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Sarah Carroll
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This is a really difficult project-
the shortlist is much too long-Any comments and suggestions appreciated-
though there’s a lot of work to be done-
this is neither the final selection nor the final edit-Thanks to Colette for her assistance too-
j
Hi J,
Lighting is fine, I like the background being the tone it is compared to her face. I don’t know what your brief was for this shot but shooting her straight on has shown the asymmetry in her face. I like the subtle expression but if it was more a beauty shot you were after, I htink turning her head slightly and lighting to improve symmetry would have worked better.
All best
Si
Si knows much more than I do about this kind of shot. His observations
seem full of sense. Additionally, I think you could smooth the colour on
the lips – there seems to be a white spot and also a slight dark area.Thanks guys-
The brief for this is to produce actor’s head shots-
so not necessarily glamour, beauty, or modeling-
Though if any of that comes across while showing the character and features of the sitter,
then so much the better-Obviously, this isn’t the only shot I took,
and this thread may contain quite a few more by the time I’m finished,
but I’m assuming that wont be too much of a hardship for you :wink:We need to get about five pictures,
I’d like to think we got at least two from yesterday-
though depending on your standards,
and the amount of variety required,
there are way more than five good ones-Pete, Colette did spot that white thing and removed it-
it’ll be gone in the print-Thanks again for the comments and suggestions-
Here’s a couple more for now-
again, any suggestions and comments appreciated-j
Nice post Joseph, good to see the different processing applied to
each image, though I wouldn’t call it ‘slight’ as you did.Colette has a fantastic face and really striking eyes. It must have been
a pleasure to photograph her.Regarding the shots and the results of your processing, the strongest of these
for me has to be the second image. I know plenty will disagree, saying that
the angle of view is unflattering, the nostrils are showing a little too much, etc.,
but it just oozes character and confidence, which is what I imagine casting directors
look for in actor’s headshots. Finish-wise, it could do with a tad more contrast
(though not so much as in the first image where it’s left the top of the forehead
a little hot), the removal of that white spot on the lips again, and perhaps a little
selective sharpening and lightening of the eyes. Superb head shot…Rob.
Cheers Rob,
thanks for looking, and the detailed reply-I’d agree about the second,
but a variety of looks are called for-Perhaps its inevitable that one will stand out-
And maybe I have stronger ones that I haven’t shown-
there are certainly stronger ones that I haven’t taken yet-I wont finalize the processing until we have all the images made,
and then they’ll all be prepared for printing-This is a work in progress here-
Sarah, (in the picture) and Colette were a pleasure to work with,
extremely focussed and well prepared-Too bad that so few are interested in commenting-
There used to be people in the people section-j
How terribly inattentive of me. My apologies for mixing up Sarah
and Colette. As for people in the people section, I may add a couple
more myself…Rob.
I really like the second one, it simply works. Maybe there are two small spots on the neck, I’m not sure if those are from my breakfast on my monitor or actual spots on your image… not too much to fault on it otherwise, real lovely capture. The third one could be better without the shining on the forehead and with a different hairstyle. She has a strong character, you both can be happy with the results I think.
Am I allowed to comment on pictures of myself??
Sure who’s going to stop me, I doubt anyone will throw a camera :D
I have no idea about photography but I am difficult to please with pictures of myself,
so for this reason to find one that I like and is considered a really great shot may be tough.
I would have written off the second one I think purely on the angle of the shot, but
your comments have given me a new perspective, I see something in it now I’ve given a second look.So please keep it coming….. All great advice for me too!!
For me the second and the fourth are the best. The second one has a sophisticated look about it and the fourth shows the colour in her eyes espically her right eye, fantastically. In the first photo I found it distracting in an annoying way that the shoulders are out of focus, my eye kept being dragged to the out of focus right shoulder! The third one made her chin too pointy and eyes too dull.
And after being that critical of your fantastic shots I’m now scared of posting any of mine………gulp!
Thanks for the comments Randomway, Sarah, Meo-
I’d agree about 2 and 4, but I still like 1-
Number three I uploaded by mistake,
thought I was uploading number 4,
but anyway-One difficulty with shooting so many pictures is just sorting them out-
and as simon mentioned, there is a brief involved-Regarding choosing which picture,
well, I’ve been wrong in the past and selected the wrong picture,
but then again, clients are also sometimes wrong-
I know that, because they tell me-
after the fact-The selection process is a necessary evil-
it would be easier for me to choose 25 good shots than 5 good shots-
if only because of the doubts about the ones I’m leaving out-Anyway, like I said, work in progress, not finished yet-
Thanks for the comments-
j
First I need to say I’m not entirely sure what the requirements are for actors’ head shots, which probably means my opinions aren’t worth much!
Anyway, I’d much prefer the first shot to any of the others.
The second is taken from an unflattering angle (although has the best expression of any). The lighting doesn’t work for me in the third and fourth pictures, mainly due to the shadow it casts across the left side eye (the viewer’s left). Plus, they have the same problem as the second in that they are shot from too low and angle.
Are these taken using some type of household lighting? Personally I’d be tempted to just use soft window light or perhaps even move outdoors. I would also consider a higher viewpoint for this subject (ie, her sitting why you take the photo from a standing position).
That said, the first has a lot going for it. I think definitely the one I’d choose for using as a portfolio shot. If you are intending to do three or four shots in total I’d try to get a range of different expressions.
JB, do you have any with “Sarah” is it? looking the other way (camera right). The angled shots work better to show her fantastic jawline. The original still has the best “mood” for me. On the angled shots, a stronger nearside shadow would return the symmetry that turning the face has given (quite an expanse of cheek).
No 2 is the best for me, it still has the captivating quality of the original but an angle that relaxes the need for symmetry. I would like to see it with the below..
The camera height on the last
a more subtle angleing of the face
nearside shadow deeper
expression of the first
Hair upI can only see the 2d images, I’d like to know how she photographs from the right hand side of her face.
Saying all of that… for actor headshots, the actor (or their agent) usually knows which “Unique” they think will sell best, so it’s usually a case of showing that for the “Spotlight” shot. Over here, they still like them as B&W 10″ x 8″, although America is happier with colour and “Bright eyes”.
All best
Si
Thanks Cliff, and Simon again,
really appreciate your comments and suggestions-These were shot in window light,
from the top, using a reflector to bounce back into the shadows from the side-The last two are lit by the dying sun filtered through the natural gobo of the trees outside-
which explains the unacceptable shadow across the face in number 3-I really quite like number 4, in particular for the way the shadow of the strand of hair accentuates her cheekbone and brow-
One thing is certain-
Sarah (and her agent) will be making the final selection-
so that’s out of my hands-
though some comments here have maybe made her look at some of the pictures again,
and maybe see things in them that she didn’t see first time-As a photographer, or sitter, its very difficult to be objective-
maybe its impossible with portraiture-
these were intended to be more character studies than anything else,
and to inform Sarah (and me) about the best way to tackle the set as a whole-Hopefully, we’re all looking forward to the next set-
and will be taking all your comments on board-We do know a lot more now than we did before we took them-
Simon-
here’s one from the other side-
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