head shots question

[eerieknight]

Well i have been ask to do a few head shots for some freinds who are working on getting the music out and this gives me an op for a new thing i have not done thinking it would be much like a normal portrait.....but looking on the sites for ideas of what i had in mind for a head shot i am seeing lots of the shots with the tops of the heads cut of and found this to be really odd at least in my mind why are thses taken this way pls advise as i am really unsure where to begin to do them right lol many thanks in advance

 

[mysteryscribe]

generally speaking that is a no no. However if you ask most likely you will hear "That's my style man."

Good composition says that you include all of the head and cut it below the shoulders though there are severl other.. the true pure headshot is most likely the complete head filling the frame wirh eyes on the top third quadrant line. However that is just classical composition. Most people here don't use it I think.

Oh yeah it is also a verticle composition unless it is for a cassette case or cd then the crop would follow the need.

 

[Kevin D Burns]

The norm is to cut off the top of the hair or bottom of chin, never leave the whole head shot. I find it odd as well. In competition the judges always say the same thing. crop out the top, side or bottom. Go figure. This is not a rule but the norm.

 

[mysteryscribe]

There has to be some truth to what Mr Burns says because thats about all you see here.

Over the years I must have done a thousand for business cards, actors portfolios,and display boards for car dealers and churches. Even for Cassette and record album covers.

When I shot them, it was always as if I was going to hang it on a wall. Full head at least, if possible shoulders as well. For submission with an actor's portfolio they wanted just a simple close up head only.

I always did it full head and I never had a complaint from a customer. Most of them came back as they had to update it at least every year. This is just my own experience and "style" I guess.

 

[Christie Photo]

Shoot the entire upper body... do any cropping later. You can always "take away," but you can't easily "add."

Pete

 

[Alison]

Shoot the entire upper body... do any cropping later. You can always "take away," but you can't easily "add."

Pete

I agree.

 

[mysteryscribe]

I dont see how you could disagree, unless you are shooting film for an outside processor. Even then you would want to know for sure the use before you close cropped it.

 

[markc]

I think cropping the top of the head can increase the sense of intimacy, but it needs the right composition, usually a tight shot. For an actors head shot, I think it makes more sense to include the whole head, but it depends on what the current rage is now. In Hollywood, making sense isn't what's important.

For musicians, I think you have more leeway. It depends on the style that they want to portray.

 

[mysteryscribe]

Mark has a point in the end it is what the customer need or thinks he needs that decides what you end up with. It goes against my grain but I have shot a lot of things I personally thought were trash.

Sometimes I even thought that BEFORE I shot them.

I dont really agree about the intimate thing, I find those in your face face shots to be a shock not intimate at all. But then that a matter of taste. They sure are popular