Guide to Head and Shoulders Portrait Photography

128 Pages·2009·8.19 MB·English

by  Jeff Smith

Head
jeff smith s
’
and
guide to
Shoulders
portrait photography
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION 3. Clothing Selection ........................24
Why Head and Shoulders Portraits Sell ..........6 ClothingGuidelines ..........................24
LongSleeves .............................24
1. Creating Portraits by Design ................7 BlackandWhiteClothing ...................24
It’sAboutThem,NotYou ......................7
MeetingYourClients’NeedsandDesires ...........8
BusinessandCommunication ...................12
CreatingWhattheClientDesires ................12
MeetingClientDesiresMeansMakingMoney ......13
2. Tools of the Trade ........................14
ThinkCreatively.............................15
CameraSelection ............................16
CameraSettings .............................16
JPEGFileFormatintheStudio ...............16
CustomWhiteBalance ...................16
ConsistentExposures ....................17
OccasionsforShootingRAWFiles ............18
LensSelection ..............................18
CameraSupport .............................19
SubjectSeating..............................21
AFan ...................................21
Backgrounds ...............................22
WorkwithanAssistant ........................22
BeautyProducts .............................23
FoodandBeverages ..........................23
MoretoCome... ...........................23
CommonProblems ..........................26 UsingCompleteSets .........................33
PoorFit .................................27 MovingAhead ..............................36
WrongUndergarments .....................27
UnkemptClothing ........................27 5. Lighting ................................37
Jewelry ...................................27 LightingSkillsEvolve .........................37
ANoteonEquipment ........................37
4. Background Selection .....................28 LightingDescriptions .........................37
TwoSchoolsofThought ......................28 AuxiliaryLights .............................38
CoordinatingwiththeImageDesign .............29 Low-KeySetups ..........................38
Contrast ................................29 BackgroundLight .......................38
Color...................................31 HairLight .............................39
LinesandTexture .........................32 AdditionalAccentHairLights ..............40
ReflectorUndertheSubject ...............40
High-KeySetups ..........................40
BackgroundLight .......................40
FillLight ..................................41
MainLight .................................42
DistancetotheSubject .....................42
HeightandAngle .........................42
AnIndividualizedApproach .................43
SizeoftheLight ..........................44
LightModifiers ...........................44
FeatheringtheLight .......................44
TestYourLightingTools ......................44
ConsiderUniqueSources ......................47
Parabolics ...............................47
Spotlights ...............................49
LightingforClose-Ups .......................51
ButterflyLighting .........................51
RingLighting ............................55
You’reSellingMemories ......................55
6. Posing..................................57
TheHeadandFace ..........................57
TheFaceTurnedTowardtheMainLight .......57
LowertheChin,LosetheCatchlights ..........58
ThePositionoftheEyes ....................58
TheTiltoftheHead .......................60
TheTraditionalRules ....................62
TheRealRule ..........................62
LongHair .............................64
FortheGuys ...........................65
4JEFFSMITH’SGUIDETOHEADANDSHOULDERSPORTRAITPHOTOGRAPHY
TheNeck ...............................65
TheShouldersandArms ......................66
TheShoulders ............................66
TheArms ...............................67
TheHands .................................70
TheExpression .............................72
Mirroring ...............................73
ThePerfectSmile .........................74
CorrectivePosing ............................78
Don’tRelyonDigitalFixes ..................78
ExplainingProblemswithTact ...............80
CommonProblemsandSolutions .............81
DoubleChin ...........................81
WideorNarrowFaces ....................82
Ears ..................................82
Noses ................................83
Eyes .................................83 Don’tTrytoPleaseEveryone .................111
Eyeglasses .............................83 TakeControlofYourBusiness .................112
Baldness ..............................85
LargerBodySize ........................85 9. Postproduction .........................114
PosingStyles ...............................86 DelegatePostproduction .....................114
BusinessorYearbookPoses ..................86 StandardizeYourProcedures ..................116
RestingPoses ............................87 OurApproachtoEnhancement ................116
GlamorousPoses ..........................89 TheSkin ...............................116
