1. Headshot Photography Workshop
Paige McKay

2. What is Headshot Photography
Headshots are used by professionals in acting, modeling, performance and business. In industries where your image matters, headshots go hand in hand with your resume or can be used for promotional material. Even the Cal musical asks for headshots with your audition (not professional of course).
Headshots include the person’s face shoulders and sometimes torso. The style of the headshot can vary depending on the purpose (job interview, social media, audition).
Modeling
Business
Acting
Dance

3. Preparing the Subject
Simple, solid colour shirt or dress shirt & blazer for business headshots
Choose poses, facial expressions and clothing to reflect the subjects personality and brand
Pose the hair like you would pose a model, try different poses to see what looks best and always keep the hair away form face
Simple background in studio or outdoor
Don’t pose the body directly at the camera, angle the torso
Give the subject something to lean on or seat them to relieve tension

4. Camera Settings/ Setup
Use as low of an ISO as possible to get the clearest image
Use the lowest F-stop on your camera to create a shallow depth of field and create focus on the subject
When photographing in the studio, you can use a tripod to allow for a lower ISO and a lower aperture
In the studio, use lights and a reflector
Try using a reflector in natural light to get the most out of natural light
Focus on the subject’s eye closest to the camera

5. Retouching Photos in Lightroom
Keep major changes to the content of the photo minimum, the photo needs to look like the subject
Draw focus to the eyes with a bright reflection
Emphasise the natural rosy tones of the skin
You can add extra sharpness to the subject and blur to the background to emphasise the low depth of field
Reduce fly-aways in the hair
Warming the photo with the yellow temp and pink tint sliders can be effective

6. Lightroom Tips
Use the “heal” tool in Lightroom to get rid of blemishes, food on face, ect.
Use the “temp” and “tint” sliders to correct the hue of the lighting and to bring out the natural brilliance of the skin

7. Lightroom Tips
Select the background with the brush tool to give it less emphases by blurring and adjusting exposure
The brightest part of the photo should be the reflection in the eyes. Use the brush to brighten the REFLECTION (not the eyes themselves). If you overdo this, it will look like anime.

8. The Assignment Break into groups of two or three.
Make sure you get time in both the studio and to make use of natural light at the farm.
You will submit 2-3 edited (lightroom) photos of your partners:
Using studio lighting
Using natural lighting
Post them on your websites under Photoshoots and Challenges under the title “Headshot Photography”