exciting, and people come back to look for more.
Photos by Gabe Hein
What do you think of these students’ photos they made of people?
Although an article published in the Journal of Computers in Human Behavior didn’t prove the exact correlation between narcissism and social media, it certainly picked up on how social media enhances and possibly contributes to narcissism.
“Watch Me” is what we say to our parents when we are small children. While later, as teenagers or adults, we are not trying to get mom and dad’s attention, many of us are trying to get the rest of the world to pay attention.
If you post something on Facebook, you often feel better that people are paying attention to the number of likes and the type of likes you get.
Even better than likes is positive feedback by comments.
There is another way you can use social media, and one of the best examples I can give is Humans of NY.
Brandon Stanton is the founder of HONY. Initially, he was going to photograph 10,000 New Yorkers. It was mainly about his love of photography and wanting to share his photos of people.
Somewhere along the way, he started interviewing people. At first, he was sharing little interesting quotes with the photos.
Today Stanton is interviewing most of the subjects and “peeling the onion,” as we like to say when you interview someone and get their story.
In an article on Open Eye Creative, they reported:
“He partnered with Tumblr to raise more than $300K for Hurricane Sandy victims. He helped raise more than $1 million for a Brooklyn school after one of the students appeared on his blog. He reportedly raised more than $5 million for philanthropic projects in 2015.”
Today HONY has around 20 million followers through its website, Instagram and Twitter.
“It’s a dialogue, not a monologue, and some people don’t understand that. Social media is more like a telephone than a television.”
Amy Jo Martin, author of Renegades Write The Rules
Make Social Media About Others
I think professional photographers would grow their following by sharing stories of the people they photograph. Be sure your post focuses on them and not you. Do all you can to remove yourself from the center.
Brandon Stanton’s three suggestions for better stories also is a great place to start. Sooner or later, you will find your style for telling stories of the people you meet.
Stanton’s Questions
Get to the heart of it
Ask one question at a time
Seek out the unexpected
Here is a good article that goes deeper to learn more about those questions.
Why does he have such a following?
This video is an excellent example of how he connects with the audience.
First Others & Then You!!!!
Here is another exciting thing that research is showing us. People want to know more when you share great content with others. They want you to take them backstage. This is where you can share a little about your experience in meeting this person.
Here is the strange thing, if you were only to share your experience, the number of followers would be drastically smaller. However, if you always lead with others and then share something behind the story and photo, then your numbers will do the opposite. They will soar.
Now just sharing about others, well, that works, but the combination works best.
Julie Gavillet wanted a job change after 10+ years in a job. It bothered her so much that she prayed that God would help her out of it. Just a few days after that prayer, Julie was laid off. Because of the number of years she had been at that job, she got a great package that allowed her to chase her dream of being a photographer. She was able to buy her gear and go off to Hawaii to study photography. She took two courses every three months and did some other work. Today she is staffing those schools and helping others pursue their dreams of being a photographer. Soon she will return to Canada and start her own business of doing what she loves rather than just a job to pay the bills. If you want to study photography like Julie, here is the school she went to for her dream to be fulfilled. https://www.uofnkona.edu/uofn_courses/school-of-photography/ [NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, ISO 50, ƒ/4.5, 1/125, Focal Length = 85]
This would be a great Instagram post. Today it would also be great to follow up with another photo and the scenes peek into the picture.
When I post these to my Instagram account, the second photo might get more comments. I hope you notice that I am always trying to help others get better with their photography. I am not saying look at how great I am, just like my photos.
I encourage you to make Social Media a way to create community and inspire others. When you do this, you will be even more fulfilled than if you made it all about you.
“When I hear people debate the ROI of social media? It makes me remember why so many businesses fail. Most businesses are not playing the marathon. They’re playing the sprint. They’re not worried about lifetime value and retention. They’re worried about short-term goals.”
Alexia Shepherd [NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, ISO 50, ƒ/4, 1/160, Focal Length = 85]
When you are changing lighting setups or camera settings, you cannot pay attention to expressions. Giving a lot of variety with lighting setups may not be the best approach.
KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid
Getting great facial expressions takes much more skill than changing a lighting setup. You have to build trust with the person. You have to connect with them so that together you can capture the subject’s true essence.
