Blogging 4 the Public -Jay Rodriguez Photography & Graphics – Tips, Tricks and Inspiration.

Corporate Headshots

I was recently tasked with shooting corporate headshots for a real estate agent. This write-up is really meant to be a document of my experience rather than a step-by-step tutorial for you to follow. There were a few settings that I would change the next time around, but overall I was pleased with the result and so was the client.

First, the client already had in mind what he wanted. Some photographers may get annoyed when a client has a lot of their own ideas for setting up and shooting as they feel it may cramp their style. I like it and try to feed off of that. I believe it helps get me where I need to be quicker and also keeps the client engaged during a shoot. Those are two things that I have found really help a shoot. The client wanted a black background with a heavy vignette. He also wanted some shots with a shirt, tie, and jacket, but additionally wanted some more friendly and approachable shots, that carried a more casual appearance with them.

With our studio now officially open (Shameless plug, but not as shameless as mentioning we are also on Facebook.), this was a great opportunity for me. With plenty of space to stretch my legs, I used all of the lights that I had.

For key I used a Calumet Genesis 400ws light shot through an umbrella, high directly above the camera. For rim lighting I used another Calumet Genesis 400ws and an Alien Bee B1600, behind the subject about shoulder level pointed toward the client. I also had another Alien Bee B1600 with a 40 degree grid and gel pointed up toward the backdrop. All of this was setup on our black backdrop.

With the client ready, I fired a couple of test shots to get the lighting right and then we took the shots we needed to take. On a side note, I was pleased that I did not take a large volume of photos during this shoot. As I continue to learn, I hope that the number of photos I take will decrease as I get closer and closer to achieving what I want to achieve within the camera.

The above image was shot with a Nikon D80 and Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, set at 1/100, f/13, and an ISO of 100.

Just to offer a little variety, having a small step ladder will really come in handy, as it gives you the ability to change up your angle within the studio. For example, I stood behind the key light and shot down on the client from up top, giving me the below result.

Some items I would change would be more tinkering with the rim lighting to make it a little more powerful. I would like to have had more time to work with the gels as well.

For fun, we took an Alien Bee B1600 and Vagabond outside of our studio and took a couple more shots. The Georgia heat saw to it that we were not outside long, but long enough to use my favorite wall.