Cinematic Headshot Mistakes
My First Trial to Cinematic Headshot
Written on the 1st of July, 2022
I explained in my recent post my reasons for loving headshots. I also explained in my previous post that I learned how to shoot cinematic headshots from Dylan Patrick. Now is the time for the trial.
I scouted a location and found a beautiful park. I hired model Danah Hamdan for the photoshoot and prepared my equipment. Cinematic headshots should appear natural and organic as much as possible. I asked Danah not to apply much makeup as this would defeat the purpose of the cinematic headshot. I also asked her not to use a highlighter that would reflect the light from the Speedlight and burn the image. If this was a beauty photoshoot, that's fine.
I shot 29 images during the photoshoot. Out of those, I picked up three killer images that grabbed my attention. The photos look stunning. However, the eyes' catchlight was not as I expected. Then I realized I had forgotten my reflector at home, so the catchlights were not as impressive as I had imagined. Members of the Facebook group "The Cinematic Headshot with Dylan Patrick," along with Dylan Patrick, helped me in my struggle. They advised me to add a reflector under the key light and move the key light closer to the model. I listened to their advice, and it made a big difference. In my next cinematic headshot photoshoot, you will see the difference.
They also advised me to dial down my retouching for a more natural look and retain some of the original skin. I feel that they were right in a sense, but I wanted to make my cinematic headshots the ultimate experience for my clients where they can look their best. Nevertheless, I love the natural organic look, which is why I only use the dodge and burn technique. Dodging and burning allowed me to retain as much skin texture as possible for more natural-looking skin.
I shot the images at a shutter speed of 1/500s and 1/400s, creating the same lighting condition in the foreground and the background. Ideally, the background shall be darker than the foreground to pop your subject and create a contrast. To do that, I should have exposed for the background first, then added my Speedlight on the subject. My mistake was dialing up the camera setting and setting up my Speedlight simultaneously, creating a low-contrast image without separating the foreground and the background. I corrected it later in Adobe Photoshop using a curve adjustment layer to darken the background. However, getting the images correctly straight out of the camera ensures a great shot, and it should be the ultimate goal for a photographer.
The Gear I Used
