I know you didn't ask for any critique, so I hope you can put this as being my personal preference or just something to think about. Your friend has a dramatic look on his face, which you captured very well. The clothes and poses all align to a dramatic image, but the background is bright and cheerful. Again, personal preference, I would have used a darker background to match the expression, wardrobe and mood. With that background, I would have expected him to be smiling and cheerful.
If you get a chance, cut out and replace with a darker background and see what you think.
As a full-time professional photographer with a brother who runs an acting academy in Hollywood, I feel I am qualified to chime in.
Sorry to sound harsh, but these would be whole-hardheartedly rejected in the acting world. I suggest you talk to someone in the industry and look at *lots* of samples of those that have worked for actors.
I had no idea of what was the industry standard and was shot down hard by my brother when I sent him what I thought were great headshots.
Again, sorry to be blunt, but hope this info help you.
BTW, the last one comes the closest, but still needs to be redone.
Sid Ceaser wrote:
I know you didn't ask for critique, but I think the second one isn't in focus, and having him look off-camera, to me, isn't what a headshot should do.
The third image needs more light in his eyes. His eyes are disappearing in the darkness.
First image is the best of the three. Crop it down to an 8x10 and crop some of that negative space up above out.
A reflector might take care of getting more light in the eyes. Or a little flash of soft light.
Cheers,
Sid
Thanks for the input!
I took over 600 images. These were just three I threw up quickly from first glance. I'm trying to figure about cropping. I'm not sure if I should do that or leave them higher resolutions and allow the agency to crop so it'll fit into the page.
In attaching an edit I just finished. I like it more than the first, at least until other people tell me otherwise.
gheller wrote:
As a full-time professional photographer with a brother who runs an acting academy in Hollywood, I feel I am qualified to chime in.
Sorry to sound harsh, but these would be whole-hardheartedly rejected in the acting world. I suggest you talk to someone in the industry and look at *lots* of samples of those that have worked for actors.
I had no idea of what was the industry standard and was shot down hard by my brother when I sent him what I thought were great headshots.
Again, sorry to be blunt, but hope this info help you.
BTW, the last one comes the closest, but still needs to be redone.
Thanks for the input! It seems quite sincere, and I do appreciate the honesty. It is..however...brutal!
I posted an actual edit of a select that my client picked out. It's in the post above this one.
Also, I did look at lots of samples as well as a decent amount of reading beforehand. I'll admit I have never attempted "headshots" for such a purpose, but I really was rather pleased with these.
I primarily used that for inspiration. My buddy's name is Kyle, you can find him on that page. I look through that page and consider my photos at least as good as some of them. Sure, there are some really nice examples of extremely high quality work on that page. I don't feel mine is necessarily that far off from the average.
So, comparing only the edit above (not considering crop), can you at least be more specific about why mine doesn't line up with what you'd expect?
I took over 600 images. These were just three I threw up quickly from first glance. I'm trying to figure about cropping. I'm not sure if I should do that or leave them higher resolutions and allow the agency to crop so it'll fit into the page.
In attaching an edit I just finished. I like it more than the first, at least until other people tell me otherwise.
I just peeked at that Talent Direct website - it's always interesting to see what is being used for headshots in a certain area. Cluttery backgrounds drive me bonkers!
Every few years I like to rewatch this video because I get a laugh out of it, but Kevyn Major Howard was making bank shooting headshots out of his garage using just a c-stand and a sheet of foam-core. Think of him as the 80's/90's Peter Hurley but not as snake-oil salesman-like. ?t=133
The link starts right at the moment it shows an agency flipping through headshots. That is how fast they go through them. They are looking for that split second "gotcha" moment when they are looking at someones face (it's also interesting to see how they have moved from b&w to color for headshots nowadays)
The images you are posting don't have any "pop!" to them. At least you are keeping your backgrounds clean. Some of those in the Kevyn Howard video you can see bankers boxes out of focus in the background, egads!
Keep working at it. Use your buddy as a model and shoot him a bunch of different times, different ways. The exposures are a little dark. HIs eyes are vanishing. The main thing is the face. You gotta suck people in with his face. And make sure he gets a few looks in. Dark and brooding is fine, but unless he wants to be cast as the drug offender on Law & Order for the rest of his life, get a smiley shot in there too.
Sid Ceaser wrote:
Every few years I like to rewatch this video because I get a laugh out of it, but Kevyn Major Howard was making bank shooting headshots out of his garage using just a c-stand and a sheet of foam-core. Think of him as the 80's/90's Peter Hurley but not as snake-oil salesman-like. ?t=133
The link starts right at the moment it shows an agency flipping through headshots. That is how fast they go through them. They are looking for that split second "gotcha" moment when they are looking at someones face (it's also interesting to see how they have moved from b&w to color for headshots nowadays)
The images you are posting don't have any "pop!" to them. At least you are keeping your backgrounds clean. Some of those in the Kevyn Howard video you can see bankers boxes out of focus in the background, egads!
