Headshots for Medical Residency Application

These are fun usually brief sessions for me. Folks like Nino Isakadze from Soviet Georgia come and see me this time of year. Our goal is just one killer headshot. The doctors, yes they are MDs when they enter residency, upload these shots to an online nationwide system. Medical Residents can land just about anywhere in the US. It was wonderful meeting Nino and getting to hear some of her story.

Branding Musician Corae Harris

Corae Harris is CEO of CNote Musik Group and a fantastic R&B singer himself. Corae seeks to put out a positive message with his music. At the same time he's looking to develop talent in others and bring their gifts to the worldwide stage.

Nadja - Atlanta Business Headshot

Katja Biesca is an intern at Porsche North America. She was referred to me for her Atlanta professional headshot by another intern at Porsche. Both are from Germany. Katja (prounounced Katia) has an infectious smile and it was so nice working with her. Love the results. 

Luke Badura - Atlanta Acting Headshots

Luke Badura is a dancer and actor who is pursuing stage and theater. Luke is a natural in front of the camera.

Bradley Dean - Headshots For App Developer Extraordinaire

Bradley Dean is an Atlanta based app developer. He also rides a bike for 100's of miles a week. You can check out Bradley on his website TrueGeek.com I think one of the more interesting things about Brad is how he has turned adversity into an app that is helping 1,000's migraine sufferers. Bradley noticed how barometric pressure factored into his own sufferings and created an app that would alert him to the conditions that often find him in pain to the point of being bed ridden. Knowing it's coming helps him and others prepare and manage their condition much better than before.

Developer Headshots Atlanta

Bradley Dean is a App Developer who came to me for Atlanta Headshots

Developer Headshots Atlanta

Bradley Dean is a App Developer who came to me for Atlanta Headshots

Developer Headshots Atlanta

Bradley Dean is a App Developer who came to me for Atlanta Headshots

TK Haile - Acting Headshots

Acting sessions are always my favorite just because they do naturally what you try to get most people to do. That is relax and make an unselfconcious connection with the camera. To meet the lenses gaze without the slightest hint of nervousness or self doubt. TK had this and more and it was so much fun working with him.

Acting Headshot TK Haile

Acting Headshot TK Haile

Acting Headshot TK Haile

Acting Headshot TK Haile

Acting Headshot TK Haile

Acting Headshot TK Haile

Lighting For Headshots

I had a friend looking at canvas prints of my family that I had shot. She said something very interesting, "I like where you put the shadows." It was such an interesting turn of phrase. I do use shadow in portrait work. There are times when a huge flat light with very little shadow is just the right thing. If you're shooting an actor in their early 20's for instance. You can hardly go wrong. However, the vast majority of people benefit greatly by well placed shadows.

Your headshot should be about your face in the best light possible. That varies from person to person. Lighting is really about the shape of your face. Are we trying to slim, widen, accent, or otherwise mitigate some issue? There are occasions when we want a "clever" lighting setup and you look great in that light. The lighting really just depends on your intentions for your image and the circumstances we are working in.

Studio Lighting

When you come to me in the studio I might try 2 or 3 lighting set ups along with variations on each to see what suits you best. Often folks look good in a couple different set ups.

Lighting on Location

If you're hiring me to shoot 30 of your people in a day and they range in age from 25 to 65 time usually becomes a limiting factor. So depending on your ceiling height and room dimensions our options get limited. Fear not there are some setups that suit most everyone with minimal adjustments.

Lighting Patterns

There are many ways to light a person. For the purposes of this article with respects to headshots I think it's most useful to consider two basic lighting "patterns". Both patterns are named by the shadow the nose casts.  An overhead light in line with the camera lens creates a shadow under the nose. We call this butterfly lighting as the nostril's shadow looks like butterfly wings. Moving the light to the side and closer to the camera we move the nose shadow to the side and down and it creates a loop. This is called loop lighting. In loop lighting there is an open loop and a closed loop. For headshots we most always use an open loop. There some variation inside just those two choices. You can use different size lights to create harder or softer shadows. You can use fill lights to fill in shadows. You can add accent lights to accent hair or other features. Here are some samples.

Most everyone will look good lit with loop lighting. It's a go to for location work. Depending on your ceiling height we can use a medium to 7 foot modifier.

Accent Lighting

Below is an example of accent lighting. I use accent lighting in the studio quite a bit in different ways. Usually I'm looking for highlights on the cheeks. The success of the accent lights depends on the shape of the subject's face and if there's an effect we're going for. For instance if I'm shooting an image to composite I might need to use accent lights to match the "backplate" of the composite. I would also consider a hair light an accent light. I seldom use a hairlight. If I was in a dark room with a high ceiling I might use a hair light. Most often photographers have their hairlight too hot in my opinion. It's distracting. I find if I'm shooting in a room with a white ceiling that's 10 feet or lower I don't need one.

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Butterfly Lighting - named by the butterfly shaped shadow under the nose. Without accent lights this lighting can have a slimming effect and also casts a nice shadow under the chin. The shadow under the chin can be controlled a couple of different ways according to tastes. 

Loop Lighting - For shooting a number of single subjects in the same day this is the set up I recommend. The light is moved towards the side which pushes the shadow down the nasal fold of the face. Loop lighting puts a portion of the face in shadow. By turning the shadow side of the face more towards the camera we can create more shadow and effectively slim the face down effectively. 

