DEMO of
HEADSHOT

  
 

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  This sequence was shot as a sample demo for doing "Headshots" for model or acting talent. Lights used were Norman 2400 WS powerpack using so-called "clam shell" lighting, i.e. "Paramount" light main with lower Fill.
  1. Main/Key Light (Softbox)
  2. Fill Light (Softbox)
  3. Hair/Kicker (Snoot )
  4. Background (22" Beauty Dish)
The first first frame was a test of main and hair placement and shot without any fill.  The Main was a little high creating a long nose shadow.  It was also a little close so there was not enough light on the model's chin.

The main was pulled back a little and lowered for the next shots and the fill was turned on.

 

Here is the basic shot from the camera. 

It is tighter and also cropped for more of a standard aspect ratio.

I did not notice it in the camera's monitor when shooting for the class, but the camera (the school's) had been set to a specific color temp based on hot lights.  Once I saw it in the computer it obviously needed fixing but I chose to wait for the final edit 2 steps below.

 

Here is the shot after basic portrait editing was done to smooth out the tonalities using levels and curves, then soften the skin and enhance the eyes,

Now it is time to get serious.  The color was corrected,  hair was brightened, and because the grey background seemed out of place in this color version, it was replaced with an earth tone circular gradient that brought out the model's coloring and provided a nice vignette at the same time..

Since many Head Shots are done in B&W, I thought it appropriate to also show one.  This example was made from the final color shot above. 

It is almost always better to do your B&W conversion based on a good color rendition since you have so many more options for control of the image.

Total computer editing time was about 45 minutes.

   

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