Can I take a headshot with my equipment?

[srwatters]

Originally Posted by brad

Study the headshot masters out there... Kevyn Major Howard and Peter Hurley come to mind immediately... also take a look around here, our own Scott Watters is very good at headshots as well as a few others.

And it wouldn't hurt to study Brad's headshots. He does a great deal of work with local actors and a great actor/teacher.

PS. Thanks for the kind mention Brad!

[dunderwood]

I would think the 50 on a cropper would make a better portrait setup than the 28-135.

[brad]

Originally Posted by dunderwood

I would think the 50 on a cropper would make a better portrait setup than the 28-135.

You would normally think that.. and the 50 1.2 from Canon does well, but the 50 1.8 (the "nifty fifty") has edge aberrations that will make the face look slightly distorted when you get close enough for a head and shoulders portrait. It will round the face and add 5-10 pounds to your subject.... that's why another poster suggested 85 or so as the minimum length to use with one of her other lenses.

Its a nit-picky detail, but an important one.

[brad]

Originally Posted by srwatters

And it wouldn't hurt to study Brad's headshots. He does a great deal of work with local actors and a great actor/teacher.

PS. Thanks for the kind mention Brad!

Thanks, and of course.. I don't remember if I discovered KMH because of your posts about him or if I found him on my own, but I know he's inspired both of us in the past. LOL

I only recently discovered Peter Hurley.. wish I could afford his DVD on "The Art of the Headshot" .. it looks fascinating. He pulls in $1000 for a headshot.

[srwatters]

Originally Posted by brad

You would normally think that.. and the 50 1.2 from Canon does well, but the 50 1.8 (the "nifty fifty") has edge aberrations that will make the face look slightly distorted when you get close enough for a head and shoulders portrait. It will round the face and add 5-10 pounds to your subject.... that's why another poster suggested 85 or so as the minimum length to use with one of her other lenses.

Its a nit-picky detail, but an important one.

For women, I personally prefer the 35mm equivalent of 135-180mm. For men I get a bit closer and use 105-150mm. I say 35mm equivalent because I also shoot medium format with a 1.1:1 crop factor from 645 format. I use either my 150mm or 210mm prime on that machine. It also really depends on the face shape and body type. Shoot a few hundred faces and you should start to just "know" by looking at them.