Butterfly lighting with edge or accent lighting from behind. On this particular subject it works to a degree as an effect. I don't think it's as flattering as leaving the accent lights off. I think the shape of his face benefits more from no accent lighting.

This is another example of loop lighting. This image has more contrast than most business headshots. I think it works for him. He's young and handsome so most lighting set ups are going to work for him.

Thanks for reading this post. Lighting is critical in a headshot. A loop lighting set up on location seems to suit everyone. Adjusting the fill light and adding or subtracting shadows is almost always what I suggest. I love doing different types of shoots though and I'm open to ideas and experimenting as the situation permits.

Kenzie Lane - Clutch - Headshots For Start-Up

Laura Boring of Kenzie Lane and Clutch wanted to use the office environment for thier headshots. I thought "yeah right" maybe there's a cool wall but... Well was I wrong! When you walk into Kenzie Lane it looks like the cool rich kid's basement whose graduation party you attended. Exposed brink, hanging Edison bulbs, polished cement floors, open exposed drop ceilings (break out the 7 foot octa box), no desks, no offices to speak of really, and all on the top floor of a Buckhead highrise with a 360 degree view of Atlanta. I love the outcome and I love how these shots came out. It got me thinking what oppurtunities other folks are missing if they want something different. Just a few ideas, a nearby park especially if you're downtown, the green space at your office, your building lobby, a nearby hotel with a balcony, or maybe an Air Bnb that would provide great background ops. Well here's a few of Kenzie Lane's folks.

Business Headshot Design for Marketing Directors

Unifying Elements

Tripp Rackley CEO of Kenzie Lane

How are you're going to design your headshots for your company? Different companies have different needs and most companies want uniformity of some sort to their shots. The essential elements of uniformity are: 

• Background
• Dress
• Framing
• Style
• Lighting

Real Estate Agent specializing in Midtown Condominiums

Backgrounds For Your Headshots

This varies from company to company along with what they do. I usually find myself in a conference room, table shoved to one side, a gray paper sweep on the wall, and then we go to work. If you're in the money business this may be just what you need. It's a serious stable presentation of your people. It's legit and professional. Here's some other choices.

Outdoor

Kari Hess of United Capital in her office park

Spring and early Fall here in Atlanta work well. You'll want to start shooting first thing in the morning before the wind picks up and it gets hot. I think this is a great solution. The background varies slightly throughout the day and even with every shot yet it's outdoor so it's uniform. It's a bright fresh feel good look.

Your Office Space

Paige Todd of Kenzie Lane Start Up Specialist

If you're in a creative space this is a great way to go. I shot "Clutch" a Kenzie Lane start up. Their office looks like a cool rich kids basement. No cubicles, 20 and 30 foot lines of sight. Hanging incandescent bulbs, brick walls, exposed beams, polished cement floors, etc... all on the highest floor of a Buckhead high rise. Target rich environment.

Other Options For Backgrounds

What about a rooftop or balcony? It's worth talking to the building manager about it. Maybe your building lobby? Or how about renting and Air BnB with a great view or balcony. What about a hotel lobby? A nearby park downtown within walking distance of your office.

Another alternative is a "stock" background which is composited in. It's a good solution. It's not without challenges but I'm surprised at how well it works. 

Dress For Your Headshots

This is highly personalized for each office. My recommendation to the marketing director is to have people bring in their clothing choices ahead of time for approval. Ask both men and women to get their jackets tailored. . 

There are offices who don't normally wear jackets who want headshots with jackets. This is problematic. I've seen 20 something men share the same jacket among 5 or 6 guys. If you have them bring in their jackets a day ahead you'll avoid that. 
 

Cropping and framing Your Headshots

It's best to stay shoulders up. It hides 90% of all folks objections to their picture being taken - their body. Woman should not wear a low cut blouse, dress, or shirt. It limits cropping options and how strong the shot can be from a composition standpoint. On occasion marketing people feel strongly that they want their people shot waist up. It's a game changer. It doesn't look right without hands in frame. So now you've added several more variables into the process. Waist up shots look great but they just take longer. 

Stylizing Your Headshots

This has to do with all the elements combined for the most part. What comes to mind is processing though. So black and white, or black and white that turn color on a mouse roll over. There's some web design that comes into play here. If you're in a creative space you could also stylize a shot by adding a pencil drawing effect that turns photo on rollover. Or a "cross processed" look with yellow in the highlights and cyan in the shadows. The possibilities are really endless. I would say this is more for people who are creatives. Stylizing a shot will date it because that's just the nature of style. Style comes and goes. For most business headshots people don't want to get too creative because they're not looking to have the employees shot every two years even. They want the headshot to last 5 years or more and styling the shot will date it.

Lighting

It surprises me how much the lighting can vary if your dress and background remain constant. You can vary the lighting a bit. This is worthy of it's own article. In general let me say this: Your headshot is about your face. It's not about my lighting. Different lighting flatters different people for different reasons. Now if you need 60 headshots in a day you need to have a "one size fits all" lighting. You need a lighting set up that looks good on everyone. Generally speaking this will be a "loop lighting" set up. I'll be posting another article on lighting design soon. Thanks for your interest in my headshots!