My first "gig"

JPar

Senior Member
I took on a free gig doing headshots for a friend's dance team. It didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked. First round of shots were BADLY out of focus. I realized it before leaving and had them do a 2nd round, which was better, but still not right.

I finally realized on the drive home what probably went wrong...

- overcast day meant light was not great, so shutter speed probably needed to be a bit faster than the 1/100-1/160 that I had
- VR + tripod = bad, is my guess

I also had them against a brick background and realized after that I probably should have had them come away from the wall to get some bokeh on the bricks, as they clashed a little with the pictures of the women.

Finally, I should bring masking tape next time to ensure they all stand in the same spot, so I don't have to move the camera to re-frame.

Here are a few of the ones that came out ok.

headshot5-portrait.jpgheadshot4-portrait.jpgheadshot1-portrait.jpg

And here's one that was a tad blurry, but it's hard to tell it's blurry when the size is reduced:

headshot2-portrait.jpg

Any feedback other than what I've mentioned already?
 

ShootRaw

Senior Member
I personally don't care for brick walls 98% of the time..They can work be you mentioned bluring them alittle is the way to go..I know these were headshots..pulling subject off of the wall would have truly helped..it is a learning experience..This is the only shot in my Port I used a brick wall...
DSC_3372-Alston.jpg

If possible do headshots in studio...Or against a sky..... Your pics look like they are exposed correctly which is a good thing..
 

Eyelight

Senior Member
I think you're off to a very good start. Some of my thoughts are objective and some subjective and I'm pulling from knowledge I haven't used in a while. So, kind of use what's useful and keep the rest in the mental toolbox. They will all make sense at some point.

Each of these seem to have captured some personality, #2 for certain.

Everything about a portrait is poseable; head turn and tilt, chin lift, eyes, nose, hair, lips, teeth, etc. etc.

#1 is the most flattering pose and best mouth position

#3 the best overall, best eye position, best camera/subject height

Instead of tape use a stool for head shots and elevate the camera a bit above the eyes. The stool also helps straighten back and shoulders.

Consider using speedlights so you have control of the light and shadows. That will help with subject/background separation also.

Use a longer lens.


These type portraits are all about flattering the subject. What is flattering about the images and what is not? Study the images; determine what works and what doesn’t for each subject. At some point, you will see what works and what doesn’t as you start to direct the pose, so you can raise lights, turn heads, go for less smile, move hair, etc.
 

AC016

Senior Member
What lens? What was your ISO? No EXIF is showing up. Toss the tripod. Nice head & shoulder shots; but as you say, you need to bring the subject further away from the wall. Good luck with your next gig
 

JPar

Senior Member
Yea, I pulled the JPG from my Google+ page, so the EXIF got stripped.

I used a Nikon 18-105mm lens. ISO ranged between 200-320. Camera was Nikon D7000.

I considered using my Nikon 35mm 1.8 prime lens, but wanted to have zoom flexibility.
 

Moab Man

Senior Member
You figured out a lot of it on your way home chewing it over in your head and many good tips from Shootraw and Eyelight. Only thing I want to add, I use the stool for positioning as well. Two things I have learned with the stool. First, put down some tape marks on where the stool is supposed to be. I always have a few, seems to be males, that will pull the stool to themselves rather than sit down where I put the stool. Second, kids slouch. You need to be vigilant in watching for the slouch.

Number 2 really captures, I suspect, her personality.
 

Eyelight

Senior Member
Yea, I pulled the JPG from my Google+ page, so the EXIF got stripped.

I used a Nikon 18-105mm lens. ISO ranged between 200-320. Camera was Nikon D7000.

I considered using my Nikon 35mm 1.8 prime lens, but wanted to have zoom flexibility.

Focal lengths less than 50mm enlarge the center of the image more than the rest. It is very apparent in a ultra wide, but noticeable anywhere below 50mm when there are features in the center of the image. While sometimes a wide angle may be necessary, a medium telephoto would be more flattering to a almost any face.
 

JPar

Senior Member
Focal lengths less than 50mm enlarge the center of the image more than the rest. It is very apparent in a ultra wide, but noticeable anywhere below 50mm when there are features in the center of the image. While sometimes a wide angle may be necessary, a medium telephoto would be more flattering to a almost any face.

Yea, that's what I had been reading on other threads on Nikonites, which is why I stayed away from the 35mm lens, despite the awesomeness of the aperture and overall image quality I've seen on it.

On my Nikon D7000, the 35mm has a technical focal length of 50mm due to it being DX, but I liked the idea of being able to control different focal lengths and not having to move back and forth physically.
 

crycocyon

Senior Member
Are you running these through Adobe Lightroom? Are you shooting these raw? What camera settings are you using as far as are you in Neutral, Standard? The black and white images look almost as if too much of the Clarity setting. They are tight, direct portraits and would benefit I think from a bit of softening. Not in terms of sharpness, but in terms of the vividness of the image. Overcast is perfect for portraits as the light is more uniform and soft.
 

Lawrence

Senior Member
I would be pleased with these results but annoyed with the bricks.
They all have lovely, natural looking, friendly smiles.

PS #2 looks like she might be taller than you so a small stool to stand on to keep the camera above eye level may be an idea.
 

JPar

Senior Member
Are you running these through Adobe Lightroom? Are you shooting these raw? What camera settings are you using as far as are you in Neutral, Standard? The black and white images look almost as if too much of the Clarity setting. They are tight, direct portraits and would benefit I think from a bit of softening. Not in terms of sharpness, but in terms of the vividness of the image. Overcast is perfect for portraits as the light is more uniform and soft.

Yes, shooting in RAW and using Lightroom.

I had to jack the sharpness and clarity up a bit because they were a bit out of focus (as mentioned before, I think my shutter speed might have been too slow + VR on the lens was on with the tripod). So the clarity and sharpness were used to correct the focus issues.

Like I said, first "gig." :) Did it for free, mainly for the practice. Learned a bit about it in the process. Thanks for the feedback!
 
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