Instructional videos cover a range of topics. At bottom they are a means of truncating the learning curve for those unable or unwilling to spend the time gathering the experience.
Hurley's video opens up the real aspects of doing the work of running a headshot business.
As for the price he is asking, it is a personal decision but my feeling is that those with a fair amount of experience will see the truth of its content but not see it as advancing their craft too much. Those struggling can derive significant benefit so long as they abandon the notion that success is wholly dependent on gear and a cool trick.
Those serious about learning will get more out of Hurley's DVD than those less committed.
How about his following dvd : "Illuminating the Face" ?
I want to know if there are many lighting techniques he shared on the dvd and how thorough he explained them.
I bought the DVD and thought it was well worth the price. To me, the real value of something like this is the inspiration it provides. "This is what I do, and here are the results." This is what a Hurley headshot looks like. My reaction, thus, is "I can do that, too." And it has changed just about everything I do in creating headshots, especially for actors and other performers. For corporate headshots, maybe not so much.
Digging deeper, you learn quickly that after you nail the lighting, which isn't that difficult to achieve by several different methods, the real power of Hurley's headshots is the expression he is able to coax from his subjects. He says right up front, "I'm 90% psychologist, and 10% photographer." And his sessions are as long as it takes to get the looks he and his clients want. For me, I don't have an hour or more with any headshot client (nor can I command the prices he is able to charge). So I need to get impactful expressions much more quickly than that. That in no way diminishes the lessons or the techniques Hurley presents in the video. But it's a target to strive for. Last year, I met Peter Hurley and showed him a sample of a dancer's headshot that I made after employing his signature style. His immediate response was "Shabang!" and he meant it. It was very gratifying to me.
If price is a concern, he has a new book coming out shortly (if it hasn't hit the shelves by now already). I've ordered my copy and am sure that it will have just about everything (maybe more) than you'll find on the DVD.
I've watched whatever I could find, featuring Peter H. over the last couple of years.
I found it totally rewarding.
It has helped me make more money, more sales, and get more business.
Worth every penny I've spent., and worth the hours spent watching.
Everyone has their own take on it.
If it's too rich for your blood...don;t buy it.
For me and my headshot education, totally worth it.
I love shooting faces, and it helps me understand how, and makes my end result more predictable.
10 % technique, 90 % psychology.
I get it!
Education is an on going process. I consider it to average out.
Some is dirt cheap...some cost money.
I;ve taken expensive classes in this business and others.
It easy to sit back and say it isn't worth it.
And everyone can share their opinion..
Absolutely recommended by this photographer.
Regarding "Illuminating the Face", I enjoyed it more than the Art Behind the Headshot, which is mainly about psychology of loosening people up and making them laugh.
"Illuminating" is more of an exploration of different lighting techniques, he uses modeling lights of Profoto strobes to precisely show how different modifiers work, like softboxes, beauty dishes, bounce devices, etc. I've never watched a video as comprehensive as this going through so many different modifiers. It's all indoors but there is a bonus download where he shoots some outdoor scenes as well.
It's hard to say if it's worth the price or not, I found it quite interesting and it's one of the better tutorials I've watched.
Batty_F wrote:
Regarding "Illuminating the Face", I enjoyed it more than the Art Behind the Headshot, which is mainly about psychology of loosening people up and making them laugh.
"Illuminating" is more of an exploration of different lighting techniques, he uses modeling lights of Profoto strobes to precisely show how different modifiers work, like softboxes, beauty dishes, bounce devices, etc. I've never watched a video as comprehensive as this going through so many different modifiers. It's all indoors but there is a bonus download where he shoots some outdoor scenes as well.
It's hard to say if it's worth the price or not, I found it quite interesting and it's one of the better tutorials I've watched....Show more →
Photography 101 by mark Wallace is free on YouTube and he goes in depth about everything you need for a studio. Building sets, lighting, metering, terhering, different equipment, inverse square law and a lot more stuff these celebs don't give in their videos. I have seen both of the Peter Hurley videos and he didn't really tell you anything groundbreaking that you already knew or couldn't find on YouTube. I like Peter Hurleys concept on how to pose people for headshots, but you gotta keep in mind that he had a whole lighting setup built for his look and medium format landscape looks different from a 35mm on landscape mode lol. And prospective is different too, so you'll never really get his look unless you spend a shit load of money on it.
Forehead popping and dropping you shoulder down should be stuff you learn when you practice posing a model. But if you don't know that you can always pay 300 dollars for his dvd lol which is the only thing he teaches about posing in the video.
Jul 31, 2015 at 08:44 PM
Andrew Pece Photography Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off