ShowMoreoftheBackground..................92 TheEyes ...............................117
Variations ..................................93 Shadowing .............................117
BeObservant ...............................97 AndThat’sIt! ...........................117
OurApproachtoCorrection ..................117
7. Working on Location ......................98 LookforSimpleFixes .....................117
CoordinatingtheClothingandtheLocation .......98 ForHeavySubjects .......................117
IncludingtheBackground ....................100 Liquify ..............................117
Lighting ..................................102 Stretching ............................117
SkiptheOn-CameraFlash ..................102 Vignetting ..............................118
StudioFlash ............................103 ClientsPayforOtherCorrections ............120
Reflectors ..............................104 PreventCopying ...........................120
LookattheSubject’sEyes ..................106 AddYourLogo ..........................120
InShort... ..............................106 AddTexturetothePrints ..................121
StopSellingSinglePortraits .................122
8. Customer Service .......................107
DonkeysandLapdogs .......................107 In Closing ................................123
EstablishaMutuallyBeneficialRelationship .......109
DefineYourMarket .........................110 Index ....................................124
TABLEOFCONTENTS5
Introduction
Why Head and Shoulders Portraits Sell
T hisisthetenthbookIhavewritten,andIthinkitisoneofthemostim-
portantforthemajorityofphotographers.Almost70percentofthesales
inmystudio(andthisisthecasewithmanyothersphotographersIhavetalked
to)aregeneratedfromheadandshouldersportraits.Yet,whilethisonetypeof
portrait often makes up the bulk of the income for a studio, many photogra-
phers look at head and shoulders portraits as the portraits that “have to be
done”forthemothers,grandmothers,yearbooks,andbusinesscards—thepor- The most requested
traitstheyhavetogetoutofthewaysotheycangettothemoreexcitingfull-
portraits are the
lengthposes.
In the senior-portrait market, the full-length pose is often looked at as the close-up shots, not the
waytosetyourselfapartfromthecontractedstudiothattypicallydoesn’toffer
full-length poses.
this type of image. Yet, while we offer everything to every client, the most re-
quested portraits are the close-up shots that we will be discussing shortly, not
thefull-lengthposes.Andastheaveragesizeofourclientsseemstokeepget-
tinglarger,Ican’timaginethisisatrendthatisgoingtochange.Atightclose-
upofthefacecanbealoteasierontheegothanafull-lengthimage.
Keepinmind,Ilookataheadandshouldersimageasanimagewithalarger
facialsizethatiscroppedsomewhereabovethewaistline(atleastinmostcases).
Youwillfindthat,indealingwithyourclients,thefacialsizeismuchmoreim-
portant in most images than exactly where the portrait is cropped. As you’ll
see, I often pose a subject for a full or three-quarter length pose that can also
becomposedasabeautifulclose-up.Looserframingforayearbookorbusiness
portrait(slightlyabovethewaist)alsogivesmecroppingoptionsthatframing
atthetopoftheshouldersdoesnot.
Intheupcomingchapters,wearegoingtolookateachaspectofdesigning
a head and shoulders portrait that not only looks beautiful but pleases your
clients.Thatisthekeytosuccessinphotography—whateverkindofportraityou
specializeincreating.
6JEFFSMITH’SGUIDETOHEADANDSHOULDERSPORTRAITPHOTOGRAPHY
1. Creating Portraits by Design
It’s About Them, Not You
To design an effective, salable portrait you must understand many factors and
make many decisions. The first and most important consideration is one that
manyyoungphotographerscompletelyoverlook—andit’swhysomanyofthem
nevermakeittobeanoldphotographerlikeme.Themostimportantconsid-
Success in portrait photography is about
erationindesigningaportraitisthepersonyouaredesigningtheportraitfor.
deliveringwhatyourclientswant.
If you don’t understand precisely what their expectations of the portrait are,
you’llneverbeabletomeetthoseexpectations.
Judging by the e-mails I receive, this approach—my philosophy of putting
business decisions (like pleasing the client) above the personal artistic choices
thatImightotherwisemake—causesconcernamongsomeyoungerphotogra-
phersandphotographyteachers.Manyoftheseyoungerphotographersremind
meofwhenmyhigh-school-agesoncommentedthathewasgoingtoownhis
ownbusinessbecausehedidn’twantabosstellinghimwhattodoallthetime.
Iexplainedtohimthat,tobeasuccessfulbusinesspersonandownacompany,
you don’t just have one person telling you what to do, you have every person
walking through your door telling you what to do. If you are going to keep
your business running, you had better listen and make it your highest priority
togiveeachclientwhattheytrulywant.
It’snotaboutus,it’saboutthem.Ifyouhaveahardtimewiththatconcept,
Icanguaranteethatyouwillfinditnearlyimpossibletobesuccessfulinthispro-
fession.TheideasIpresentherearetakenfromasuccessfulworkingstudiothat
hasbeeninbusinessforovertwenty-threeyears.Thatsaid,allanyphotographer
(myselfincluded)reallyknowsiswhatisworkingforhisorherclientsinthearea
theyworkin.SoIencourageyoutotesttheseideas;usetheideasthatworkand
throwoutthosethatdon’t.
