First crack at a headshot. PLEASE C&C

[Darton]

Did some p&p work here. shot with canon 40D. f/4.5 and 1/500 sec iso 100 at 56mm

 

[Jankster]

not bad. i wouldnt have chose that angle. but thats me

 

[robertwsimpson]

for a headshot, I would have used the 50mm and a much smaller aperture. it makes the background look less distracting.

Other than that, I would have chosen a different angle. Also, I would have spent a little more time on skin smoothing.

One thing that I have learned to do in ALL photos where you can see eyes is to dodge the iris in photoshop. it makes a world of difference, especially on light eyes, but it even works on dark eyes too. here is an example:

click here

our eyes started out darker than this, but a few passes with the dodge tool in photoshop helped us out a little.

experiment with yours and see what you think!

 

[c.cloudwalker]

A headshot is a very specific type of photo used by models, actors, etc and this is not one. Headshots have pretty definite rules to follow as they are not meant to make some beautiful but rather to show them as they are.

ModelMayhem used to have a pretty good write up on the subject but it is now gone. If you are really trying to do a headshot, let me know and I'll try and find you a tutorial.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Ok, not quite what I was looking for but not bad for a start.

Headshot Photography Basics

I'm not sure why this article doesn't talk of the horizontal headshots but it could just be that they think nobody's going to fall for this...

Some photographers are shooting horizontal headshots these days but, using plain old common sense tells us this is a no-no. Your resume (attached to the headshot) is vertical as are all the other ones in the pile being reviewed. When the casting director gets to yours, he/she has to turn things around to view your photo. More than likely, it will not get turned and you will not get the job.

If somebody asks you to shoot horizontal, just tell them why it is not a good idea. If they insist, make sure you have a clause in your contract that they can initialize stating the horizontal was their decision.

Headshots can be done outdoors so long as the background is totally oof and very plain. Actors headshots can be a bit more dramatic with the lighting but not models. As the article says, you are showing the person as they are. Get called in for an interview and your headshot doesn't look like you and you will never work for this person.

Hope this gets you started.

Good luck.


Edit = Btw you don't need a fancy studio to do headshots. You can do them with minimal, cheap gear including homemade reflectors and there are plenty of tutorials for that on the web.

 

[Darton]

A headshot is a very specific type of photo used by models, actors, etc and this is not one. Headshots have pretty definite rules to follow as they are not meant to make some beautiful but rather to show them as they are.

ModelMayhem used to have a pretty good write up on the subject but it is now gone. If you are really trying to do a headshot, let me know and I'll try and find you a tutorial.

so for claification no PP with headshots?

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Every shot does need a minimal amount of PP to make it pop but in this case it has to stay on the minimal side. No removing of beauty marks, wrinkles, etc.

 

[robertwsimpson]

ok so forget everything that I said!

 

[gopal]

i saw many people use this sort of angle....if it is tight with almost no bg seen, i can sometimes like that....but in this pic the bg seems to be falling....

her face is wonderful, u cud rather tilt it as it is or hands support as prop in a vertical frame....I do pp as necessary to hide drawbacks. tfs.