Yet Another Friend For C&C

Billhyco · Jul 23, 2009

besides the lighting and the pacman comment... i have to wonder that with the angle you are shooting from and the serious look on his face, if he would have turned his head slightly and looked AT the camera with the same expression, how it would have turned out?

but then again, I have NOOOOOOOO portrait skills and only hope to someday begin to learn more about it. Seems like everywhere I read about portraits there are more rules then fun. Don't do this, don't do that, don't do this....

musicaleCA · Jul 24, 2009

Billhyco said:
besides the lighting and the pacman comment... i have to wonder that with the angle you are shooting from and the serious look on his face, if he would have turned his head slightly and looked AT the camera with the same expression, how it would have turned out?

but then again, I have NOOOOOOOO portrait skills and only hope to someday begin to learn more about it. Seems like everywhere I read about portraits there are more rules then fun. Don't do this, don't do that, don't do this....

Bah, there are rules, and then there's what looks good. I try to stick to the more obvious "rules" (getting the whites of the eyes on both sides of the iris as much as possible; not lighting the face from underneath; bending joints when they can be bent; etc.). FYI, I did get him to look closer to the lens, and directly at the lens, but looking at the images later, it squared his head a little too closely to his shoulders for my liking. Though perhaps had I adjusted my position to meet his gaze as in the photo in this thread...yeah, that could work for sure. Darn. Thanks for getting me thinking.

Baaaark · Jul 24, 2009

The contrast of the bar against the wall is very bright and vivid. It makes me look at it first, and then his head.

And the Ms. Pac Man thing rocks. Don't forget to put a pretzel or cherry on there too!

wockawockawockawockawockawockawockawockawockawockawockawockawockawockawockawockawockawockawockawockawockawockawockawocka

BWOOOWOOOWOOOO (Dying sound)

Misfitlimp · Jul 24, 2009

musicaleCA said:
You mean that little dimple? I wasn't sure if he wanted it removed or not. Not terribly difficult though; could have that gone in two seconds with the heal brush.

Is there anything to say compositionally? Or in terms of lighting?

It looks like frankenstiens shadows in the background

benlonghair · Jul 24, 2009

Not a bad shot, but I think with a very dark shirt on I would have put him against something that's not quite as large a contrast. In my opinion, you lose something when you trade detail on your subject (the sweater) for detail or proper exposure on the background.

Also kundalini, I find G&T to have the same effect as tequilla and be more refreshing on a hot day. But that's just me.

three_eyed_otter · Jul 24, 2009

Shadow has got to go, as has been said...I really think if this is for acting gigs in front of a camera you may go for better camera interaction shots and not worry about the squareness of his head. Heck, if John Malkovich can get work w/his melon then so can this guy. Perhaps, see if you can't get something more candid like a "staged" readthrough. In the end, I just think in order to best pitch this guy he needs photos that can best express expression and not the deep-thought-ponder-off-into-the-distance-from-the-stairwell-look.

have a good one
3Eo

Big Mike · Jul 24, 2009

The biggest issue for me, is that it's not drawing any interest. He's looking off-camera and his hand/body language are sort of willy nilly.

Especially for 'head shots', you want the subject to draw the viewer in...and eye contact is the best way to do that. Looking off camera, when the shot is supposed to be about him, portrays a lack of confidence...or something like that.

c.cloudwalker · Jul 24, 2009

I don't find headshots very interesting as photos but, honestly, that is not their point.

1/ Don't try and make artsy headshots. Headshots are about a person, not about a photo. Also, they are called headshots because that is usually all you see in the photo. The head should take up most of the frame space. Some people back up a bit but if I see a belt, I will not call that shot a headshot.

2/ Make sure the subject looks straights at the camera. That is a MUST. Think of the purpose of the headshot. It is to introduce yourself (the subject) to a potential buyer of your face/talent. When you introduce yourself in person, you look the other person in the eye, don't you?

3/ The subject should be smiling. Once again, the subject is trying to sell him/herself. A smile will help achieve that more than a frown.

4/ Background should be as plain as can be. Does not need to be a solid color but it should be quite plain.

5/ No shadows. Part of the reason those photos are so boring is that you want a fairly even light.

Those were the basics when I was doing them years ago. From what I've seen recently, it seems like the main difference is that today they are mostly color. I am sure you'll find more if you Google "headshots" but those few rules should get you on your way. Headshots are technically easy to shoot and if you are in a movie or theater town, it could be a nice little income.

Bitter Jeweler: I don't know how you saw that pacman but, I agree, once you do see it, it is annoying as hell. :lol:

musicaleCA · Jul 24, 2009

Hah, yeah, Vancouver is definitely has one heck of a film and theatre industry going.

Okay, okay, now to prove that yes, he got his headshots, here, have a headshot (the original was more about me futzing with light).

(Darn wrinkles under the eyes could do with a little more PP...)

Big Mike · Jul 24, 2009

Way too much dead space for a head shot. Crop it tightly around his head.

c.cloudwalker · Jul 24, 2009

musicaleCA said:
Hah, yeah, Vancouver is definitely has one heck of a film and theatre industry going.

Okay, okay, now to prove that yes, he got his headshots, here, have a headshot (the original was more about me futzing with light).

Oops! Just reread your original post and I don't know how I got to thinking this was about headshots by the time I got to the end of the thread. Oh well, maybe somebody else learned something interesting about headshots. :lol:

Hey, have you ever heard of Washington DC being a movie mecca? Well it is (actually I should say it used to be since I have not been there in a while so who knows today) but very few people outside the business knew it because those were not movies that came out in theaters.

I try not to assume too much of anything. Life has this funky way of surprising us often enough.

musicaleCA · Jul 24, 2009

No, I hadn't heard that. Cool!

Mike, point; thanks. (I was framing wider than I would normally to leave room for cropping later; I probably just didn't think about it. I churned these photos out after three days of fighting with Photoshop, and finally reformatting my computer just to get the darn program working again. >.< )