What are some helpful tips for taking close-up headshots?
The Professional photographer @chrisbaileyheadshots reveals his four tops tips for capturing headshots using only natural light. There are:
- Background.
- Find the direction of light.
- Shadows are your friend.
- Background separation and Bokeh.
1. Background
When selecting a background for your headshots, bear in mind that our eyes are drawn to the brightest part of an image. Try not to choose a background with too much highlight as it takes attention away from the face. You ideally want the face to be the brightest part of your image.
2. Find the direction of light
The beauty of working with daylight is that it’s one of the best qualities of light available and it’s free! You don’t need to invest in expensive studio lights – those studio strobes just try to imitate daylight. When the sun is high, the light is harder and produces strong shadows, but when the sun is low, the light is softer and produces more even results. Placing your subject in relation to the sun is crucial.
3. Shadows are your friend
Creating shadows on the face adds character, shape and dimension. You can completely change the look of a person’s face by where you allow the shadows and highlights to fall. Try placing the side of your subject’s face near a wall and watch their face gently fall into shadow.
4. Background separation and Bokeh
Bokeh is a term photographers use to describe the softness of a background white the foreground stays sharp in a focus. Bokeh is achieved by using a low f-stop such as f/2.8 or f/4 to help make your headshot ‘pop’ from the image and separate your subject from the background. After all, we are trying to make a two-dimensional image looks as three dimensional as possible.
Remember, If you want to work with me to create your own custom portrait, like the ones in this post, just send me a message here.