I had a friend ask me to take some photos of him since he is leaving the Army and is going to join the civilian professional workforce. Phenomenal leader - truly a loss on the Army's behalf that he isn't being retained, but I digress.

I took about 50 photos total because I couldn't get the right effect I wanted - fill light lifting the shadows in his jacket as well as a rim light. We went to the same restaurant that I shot my my wedding, as I loved the old architecture to use as backdrops - he stated that he didn't want a plain backdrop but rather an environmental one.

This was my first real attempt at strobist lighting, and I understood some fundamentals - achieve the ambient exposure first, then dial in the lights. I came away with three keepers, and I welcome any and all C&C as adding lighting is not a forte of mine at all.

All were shot with a shot-thru umbrella as fill camera left and a bare strobe (no modifier at all) behind him for the rim light. K-3 + DA* 55/1.4 at 1/180s (X - Flash Sync Mode), f/5.6, ISO 100, shot RAW, and then processed in Adobe LR4 and Topaz Clarity.







Number 1 is my personal favorite.

The only regret I have is not turning the third into an arms-crossed pose. It didn't occur to me until I was walking home (yes, that location is within 5 min walking of my apartment ).

Again, any and all C&C are welcome.

-Heie

[zztopd]

The balance between flash and ambient light is done correctly.
This is my opinion.

fine.

[lesmore49]

Excellent photos. I would think your friend will be pleased with them. Professional looking work and the photo will definitely be an asset to his CV. My choice of photo ...would be the first one.

I must add as a retired professional, who was also a manager for many years and involved in hiring professionals....that your friend's choice of attire/ sense of style is very appropriate for interviews.

Best of luck to him and to you, in your pursuits.

[mikemike]

That came out nice, but I think the way he has his hands in the 3/4 shot are kind of dull and unnatural.

[manishved]

Very cool....

[bigted]

They are all very nice. He certainly looks professional. I don't think having him with his arms crossed would have looked as good. Crossed arms can be read as being defiant and aggressive and I'm pretty sure that's not the image you wanted.

[MadMathMind]

It's nice, but any interesting background is not appropriate for a professional photo. The background should be dull and uninteresting--you want the person to be the subject of the photo, not have eyes stray. An office or library background works better because it will subconsciously emphasize professionalism and business. It should also be a straight face shot. It will make him seem more direct and down to business.

If this were a photo he were going to put on the wall or in a frame, this would be marvelous. But if the plan is to use it as an attachment for a CV or a professional website, I think the background needs to be plainer.

[Kerrowdown]

First Go at Professional Profile Picture

All looking good to me, the question is... was the "customer" happy with the results?

[ausmoose]

Yes, these are all very professional looking so very well done. I love the sharp focus, bokeh, colours, composition (and yes I agree with you about the hand crossing), exposure.. great shots.

[Bruce Clark]

All very well lit., I agree with #1 being the best composition.

[Venturi]

Overall, very well done. Good exposure values. Great expression.

If you were to re-shoot for whatever reason here's what I would suggest to you:
- The first thing that caught my eye is the specular highlights from the rim light. It's an environmental shot on an overcast day and they don't fit the scene. Get rid of the rim light. That will bring back some contrast too.
- He's a little too sideways to the camera, drawing the viewers' eyes into the gap between his coat lapel and shirt, and the coat tail shows too much. Turn him 5, or 10, degrees more towards the camera and you'll show off the broad shoulders and athletic waist. (And unbutton the bottom coat button.)
- Everyone's neck bunches up when you turn your head to the side, resulting in the jawline disappearing. Have him drop his leading (left) shoulder, push his forehead out about 1", lift his chin just a little bit, and tilt his head slightly towards camera left. That will tighten the skin and show off the chiseled jawline, and boost that already confident look a little more.

That last bit can be hard to communicate. Unless this ain't their first rodeo, they'll either way over do it or look at you like deer in the headlights. It helps them if you can demonstrate, so practice on yourself first in front of the mirror and you'll see how the your own expression changes by making subtle adjustments like above.

