Home Studio: Head Shots of Brett

Every week working as a freelance photographer in NY brings along all kinds of pictures and jobs. I'm inspired to pursue independent projects and shoot landscapes and random objects. As a journalist, I love photographing moments and people. As I continue to build my business in NY I have tried to master as many types of photography as possible, offering family portraits, nude photo shoots, dance pictures with backdrops with portable lighting, and have continued my journalism and wedding photography as well. I have found that this variety of work keeps me happy and keeps me going for the future. Perhaps I will find a niché one day and will primarily focus in that area, but for now, my niché is variety, and I'm loving it.

Last week I set up a home studio shoot, and a pretty basic one. I was hired to do some head shots for a colleague of mine wanting to potentially change career fields: from an editor to an actor, of sorts. My new assistant, Charles, helped me set up the "studio" in my living room and with a few practice shots with with the various strobes, we were ready to go. I haven't invested in pro-lighting yet, not to say I wouldn't rent it for the right job, but I'm still a firm believer in simplicity. At this point, it's time to invest. But I wanted to share this shoot and demonstrate the possiblities with basic equipment in your home.


Here you can see the "studio" as a whole -- Brett in my living room, against a white backdrop, with a few strobes around and Charles manually controlling the hair light, if you can even call it that when it's held above someone's head and it's only a Canon slave flash. However, I found it effective and proficient for the immediate details and images we were looking to achieve.


Here is one of Brett's shots in black and white, with a serious face. The light seems even and brings out his strong features. I also like his expression here. It's a standard head shot, but a successful one and it's basic. Key features to keep in mind.


Happy smiling Brett -- a nice moment and a strong pose for an actor, at least I would presume. When shooting portraits and/or head shots, it's extremely important to connect with your subject, and find some common ground. The facial expressions and reactions they give will show in your images, so you must master that skill. (Which I am always trying to improve).

After my shoot with Brett I felt good about the images we produced and I think it was a good starting place for him to build a portfolio. As well as a good place for me to start marketing head shots: anyone in need?