Fake Executive shots

Problems:
- Hair blends in too much.
- White background for corporate shots
- Strong highlights on cheeks suggests lights not up very high

zyndurai wrote in post #14250848
^^ What a great idea! I didn't even think about that. Thanks!

It also helps to place a mirror next to the camera so you can see yourself posing. Especially beneficial if you are using strobes that have modeling lights.

Heres the way I do them

Heres one light on subject. 30 X 40 soft box. Light feathered and large white reflector for fill. One light on B/G

zyndurai wrote in post #14244707
Yeah, I thought about the hair light, but unfortunately, I am out of lights. I was going to use the other Dlite 4 for hair light and use a 580ex1 for background light. However, I can't trigger all with sky port currently, so hair light was left out. I was thinking of going the butterfly lighting but not sure if that will work for an executive shot. Will have to try that next. Thank you all for your comments and input.

Doesn't need to be a flash. Can be a torch or even a desk lamp.

Airfrogusmc, what do you use for your background light? What do you use to trigger? Great shots btw!. Thank you so much for your set up shot!

zyndurai wrote in post #14251556
Airfrogusmc, what do you use for your background light? What do you use to trigger? Great shots btw!. Thank you so much for your set up shot!

I usually use an old white lightning 1200 for the B/G (I have 4 of them and they are all 20 + years old and still working great) with a home made adapter to make the spot on hte B/G and keep the light from spilling on the subject. I also have a couple 750 travelites. I use pocket wizards....

You dont need both a hair light and a background light if you deploy them properly. You can achieve background separation one of two ways: either pointing the flash at the background so that its brighter than his hair, or pointing at his head for rim light. You shouldnt need both (its nice to have that option though). In this shot if you had just raised the background light a bit you would have had the separation without the need for a hairlight.

I don't like the pose. It's to straight on for me. I would have his body turn at an angle and his head facing the camera.

Ray Marrero wrote in post #14256710
I don't like the pose. It's to straight on for me. I would have his body turn at an angle and his head facing the camera.

Just curious, because the way that's worded.... did you read that these were self portraits?

Thank you all for your input. I finally got around to shooting a subject tonight, taking into all you have suggested. Here is an example. Based on all the comments, I realized my iMac was really out of calibration and did a minor tweak to calibrated it so I can see the lights and darks more clearly. If you all be so kind to let me know how I can improve on the following photo. I used the 39 eli DO to camera right, above pointing down and used 3 reflectors below the surrounding the subject. The other light was to light the background.
85mm
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/160
Av( Aperture Value ) 4.5
ISO Speed 100

It looks better, but your background is still a bit dark for my taste. It appears like you are trying to use the background light for a vignette or halo look. I'd rather see a bit more separation and less halo. It draws attention away from her face.

zyndurai wrote in post #14284814
Thank you all for your input. I finally got around to shooting a subject tonight, taking into all you have suggested. Here is an example. Based on all the comments, I realized my iMac was really out of calibration and did a minor tweak to calibrated it so I can see the lights and darks more clearly. If you all be so kind to let me know how I can improve on the following photo. I used the 39 eli DO to camera right, above pointing down and used 3 reflectors below the surrounding the subject. The other light was to light the background.
85mm
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/160
Av( Aperture Value ) 4.5
ISO Speed 100

It is a little dark and bit red on my monitor. Lighten it up but you still need to bring the background up. When something like this is printed in a brochure on newspaper all that dark will block up and in when that happens you will have a floating face.

windpig wrote in post #14245246
I looked at the numbers in CS5, they're hot, doesn't matter the monitor, the file says they're hot.

Where in PS did you look at the numbers? and in your opinion where does a number start being hot?
I agree with you, but I'd like to know how you did it.

sunking39 wrote in post #14286444
Where in PS did you look at the numbers? and in your opinion where does a number start being hot?
I agree with you, but I'd like to know how you did it.

Look to have the red channel at about 235, hot is pushing 240.