Meeting Your Clients’ Needs and Desires
What does the client expect and why is he or she having the portrait done?
When someone hires you to take a portrait there is a need, and that need has
createdadesire.Withoutaneedandadesire,apersonwillnotcallyourstudio.
Once they do call, if you cannot meet that need and fulfill the client’s desires,
you will not be a successful professional photographer. While some photogra-
phers take the time to talk with a client and understand what they desire and
what need the portrait will be fulfilling, many simply meet the client in the
What has actually
camera room and go through that photographer’s favorite ten poses. If that
doesn’t make the client happy, it must mean that they were a difficult client!
happened is a failure of
Whathasactuallyhappened,however,isafailureofcommunicationthatleaves
neither party happy;the clientdoesn’tlike their images andthe photographer communication that
doesn’tliketheirsalesfigures.
leaves neither party
Let’slookintothedayofaphotographerwhodoesn’tconcernhimselfwith
theneedsanddesiresofhisclients.Thedoorsofthestudioopenandthefirst
happy.
sessionisanattractivewomaninherthirties.Shesayssheisthereforaheadshot
andhasavarietyofclothingforthephotographertolookat.Hefiguresthata
womanthisagewhocomesinforaheadshotwithavarietyofblazers,proba-
bly needs a business portrait. The client doesn’t seem thrilled with the shoot,
butthephotographerassumessheisjustareservedperson.Thirtyminuteslater
heisdoneandthewomanisonherwaytotheviewingroom.
8JEFFSMITH’SGUIDETOHEADANDSHOULDERSPORTRAITPHOTOGRAPHY
Thenextsessionisusheredintothecameraroom.She’sastunningtwenty-
If you want to please your clients—and
makealivinginthisbusines—youhaveto two-year-old girl. She tells the photographer that she wants a photo from the
startwiththeendinmind.
waist up and she also has a variety of clothing. The photographer notices that
mostofheroutfitsconsistoflowcuttopsandshortskirts.Notingthatsheisa
shapelywoman,heassumesthatsheisdoingphotographsforaloveinterestand
selectstheclothingaccordingly.Sincesheisjust“socute”(andsomuchofher
was showing), he decides to take some extra photos for his sample books. He
runsoverthesession’sscheduledtimebutfeelsitwasworthit,becausenowhe
canputnewsamplesinhisbooksandmaybeanewsampleonthewall.
The third woman is a little unhappy because she is starting her session 35
minutes late. She’s a refined-looking woman in her fifties. She looks very suc-
cessfulandthe only thingshe says is thatshe wants nothingthatshows below
thewaistandnothingtooclose-uptoshowherwrinkles.Thiswomanalsohas
clothing,butitisallverytrendyforawomanherageandquitecasual.Thisone
hasthephotographerreallyconfused,buthethinksthathewillgothroughhis
mostpopularposesandshewilllikesomething.
Ineachofthesescenarios,thephotographermadelogicalassumptionsgiven
thelimitedinformationhehadtodrawon.Unfortunately,theclientinsession
CREATINGPORTRAITSBYDESIGN9
LEFTANDFACINGPAGE—Inthisseriesofim-
ages, we filled the need and the desire of
each of our fictional clients in the above
scenarios(althoughthisyoungladyisofa
differentagethanthoseintheexamples).
WhatClient1got. WhatClient1wanted.
WhatClient2got. WhatClient2wanted.
numberoneactuallywantedanalluringportraitforherhusband(thatwasher
The photographer
need) and was slightly embarrassed about telling the male photographer her
ideas.Sinceshewearssuitseachdayinherbusiness,shethoughtherhusband
didn’t meet her desire,
wouldfinditsexyifsheactedasthoughshewasremovingtheblazertoshow
herbareshoulders(thatwasherdesire).Sheisn’tasthinassheusedtobeand so no sale resulted
felt that showing as little of her as possible would be the most flattering. The
from session one.
photographerdidn’tmeetherdesire,sonosaleresultedfromsessionone.
In session two, the young lady had just received her real-estate license and
wantedaportraitforherbusinesscards.Shehadnoprofessionalclothing,soshe
10JEFFSMITH’SGUIDETOHEADANDSHOULDERSPORTRAITPHOTOGRAPHY