First headshot

[HostileM6]

Alright so my friend needs one simple headshot. I dont have any special equipment, as you can see in my sig. It'll probably be outdoors. What is the best way to go about doing this?

Thanks for any info.

[breathless]

Mount the 75-300 and shoot between 75-100, in shade with open sky(open shade.)

[HostileM6]

thanks for the info breathless. i was thinkin about renting a lens since i have about a week and a half to do this. what kind of lens would you recommend?

[bsaber]

For a simple head shot the gear you have right now will do fine. Just shoot in open shade as breathless suggested and find yourself a reflector to help. A white cardboard will do. Stay at 75mm at f/4 for DOF and you be good.

[HostileM6]

what exactly is open shade? some sunlight?

[Xjetjock]

This is an area lit by the sky...not direct sunlight. It can be the blue sky, overcast sky or a combination. This produces a soft, diffused light that is attractive for portraiture. Shooting in direct sunlight produces a harsh, contrasty condition that is usually not very attractive for most portraits (there are exceptions, of course).

The suggestion to use your zoom at 75-100 mm range is good to give a nice perspective to your subject. Many "portrait" lenses are in this range, i.e. EF 85 mm f/1.2 or f/1.8. Watch your background for distractions and focus on the subject's eyes. Good luck.

[HostileM6]

Thanks a lot Xjetjock, I think that will help me a lot.

[Helen Bartlett]

Open shade is ideal. Should you have a really grey day then using a doorway can work really well to give some sparkle to the eyes. Have your subject stand just inside the doorway so the background will fade to dark and you will have nice light on their faces and good catchlights in the eyes. Lots of examples in the headshots section of my website if that is useful.

Have fun, headshots are great to shoot

[bsaber]

Let us know how it goes too. We'll love to see the results.

[HostileM6]

Definitely will.

Thanks guys.

[HostileM6]

sorry for delay. but eh, here they are.

1
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff209/dyeballin11/TinaHeadshot003.jpg
2
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff209/dyeballin11/TinaHeadshot007.jpg
3
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff209/dyeballin11/TinaHeadshot008.jpg
4
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff209/dyeballin11/TinaHeadshot009.jpg
5
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff209/dyeballin11/TinaHeadshot012.jpg
6
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff209/dyeballin11/TinaHeadshot013.jpg

[breathless]

Are these the best from the shoot?
Technically speaking, all are out of focus. The best, lighting-wise, are 2, 3, and 4 - Subject and background in open shade.
I like that you were able to engage the model to help her display very honest and natural expressions.

[bsaber]

Agreed, they all look out of focus. Are you selecting AF points manually?

[CoryAllenPhotos]

Mount the 75-300 and shoot between 75-100, in shade with open sky(open shade.)

I second this