Tips & Tricks
How You Shot It – Clean Headshot by Chris Holtmeier
This is a shooting tutorial that was submitted by Chris Holtmeier in the SLR Lounge Forum.
Shooting a clean, simple headshot may seem like a no-brainer, but what is really important here is knowing what kind of lighting works best with your subject and the intended use of the photo. In this photo, Chris utilized a combination of a beauty dish off-axis to add dimensionality with the shadows, and a reflector fill to keep the shadows very light. This softer light is a great look for a person of her age who wants to look vibrant and engaging, and for what she is going to use the photos for, which is for promo materials.
It is important to not only know your lighting, but also to know which specific lighting technique works best for which scenario. That is why we chose Chris’s lighting tutorial for this “How You Shot It” article.
This is a headshot created for Kymi, a wonderful local artist. She wanted a clean look to use for the promo materials associated with her gallery works and speaking engagements.
Camera: Canon 5D mkII
Lens: Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM Lens
Shutter: 1/200th sec
Aperture: F5.6
ISO: 100
Lighting set-up was very simple. A 27″ beauty dish is set above and just off camera left, and a white reflector is placed camera right for fill. The background is just a white wall, blown pure white by a strobe with a 7″ reflector. Background strobe was directly behind her.
An X-rite ColorChecker was used for white balance and color profile, and the Lightroom 4 Preset System was used for post-production.
My name is Chris Holtmeier, and my site is foton-foto.com. Thanks, and let me know if you need any more info.
nice headshot
And for those asking about this shot in particular, look at the catchlights in her eyes. The main light is to her right and up, looks like a 45. This also causes the shadow under her chin. Shadows like that look great on men but women should have a more even light. It shows more radiance.
As per advice from Peter Hurley, Lights should be either clam shell or if you are doing a setup like showin the the article, even with the ears.
No grid or sock on the dish, as I wanted the spill to light the reflector. Dish was above the subject, facing down at an approximate 45 degree angle.
Grid or sock on the BD?
Very clean shot. Could you describe the vertical angle of the beauty dish?
All I need now is a beauty dish. Will be a DIY from a Ikea foto lamp!