Want to take employee photos that don't suck

[Pixel Hunter]

Hello. My first post, and I figure I'd just dive right in!

Nutshell version: I'm a wannabe amateur/enthusiast photographer who, with my wife, probably spent way too much money on equipment, and now barely uses it at all! Well, as the IT Manager for my company, I want to utilize the employee photo features in email, Windows, and other software. Plus make them available for HR to use in marketing material, business cards, etc.

But I don't want the photos/head-shots to suck. You know, the typical snap you see with unhappy employee mugshots that have stark shadows, blurry bits, and are just really, really boring.

So I'm looking for instruction on how to utilize what I have to take decent photos of everyone. How and where to pose a person. What lens and setting to use. What kind of lighting to use. Etc. Keep in mind, most of the time these photos will be not much more than thumbnails. I don't expect any poster-sized portraits on display in the company lobby!

I have a Nikon D5100 with the following lenses: Nikkor 12-24mm F/4G, Nikkor 50mm F/1.8G, Tamron 24-70mm F/2.8, Tamron 70-200mm F/2.8, and a Sigma 105mm F2.8 Macro. As far as lighting, I only have the built in flash with a Gary Fong Puffer diffuser. Oh, and I have a decent tripod.

I'm willing to pick up additional equipment such as better lighting if it is inexpensive, as I'll probably expense it for this company project.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Destin]

You definitely need an off camera lighting setup.. maybe a speedlught, umbrella, and lightstand. Position the light at a 45 degree angle to the side and above the subject.

On camera flash won’t give you a flattering portrait.

I’d use the 70-200 for the photo if you have the space to do so.

As far as posing, have the subject sit on a stool turned 45 degrees to the camera and lean in towards the camera a little bit.

 

[s_marolf]

I got asked to do something very similar. I used my 70-200 lens and SB-700 Speedlight on camera with no other lighting. Not professional quality but people were happy how they turned out.

I was fortunate to get to use a corner conference room that had large windows and good light for all directions so the flash was just to light the faces. Make sure there's good light behind the subject and turn the flash power down so you don't wash the person out.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/liCJ1BSG1pboxbHv2

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QjBz56aQZ1pbWsak2

 

[Christie Photo]

...I want to utilize the employee photo features in email, Windows, and other software. Plus make them available for HR to use in marketing material, business cards, etc.

In my mind, these are two very different needs. I feel portraits used for marketing and business cards must be professional looking, while ID photos for internal use can be simply snapshots.

I would put the camera with the 105mm on the tripod and make the photos using window light or similar lighting... maybe at the edge of some sort of overhead door.

Good luck!
-Pete

 

[Big Mike]

Portraits are all about lighting. It almost doesn't matter which camera/lens you use.

You don't even have to create the light, you just have to use it. The easiest thing to try is to do as Pete suggested and use window light & a tripod.

There are plenty of videos and tutorials for window light portraits, so get on the gargler and learn what you can.

 

[Pixel Hunter]

I figured lighting was going to be my biggest boogeyman. Unfortunately, our building is old and has crummy (narrow, small) windows so there is no real good place to get natural light that also offers a background that would look okay (even out of focus.) So no awesome corner office city/bay views like s_marlof was able to do. The lights are all the old-style fluorescent panels, not the nice diffused/uplit or LED lighting in modern buildings.

However, I've heard of people hacking photo lighting with common lights and paper/posters/sheets. While I can spend a little, I don't think I can swing the speedlight, stand, and umbrella right now or any kind of pro-photo-studio lighting. Problem is, I don't know if this really works, or how to do it myself.

 

[paigew]

I figured lighting was going to be my biggest boogeyman. Unfortunately, our building is old and has crummy (narrow, small) windows so there is no real good place to get natural light that also offers a background that would look okay (even out of focus.) So no awesome corner office city/bay views like s_marlof was able to do. The lights are all the old-style fluorescent panels, not the nice diffused/uplit or LED lighting in modern buildings.

