Hello wonderful world of the Internet.
Yesterday I had a shoot in Mastercard’s local office. They told me I need to do a headshot of the CEO guy. I don’t really like taking headshots, but for many photographers, it is their bread and butter money. I take any jobs because I have to pay my bills.
For one headshot, you need to bring a ton of equipment – lights, light stands, modifiers, backgrounds and stands for those backgrounds and other stuff. For headshots, I usually use a 3×4 softbox on one side and a reflective umbrella on the other side – easy illumination with diffused light from both sides, provides enough light for the white wall behind.
But this time somebody had the 3×4 softbox already booked for a shoot. So instead I had a choice of a strip box or a small octabox. Octa is so much easier to fit in the car, so I figured it would work. Never used it before, so I was a bit intimidated. But I went for it! Took the grid as well.
I had two Profoto lights with me, so I could easily use the umbrella on the other side, but to challenge myself even more I used the silver reflector instead of the second light. Using a reflector without an assistant is tricky, as you move it just a touch and it stops working the way it should. Actually, it is tricky with the assistant as well. You need to really understand how light works.
In theory, all of this should have worked fine, the way I saw it working in many workshops. Hard to be looking confident about something that you’re using for the first time. But come on, to boost my confidence I put some eyeliner on.
Half of the job of taking headshots consists in chatting with people that you are about to photograph, and relaxing them enough so that they look like themselves in the pictures. I had no issues with my CEO, as he was Italian, tall and handsome, and he told me he was enjoying the shoot as he liked the chance to do something different.
But he was 2 hours late for the shoot. I had to stay extra time and they don’t want to pay for it now… but I took good images. I could be upset about the fact that I worked extra for free, but I am just going to remember that I learned something.
And I took a picture of myself to test the light that actually didn’t turn out so bad.
So go and dare.
I used Zeiss 50mm 2.8 macro lens which worked beautifully. I didn’t shoot portraits with it before, but I loved it.
We are about to open #GPP17 photo week at work. It is super exciting and going to be very exhausting as well. I feel star-stroke when world-famous photographers walk around the office just like that. It’s so cool… but making friends with them is even cooler.
A year ago I was attending this event as a student, and this year I am teaching 2 classes. Dreams do come true, so dream big, and dare even bigger.
Much love my friends,
Anna
Playing with the Light 