As some others noted, I too would suggest adding a straight forward white/solid background head shot. Whether to use an environmental vs studio shot will really depend on the application and/or position he's going after.

[Heie]

Thank you everyone - I really appreciate it.

Excellent photos. I would think your friend will be pleased with them. Professional looking work and the photo will definitely be an asset to his CV. My choice of photo ...would be the first one. I must add as a retired professional, who was also a manager for many years and involved in hiring professionals....that your friend's choice of attire/ sense of style is very appropriate for interviews. Best of luck to him and to you, in your pursuits.

I agree with his sense of style and fashion. Like I said, he's an incredibly tremendous leader, and the Army is at a serious loss for failing to retain him. He'll succeed wherever he goes, I guarantee it.

That came out nice, but I think the way he has his hands in the 3/4 shot are kind of dull and unnatural.

I agree entirely - it wasn't until I was walking home and reflecting on the shoot that it occurred to me.

They are all very nice. He certainly looks professional. I don't think having him with his arms crossed would have looked as good. Crossed arms can be read as being defiant and aggressive and I'm pretty sure that's not the image you wanted.

Interesting - I've never heard that perspective before. Not necessarily sure I agree, but perhaps a compromise would have at the very least been a front-facing shot with hands in his pockets.

It's nice, but any interesting background is not appropriate for a professional photo. The background should be dull and uninteresting--you want the person to be the subject of the photo, not have eyes stray. An office or library background works better because it will subconsciously emphasize professionalism and business. It should also be a straight face shot. It will make him seem more direct and down to business. If this were a photo he were going to put on the wall or in a frame, this would be marvelous. But if the plan is to use it as an attachment for a CV or a professional website, I think the background needs to be plainer.

Also interesting - I would have initially thought it might a little context to his experience (lived and navigated outside the United States), which might be valuable to a potential employee. Off the bat, gives an impression of independence and ability to navigate forgeign environments. Am I wrong in that assumption? I've never been part of a hiring team, so I really don't know. The background was also at his request.

If you were to re-shoot for whatever reason here's what I would suggest to you:

snip

Thank you for the feedback. I will certainly keep it all in mind the next time an opportunity for this type of portrait arises.

Again, thank you all! Very, very much appreciated

-Heie

[MSL]

I find the second one too busy because of the background. It takes up too much of the image. Similar problems with the third one, because the background is more in focus.
I like the first one, but would retouch slightly. There is hot spot (or white spot) on the tip of his nose. Something about the redness in his cheeks and ears that you might want to try to tone down. I've never shot this sort of photo, so I could be wrong in my suggestions.

[lesmore49]

Also interesting - I would have initially thought it might a little context to his experience (lived and navigated outside the United States), which might be valuable to a potential employee. Off the bat, gives an impression of independence and ability to navigate forgeign environments. Am I wrong in that assumption? I've never been part of a hiring team, so I really don't know. The background was also at his request.

In my opinion, I think you're right in that assumption. I think this was a good decision on his part to have that background. To me as you have indicated, this photo background does "...give an impression of independence and ability to navigate foreign environments..."

The other factor to consider is that the interview team or individual will go through a number of CV's ...and probably pare them down to only the best...for the position. This photo makes his application...in my experience...stand out.

The photo has been skillfully done in that you used depth of field to ensure his photo stood out and that the building background although faded into the background, was still apparent.


As a long time interviewer, the background in the picture triggers interest about that 'foreign environment' on my part that I would follow up during the interview process.

When I was interviewing professionals for positions, I was also thinking down the road about a possible employee's future potential in the organization.

Now another thing to consider for your friend is to tailor make each application for particular jobs. Too often people just do a general application.....which they send out en masse. An experienced interviewer will be able to spot these generalized CV's and many times they are not considered.

[mikemike]

I think that is appropriate for something like a linked in profile. I don't really think it is appropriate to send in head shots or photos along with resumes when applying for a job. It gives away more than necessary, especially regarding race and age. It also puts your face there so that if they google you or try to look you up on face book, they can positively ID that the are looking at your profile based on your picture and not just the profile of someonse else with the same name.