However, I've heard of people hacking photo lighting with common lights and paper/posters/sheets. While I can spend a little, I don't think I can swing the speedlight, stand, and umbrella right now or any kind of pro-photo-studio lighting. Problem is, I don't know if this really works, or how to do it myself.

is there a place with open shade you can shoot? I do my school portraits like this.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Either hire a professional photographer that knows how to get portraits appropriate for work/business use or take a course on portrait photography and learn how to do this. Really, you're talking about what seems to be more extensive in how these would be used (marketing, website, etc.).

And... depending on how involved this gets (you're talking about a good bit of usage and more than just snapshots for ID cards) you'll need to figure out if this would become part of your job and would be done in a work for hire situation, or if it would be done after your work hours and you'd be contracted freelance and paid. Usually I think work for hire means the company would own the photos and the copyrights since it would be part of your job. Try American Society of Media Photographers - Homepage for more info.

 

[Derrel]

Maybe pick a good, white-painted corner, and using a bounce-and-swivel on-camera-mounted speedlight, angle that flash unit so it angles to the left of the lens, hits the wall, and then bounces onto the subjects who are positioned some 20 to 30 degrees to the right,and turned slightly so they receive light from the corner-of-the-room "light bank". Use the 70-200 lens for the best variation in framing, so that you have a rather narrow angle of view behind the subjects.

Lacking a suitable corner, bounce the flash off of a plain ol' wall that's to the left of the people. Experiment a bit, to find a good bounce location.

Light coming from camera left and angling across the face, toward the right, is traditional.

There are a lot of ways to pose people,and light people. This is what I'd advise you to do if you want to tackle this with minimal investment. The flash can be a $69 Neewer or Yongnu. Not a lot of need for sophistication in the flash, just that it have tilt, and swivel capabilities. Even though you'll have the flash on top of the camera, this will be flash lighting that comes in from an entirely off-camera type of direction! At half power in manual mode, you ought to be able to get an f/6.3 or f/7.1 or f/8 exposure, at ISO somewhere between 200 and 400. Set the shutter speed to 1/125 second.

Check this URL for some ideas:
lighting portraits using corner bounce flash - Yahoo Search Results Yahoo Image Search Results

HERE is a good example of light bounced from both the ceiling, and from a wall:

lighting portraits using corner bounce flash - Yahoo Search Results Yahoo Image Search Results

 

[Designer]

However, I've heard of people hacking photo lighting with common lights and paper/posters/sheets. While I can spend a little, I don't think I can swing the speedlight, stand, and umbrella right now or any kind of pro-photo-studio lighting. Problem is, I don't know if this really works, or how to do it myself.

"Common lights" - Do you mean something like desk lamps or table lamps? If so, then I say don't try it with those. The reason is because those lights don't have as much power as a flash, therefore forcing you to compromise your preferred settings.

 

[Pixel Hunter]

Either hire a professional photographer that knows how to get portraits appropriate for work/business use or take a course on portrait photography and learn how to do this. Really, you're talking about what seems to be more extensive in how these would be used (marketing, website, etc.).

And... depending on how involved this gets (you're talking about a good bit of usage and more than just snapshots for ID cards) you'll need to figure out if this would become part of your job and would be done in a work for hire situation, or if it would be done after your work hours and you'd be contracted freelance and paid. Usually I think work for hire means the company would own the photos and the copyrights since it would be part of your job. Try American Society of Media Photographers - Homepage for more info.

The point is for me to do this on my own, as an enthusiast photographer. I see this as an opportunity to pick up, learn, and use my camera more often. To add an employee portrait to email, Windows, and other software does not require a professional photographer. I just don't want to be like "everyone else" who takes the typical, boring, poorly lit mugshots you see so often shot by people who aren't even amateur photographers.

