A headshot of my wife. Like many people's spouses here, she is always a willing subject. This is new for me so your thoughts are appreciated and encouraged.
I like this! I am no expert, however, and I go by eye! The top portion looks to be a tad to cropped however! Thanks for sharing! Happy photographyt! -Americo.rodriguez
It's a very nice start! the main thing that I see that will help is getting more light into the eyes, give them life, make them pop. Interesting catchlights, way off to the side on both sides. That may explain why there's not enough light in her eyes.
I had the good fortune of spending some time with a head shot photographer. Based on that, I would suggest cropping the hair even more. I also agree that the catchlights could be improved (i.e moved inward).
Great first effort and probably lots of fun to shoot.
This is a nice shot, but i am finding the hand rather distracting. I think with this pose it might help to pull out a little or to just get the hands out completely. Otherwise i wish i could say my first attempt at at head shot (or even those after) looked as nice.
friscoron wrote:
It's a very nice start! the main thing that I see that will help is getting more light into the eyes, ......
That's the first thing I thought of as well.
Jim Rickards wrote:
That's the first thing I thought of as well.
This was also what I noticed. When I did a test shot on myself the catch light was bigger and more centered. I must have directed her position in a way to change the orientation of the catch light. Ill work at it and post the results.
The crop is Ok. You can go another inch lower into the hair line to move the eyes up higher. Higher eye position mean faster and more defined eye contact for the viewer. Light is a bit too flat. Not a killer but some slight shadows and I mean very slight will define the face better. Brighten the eyes a bit as mentioned.
Don't need the hands showing as much. It's about the face and eyes. Clean up the fly away hair. Just takes attention from the face. After you make those adjustments concentrate on the subject.
My big problem with the shot is the model looks stiff. See the tension in her face and lip area. Your job is to get rid of that at least for the 1.5 seconds it takes to focus and shoot. Lighting is simple. Getting the relaxed look out of a client is a lot more work and an area some never master. Master this and you will have a really good headshot.
jefferies1 wrote:
The crop is Ok. You can go another inch lower into the hair line to move the eyes up higher. Higher eye position mean faster and more defined eye contact for the viewer. Light is a bit too flat. Not a killer but some slight shadows and I mean very slight will define the face better. Brighten the eyes a bit as mentioned.
Don't need the hands showing as much. It's about the face and eyes. Clean up the fly away hair. Just takes attention from the face. After you make those adjustments concentrate on the subject.
My big problem with the shot is the model looks stiff. See the tension in her face and lip area. Your job is to get rid of that at least for the 1.5 seconds it takes to focus and shoot. Lighting is simple. Getting the relaxed look out of a client is a lot more work and an area some never master. Master this and you will have a really good headshot. ...Show more →
Thanks for the advise jefferies1, every bit helps. Looking forward to giving this another go.
I could be wrong but the first thought that came to mind was that you photographed her from very close. There appears to be some elongation of her head, making her nose appear larger with her ears receding in the distance. I don't usually like to shoot any closer than six or eight feet from my subjects and I'm often further than that. Agree about the expression. Allow your subject to relax and enjoy herself even if you have to pretend you know what you're doing. Their comfort is your primary responsibility.
