While I make 99% of my living shooting interiors, I also love doing portraits. No, I’m not Dan Winters, or Platon, or Martin Schoeller, and certainly not Gregory Heisler, but I still like doing it, and I’ve worked very hard over the past couple of years to get my headshot skills up to par. Here’s a dozen of my favorites from 2010! Click to see ‘em bigger.
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Hey Scott,
Tony from Vero workshop here. I love your portrait work – happy to see you posted it. I too love portraits – I feel it separates us from the Amateur “Auto only” shooters that seem to be all over the business these days. Happy Holidays – talk soon!
Tony
Thanks Scott… I notice the key light in many of these are different, some you have the umbrella head height, some it’s lower, some higher. Also the rim light appears to be behind and to the right, sometimes you use as a hair light above. What drives you to place in different locations… client wishes, or particular style for particular type of portrait? When if ever do you use reflectors?
Scott, no hard and fast rules. The key light is slightly above the subject in all of these shots, but them some have hairlights, some have a gridded, (warm) gelled light accent, some have a fill card opposite the key light —- it all depends on the look I have visualized or pre-planned for the shot. I’ve never shot a headshot in which my subject had any concrete ideas on the look, with the exception of #9 above (black and white of man in suit), who is a very accomplished amateur photographer and worked with me on building this shot.
@ Tony — absolutely. Headshots are essential, as far as I’m concerned. You can’t call yourself a chef unless you can scramble an egg; you can’t call yourself a photographer if you can’t churn out a decent headshot.
Gelled accent light, that makes a lot of sense. Maybe the lower light I was referring to is actually your accent light — on this one in particular: http://scotthargisphoto.wordpress.com/2010/12/20/and-now-for-something-completely-different/photographers-choice-2/