Headshot + Behind the Scenes

[Braineack]

Friend's wife needed a new headshot and offered up dinner for me and my wife if I could make it happen.

Ended up doing them outside due to space constraints inside their house, but once you cut out the ambient, it's no different than shooting in the "studio".

Well not quite true: I couldn't use my other strobes I setup because they would not optically trigger well -- even if I held a speedlight directly up to the light sensor and fired them off, it just wasn't reliable (I did not bring my triggers for them).

Luckily I packed two Flashpoint R2 zoom speedlights, which works on the same trigger as my xplor 600 and all was well; they provided all the light I needed from them.

Used my 85mm 1.8G, 1/200sec and iso 100 to cut out the ambient and f/8 for just enough DOF while being able to soften out the wrinkles in the backdrop. Xplor600 had a beauty dish with 20° grid + diffuser sock.

 

[tirediron]

Looks like it worked out!

 

[smoke665]

Nice solid shot, I hope they fed you well!! Either you hit it lucky or the weather conditions are a lot different than they've been here of late. Even when it isn't raining, the wind has been blowing. Had I tried that on our deck, the gear would have been toppling over and the lady's hair would have been everywhere.

 

[Braineack]

stupid lucky with weather -- still a bit cold but it was like 45-47° out.

 

[ronlane]

Nice work. Add a squinch in there and Peter Hurley would give you a shabang!

 

[Braineack]

Wouldn't I have to shoot in landscape orientation to impress him?

 

[ronlane]

Wouldn't I have to shoot in landscape orientation to impress him?

He didn't comment at all about that stuff when I heard him speak this weekend. He talked about directing the subject, getting the jaw line tight and the squinch.

 

[Braineack]

Yup, and holding the sub is real.

it's a LOT easier posing other people than doing selfies...

 

[ronlane]

Yup, and holding the sub is real.

it's a LOT easier posing other people than doing selfies...

Yes, you MUST hold the sub. I 1,000,000% agree that it's easier than selfies. I did spend some time with a mirror trying some of his jaw techniques and they work.

 

[SquarePeg]

He says he invented the squinch but I remember Joey on Friends doing that same thing and he called it "smelling the fart".

 

[Braineack]

It's so fun, even kids do it:

bonus shot after I finished with Mom.

 

[tirediron]

That is a fantastic portrait! Well done!

 

[zombiesniper]

These are both great.