Actors Headshots

donkeymusic

donkeymusic

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Carlo
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Evening,

I have been asked to do some actors headshots, something i have fancied but not got round to it previously, however now i have the opportunity.

So what i was wondering if the headshots are being shot in the studio whats the best set up?

I was thinking either, a hair light and then a flash head with a beauty dish direct in front with possible a fill light to catch some light in the eyes.

Or an over head flash, shooting down onto a triflector and still a fill light for the eyes,

Or would i need something totally different?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks
 
Not trying to say "why don't you do a search?" but there was a thread about this a while back (maybe in the people and portraits section?) with some really good advice.

IIRC there's a standard formula that Equity like.
 
I did use the search function first, thanks for pointing that out.

I didn't see anything that related to my question hence my post.

Cheers
 
had a look at the link but no mention of kit that should be used, can any advise?

thanks
 
This will really depend on the style you are going for and the kind of look the actor wants. If it is the typical fresh faced look, then get the MUA to do a clean look, then use one key light (does not really matter what here) and maybe one hair or side light to separate from the background and then use a fill as needed. The typical clean look is mostly trying to emulate window light, so if you can do this during the day with actual window light, it might be better.

If they want the more Hollywood glam look you will need to get the light to falloff quite a bit. If you are far enough away from the background this can be done with gridded octo or similar, but if you don't have much space to work with you will need something like a focusing spot as your key and one hair light with a yellow gel.
 
If you where to shoot headshots and wanted B/W .. is there any advantage to shooting in B/W over reducing colours in software?
 
donkeymusic said:
had a look at the link but no mention of kit that should be used, can any advise?

thanks
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The guidelines to work to are here (this link was also given on the other thread). Beyond this you'll need to figure out between yourself and the actor in question what style you want to do that will meet the requirements, and from that work backwards to the kit required.
 
FranchiseJuan said:
If you shoot in RAW then not really, if you are shooting in Jpeg, then WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SHOOTING IN JPEG!?!?!!? :p
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because RAW is for people who cant get it right in JPG so need a safety net :) But thats a different story...

So software just as good. ta:)
 
KIPAX said:
because RAW is for people who cant get it right in JPG so need a safety net :) But thats a different story...

So software just as good. ta:)
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What I mean is that if you definitely know the look you want then it is fine to shoot in jepg, but if the client then comes back and says that they don't want B&W then you can't really go back to colour. This is why as much as I can get it right in camera, I will still shoot in RAW.

All the colour modes that you have in camera are easy to apply in post, this is especially true for Lightroom users who can apply them during import.
 
trying to work out if i should use a beauty dish on front of the client or if i should be using a flash head above the client with the triflector to light the rest of the face.
 
don't use dramatic studio lighting
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All I want is a photo that looks like them when they walk into the room
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Nice soft light source coming over one of your shoulders. This isn't art it's a nice representation of the person.

Beauty dish can look nice but would probably be too dramatic.
 
if i was taking it in a studio, how would it not be dramatic, what could i do to make it less dramatic?

thanks
 
donkeymusic said:
so not a studio light then?
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I'm not sure what you mean by a studio light.

"Big soft light" = window or kino or B&Q work light with several layers of scrim or flash head with a big softbox or similar
 
sorry i meant a studio flash head with a large softbox which is what i use in the studio
 
Alastair said:
Great work.. but are any of them really suitable for an actors portfolio headshot? or for Spotlight which sets the standard for casting shots.
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This is the 1st paragraph on the link you posted........


"First and foremost, an actor should choose a photo which LOOKS LIKE THEM! It's often worth asking a friend who will give an honest opinion, rather than flatter you. The image should be true to life and hopefully carry some indication of your style / personality / type / character" - Janie Frazer, Janie Frazer Casting

Therefore I think Mr Shipman has done exactly that.
 
tiler65 said:
This is the 1st paragraph on the link you posted........


"First and foremost, an actor should choose a photo which LOOKS LIKE THEM! It's often worth asking a friend who will give an honest opinion, rather than flatter you. The image should be true to life and hopefully carry some indication of your style / personality / type / character" - Janie Frazer, Janie Frazer Casting

Therefore I think Mr Shipman has done exactly that.
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Maybe I have the unfair advantage, I've seen copies of Spotlight..


Read further.. in many of his shots (I take it we're both referring to the celebrity shots) half the face is in such deep shadow it's not visible.

The John Malkovich shot could be cropped to the right format and is lit appropriately.

The Richard Griffiths shot would be marginal if he was an unknown actor (his hand obscure too much of his face.

Dennis Healey, doubtful as too much of the face can't be distinguished due to the shadow. The Alan Bleasdale shot is even worse (as an actors headshot for portfolio purposes).

Rupert Graves, bit of an extreme crop to get a head and shoulders, might be easier if we were trying to cast a grave memorial.

Keanu Reeves - probably the shot of the bunch to copy for an actors headshot. It's recognisable, all the features are distinguishable, and it's a head and shoulders shot without needing a crop.

Jeremy Brett - close, but compared to the Keanu Reeves shot it could really use more fill for a more even light that shows all the features in a natural and clear manner.

Most of the others can be rejected as not being head and shoulder shots, they'd need to be drastically cropped.

These are all stunning shots, but if you are tasked with producing a headshot portfolio for an actor, you really need to understand and meet the brief exactly - not nearly.

Do a Google image search for "actor headshot". That's what's needed.
 
tiler65 said:
....http://steveshipmanphotography.com/celebrity-portraits-steve-shipman-london-portrait-photography/
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Great photos but just questioning whether they're 'over lit' - -i.e. deep shadows obscuring certain facial features. There are some wonderful portraits in that selection though, no doubt about that. Really liking the Robbie Coltrane shot and the shot of Keanu Reeves, although both these probably fall foul of the crop that is mentioned in that Spotlight document.

I'll offer up my view on lighting; A single light on the subject, not too narrowly angled so there is shadow but it doesn't dominate. Maybe position a reflector the other side just to fill some of the shadow if it ends up being too dense. Don't kill the mood but give it some clarity so when the images are being viewed, it's clear to see what the person looks like. Background is a personal choice - maybe a grey gradient from the opposite direction (i.e. key light from left, background light from right) so the highlight on the face is against a darker area of background and any shaow on the face rests against a lighter background area.

Just food for thought..... :)

This is probably as close to a traditional actor's headshot as I've come:


Richard by Pat MacInnes, on Flickr
 
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