Formal Portrait

On February 11, I did a traditional portrait session for Yancy. In this session I focused on getting him nice headshots for professional sites, as well as some nice portraits that showcase his style.

For this session, I used:

Photography Equipment	Props/Miscellaneous
Cannon R6 24-105 mm Lens Transmitter/Trigger 2 Phottix strobes 2 c-stands 1 Backdrop stand 1 grey seamless 1 canvas backdrop Sandbags 2 rectangular soft boxes Eye-light reflector	Chair Stool End table Decanter Rocks Glass

The set up

For this session I shot two basic sets up, one for a headshot and one for traditional full body portraits. The reason I did two set ups was because the client needed two types of photos, headshots for professional websites and then more traditional photos for personal use. Now while the sets of are fairly similar, how they are applied is not.

For the traditional headshot lighting, I used two strobes with grided rectangular soft boxes and an eye-light reflector. The two strobes were positioned across from each other at 45-degree angles and the tilted towards each other the form the edges of a triangle. I then placed the reflector between the strobes to form the bottom of the triangle and angled it towards the subject. My client then stood in front of the reflector in the center of the triangle. It was a very simple set up, and the one shown below.

Set Up

For the more traditional portraits I used the same basic strobe set up but removed the reflector. I also brought in set pieces, to include a leather chair, side table, decanter, and rocks glass. I wanted to lean into the 1950’s Rat Pack look while also taking cues from modern stars such as Billy Porter, Denzel Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson. I went in this direction because, the client’s suit collection as well as his overall style and personality. For the more traditional portraits I moved the lights back and used the left light as the main light and the right light as the fill light. I placed the left light a bit past 45-degrees, raised it up higher while increasing the downward angle of the light. The right light I move to fill the shadows and level out. This was my starting point for the standard portraits, and I moved lights as the session progressed.

Camera Settings

For this session, I used ISO 100 & 125, with an aperture of F4 and F4.5 and a shutter speed of 1/200s. My focal length ranged from 25mm to 105mm, with my most common focal length being 35mm.

The Photos

We did three outfit changes for this session, so he could have a variety of looks, but we spent the most time with a standard suit look. Let’s start with this headshot.

This is a very standard headshot pose, that is warm and personable. I also feel it was a good way for him to warm up and relax in front of the camera. As the session progressed I could him relax and get more into the process. As I tell all my clients the first 10 shots are going to be throwaway shots. The first 10 shots are the let’s get comfortable and learn to relax in front of the camera shots.

From a happy headshot, we go to a more serious look. This is where I added in the props to give the model something to interact with. To get the look I also provided prompts to help get the look, by saying things like “lean forwards slightly, and think like you are about to give some advice.”  I also showed him example photos to show where I was taking the photo. In this photo the left light is the main light and the right light as fill. In the post I did basic edits, removed obvious blemishes, evened out the skin tones, and added a vignette.

These first two photos were in total contrast to the last look of the session which was more casual. In this image I got rid of the leather chair and table, and when with a standard stool to go over a more casual vibe. For this image, the main light was to my right with the left light providing the fill. The right light was about 15 degrees off my right while the left was closer to 45 degrees. In the post I did basic edits, reduced hot spots on the jacket, removed obvious blemishes, evened skin tone, and added a vignette to the final image.

Overall, this was a very productive session that allowed me to provide the client with images that can be used both in a professional and casual settings. I do my best to put the client at ease during my sessions, especially in cases where they are not models and aren’t always fond of being in front of the camera.  I know I did a good job when the client tells me that had fun and felt relaxed in front of the camera.