August was a crazy month for me and it was all about headshots! As I'm sure you can tell by the title of this post, between my time at the Art Institute of Charlotte and my internship at Sporting News, headshots seemed to be all I was doing. Now don't get me wrong I am no expert on headshots but, I understand that much like the portrait, I need to make sure my client's personality shines through. That statement may not always fit depending on what the headshot is for but, I would definitely say it is a general rule.

On the technical side of things, I used a 2 and half light set up for all of these shots. The half being my reflector to add some fill under the chin.

The Setup...

Main Light: 50" Mega JS Apollo square softbox (bit.ly/1lwYl2H) on a PROMASTER® PL400 Advanced LCD Control Studio Monolight - 400ws #9469. (bit.ly/1uuliU7)

Hair light: I used a brolly softbox umbrella that I bought from Biggs Camera here in Charlotte, with a Britek PS-200B Battery Powered Strobe Light from Amazon. (http://amzn.to/1x6WCXf)

Reflector under everyone's chin to fill in some of the shadows.

Backgound: Pop up white/black backdrop for quick set up on a background stand with clamps. (http://amzn.to/1w3jvqc)

So that's that! Check out some of the shots below and don't be afraid to comment or offer suggestions to help me grow!

- Peace.

You know how you set out to do something and completely forget to do it? I don't think I've mentioned it but I've been attending the Art Institute of Charlotte since January. My bad. I decided to go back to school after I got laid off from my corporate "American Dream" job. Now don't get me wrong I made good money and i miss that good money but, I decided I would make use of my Post 9/11 G.I. Bill and have the Marines pay for my pursuit of happiness. I mean it's the least they could do right? (Rah.)

So in my principles of photography class, my teacher gave us some exciting homework that we presented for critique today. We were to pick an influential photographer and produce twenty images that emulate their signature style. I chose Cindy Sherman. Famous for many things but, what i think comes easiest to mind are her Untitled Film Stills.

This series of images were created between 1977 - 1980 in New York City. These pictures resembled American film noir of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s and were produced mostly in her apartment. Cindy would transform into these characters that represented various stereotypes of women in contemporary America. She would later move on to shooting in other interiors, beaches, and streets and finished her work on this series in 1980 when she ran out of clichés.

Below you can see my attempt to honor her iconic work. My goal was to take an image and give you the opportunity to figure out the story. These images represent some of the clichés about African-American males in society and in Hollywood. It may not be purely Sherman but it is my take.

Enjoy :)

Headshots, Headshots, and more Headshots!!!

Nothing new under the Sun