College Park, Maryland
Last week, I was booked for an assignment for updating headshots on location. This is yet another different kind of photography project that has its own challenges compared to the events I have been covering lately. In one sense, I had a lot of time to setup for this shoot arriving early at the location, with plenty of time to situate myself before anyone had arrived. You can make a portrait lighting setup as simple or as complicated as you want, but this was a very special event, so I brought out all the big guns. I setup the on-site studio with 4 monolight flashes. If you were following me on Twitter or Instagram, I sent out photos after I had set everything up.
This setup made it very easy to make headshots for everyone quickly which was the goal. The organizers were expecting 300 attendees, so I did not want to have a line of people that did not have the opportunity to get a photo at the end of the night. Having lots of lights setup correctly before the first photo was taken was essential to making as many photos happen as possible. Having a dedicated light meter on hand to measure the output from the flashes ensured that everything was setup right where it needed to be – from the placement of the posing chair, to the kicker light that would separate the subjects from the background.
Mobile Lighting Setup
Using a hand-held meter really reduced the amount of “test shots” I needed to make with the camera. When I took the first shot after metering everything manually, the lights were ready to go! I was so happy with the setup, and I hope that the people that came in for their new portraits like the results. Thanks to the University of Maryland University College Alumni Association for having me provide this service for them. I had a great time with their recent graduates, and made some awesome photos of them! If you need updated head shot portraits for commercial work or social networking, please let me know. I had a great time making these portraits, and would love to make more for you if you need. Tell me – would you trust this man to make your portrait? 🙂
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