Alexia Shepherd [NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, ISO 50, ƒ/4, 1/160, Focal Length = 85]
I do minor lighting changes so I can spend more time getting lots of expressions.
One thing I do with my setup is to change the background from a grey to a white background.
I can pause for a moment and turn on or off the two lights behind my white muslin background. Off I get a lovely neutral grey. The light from the beauty dish is what lights the background and my subject.
When I have my background lights on, they are giving me one stop more light than I have set on the subject. This gives me a spotless white background.
Chance Wills [NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, ISO 50, ƒ/4, 1/160, Focal Length = 85]
I love to shoot 50 to 100 images before I change the background.
Chance Wills[NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, ISO 50, ƒ/4, 1/160, Focal Length = 85]
I encourage people to bring a couple of outfits. It is incredible to me how much wardrobe change impacts the final photo.
Will Oliver [NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, ISO 50, ƒ/4, 1/160, Focal Length = 85]
Changing from a low-key to a high-key photo can also help change the photo’s mood.
Will Oliver [NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, ISO 50, ƒ/4, 1/160, Focal Length = 85]
My tip is to pick one outfit and shoot a lot. Go for 100 photos without changing lighting: background, or clothing. Then change the background and repeat. After you have done that, then change outfits and shoot again.
Make the emphasis of the portrait/headshot session about getting an expression. Go past the extremes of sadness and joy. Then try and shoot all the nuances of faces.
Chance Wills [NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, ISO 50, ƒ/4, 1/160, Focal Length = 85]
Don’t forget to get verticals and horizontal photos.
Andrew Mozingo
[NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, ISO 50, ƒ/4.5, 1/125, Focal Length = 85]
Remember, the thing that makes a great headshot is EXPRESSION!!!
Andrew Mozingo [NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, ISO 50, ƒ/4.5, 1/125, Focal Length = 85]
It is much easier to get a pleasant and genuine expression if you have pushed the limits of expressions first.
Andrew Mozingo
[NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, ISO 50, ƒ/4.5, 1/125, Focal Length = 85]Tagged : #headshots / #portraits / lighting
I believe there is such a thing as overdirecting a person during a headshot/portrait session.
I love working with actors because they want to use their skills and rarely get to do that with photographers during a headshot.
Maggie Cook [NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, ISO 50, ƒ/4, 1/160, Focal Length = 85]
Before I get an intimate and what I would call a transparent moment with a subject, they have to be relaxed and comfortable with me.
Maggie Cook [NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, ISO 50, ƒ/4, 1/160, Focal Length = 85]
One technique I use is asking “actors” to give me as many facial expressions as they can in 30 seconds. Those just starting in acting often will struggle, but for those who love to perform and do a variety of characters, this is like a psychogenic ‘trip.’ They are Thrill-Seekers whose risk is being perceived as being weird or off.
So “pushing the envelope” or “pushing the limits” means testing the boundaries of what is safe or acceptable in a given situation by exceeding those boundaries.
Macy Frazier [NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, ISO 50, ƒ/4.5, 1/160, Focal Length = 85]
Once I have gone with them on this journey of letting them perform risky expressions, they tend to let me in.
They can tap into their emotions and let me see them through their eyes and faces.
Timothy Villalovas [NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, ISO 50, ƒ/4.5, 1/125, Focal Length = 85]
For me, the most complex photo to get with people is one where their personality is being projected.
Katy Johnson [NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, ISO 50, ƒ/4.5, 1/125, Focal Length = 85]
Even the smile photos are more genuine and inviting than had I not gone through asking them to give me all their expressions.
I slowly adjust the heads so that the light works best and their expressions are captured most effectively. That might mean I lower and raise the camera angle to their eyes.
I work hard at getting rid of things like double chins.
Will Oliver [NIKON Z 6, 85.0 mm f/1.8, ISO 50, ƒ/4, 1/160, Focal Length = 85]
I like to think of getting a great expression because you need to have the subject go past the acceptable moment to an extreme.
My role is to create a safe environment where it is OK to try any expression, with the goal being that by pushing the limits, we can be truly transparent. This is when great moments can happen.