I think you're reading too much into what I'm trying to do. If (and only if) I can manage to take decent enough shots, then the possibility of using them outside of IT may be an option. I'm not going to hire a pro or take classes for portraiture when there is no immediate need for photos of every employee from HR/Marketing. Nor do I need to worry about becoming a contractor or freelancer. I just want to utilize features in software I manage that will help "put a face on it" and make things a little more personable and friendly. I don't care who owns the employee photos. My interest in photography is pretty much anything other than people.

"Common lights" - Do you mean something like desk lamps or table lamps? If so, then I say don't try it with those. The reason is because those lights don't have as much power as a flash, therefore forcing you to compromise your preferred settings.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. After Derrel's suggestion, I just ordered a $50 Neewer speedlight from Amazon. So I guess I don't need to worry about cobbling something homemade together. I'll try to find a place in the building I can use to do some bounce lighting and maybe even some window lighting. I'll have to find someone willing to be a practice model until I learn how to get decent shots.

 

[Pixel Hunter]

Oh, another question: Should I try to use a neutral white/off-white background, something with a little more interest (bookshelves, computer, long hallway) which would be out of focus, or the person's actual work environment (desk, workbench, etc.) which would also be out of focus? Or maybe mix it all up so you don't look at the contacts list and see ~80 heads with the same background.

 

[Designer]

Oh, another question: Should I try to use a neutral white/off-white background, something with a little more interest (bookshelves, computer, long hallway) which would be out of focus, or the person's actual work environment (desk, workbench, etc.) which would also be out of focus? Or maybe mix it all up so you don't look at the contacts list and see ~80 heads with the same background.

If you don't have a lot to carry around, I'd go to them. Hopefully, the ceiling and walls are light neutral, so you can bounce your flash. I recommend that you invest a few dollars in a large sheet of white foamcore that you can use in a pinch. Might have to ask someone to hold it for you. (note; your volunteer will not automatically hold it at the correct angle, so a little coaching from you will be in order.) If you go to someplace that is way too dark, then you can suggest that they go with you out into a corridor or someplace where you can get better light on them.

Personally, I would probably not take everybody away from their normal work station, but maybe a few of them where you don't have any good surface on which to bounce your flash. Dragging people all over the building will soon become a major chore, and you'll wear yourself out.

I would try to bounce my flash for every shot, if possible, and ignore the window light unless that makes the light for a few employees. Be sure to set your WB to "flash" for all the flash shots, and "daylight" for anything by a window. Don't mix the two types of lighting. Be sure to set the WB back again when you go to the flash again.

Set your playback to show the histogram, and whenever you change something about the lighting, check the exposure on the histogram. Don't try to judge the exposure by looking at the LCD alone. You can use the thumbnail to check your frame, but that's about all you'll get from that. If you are at any time in doubt of your focus, zoom way in to verify focus. Don't rely on your being able to tell by looking at the thumbnail.

 

[weepete]

Oh, another question: Should I try to use a neutral white/off-white background, something with a little more interest (bookshelves, computer, long hallway) which would be out of focus, or the person's actual work environment (desk, workbench, etc.) which would also be out of focus? Or maybe mix it all up so you don't look at the contacts list and see ~80 heads with the same background.

Could do but as soon as you get into different backgrounds you may need different lighting equipment. Also worth considering that although you may find it boring similar backgrounds can create a consistant look that some people quite like. If you are going for different backgrounds I'd consider trying to use something that's job appropriate too. A background of books may be appropriate for a Lawyer for example, but possibly not for a mechanic where a workshop background might be more appropriate. Also adding different locations brings it's own challanges for lighting them and compositions. At first I'd keep it simple and concentrate on getting the lighting for your subject good. This is a good starting point: Strobist: Lighting 101: Introduction

 

[Christie Photo]

Set your playback to show the histogram, and whenever you change something about the lighting, check the exposure on the histogram. Don't try to judge the exposure by looking at the LCD alone. You can use the thumbnail to check your frame, but that's about all you'll get from that. If you are at any time in doubt of your focus, zoom way in to verify focus. Don't rely on your being able to tell by looking at the thumbnail.

EXCELLENT advise!

-Pete