There are millions of “business portraits” to be taken in this country, because there are millions of professionals. This kind of photography can be a good boost to your income, so hopefully you know how to make a good, professional business portrait.
I’ve shot my share of CEO’s, managers, realtors, and anybody else that needs a quality headshot. They end up on web pages, business cards, flyers, advertisements, PR and press kits… just about anywhere and everywhere that a business person can put them.
I’m not going to do a huge tutorial on my style/version of the business headshot, because there’s a very good tutorial here:
You’ll have to log in to view the tutorial, so if you get lost while trying to log in or register, just search for the title: A “No BS” Business Portrait
Now, he uses three lights and a fill card in the linked tutorial. I simply use two lights and no fill card. The light is a bit more dramatic, but I like that look. Besides, it’s easier to set up on location, and that’s where a lot of money can be made. If you can set up shop in an extra room at a real estate office, you can knock out five or ten headshots in a row. At two hundred dollars a pop, you can make up to two grand in a couple hours.
Back to my version of the business portrait… Here is an example of one I shot for a local company. They had some new upper-level management come in, and they needed pictures for the website and press release. These people were busy, busy, busy. They asked me to come in to their offices and set up for the shoot. This would save the new president a lot of time, since she wouldn’t have to drive to my studio – and time is money with companies.
So, I set up in an empty office, with my C-stand to hold a small grey paper backdrop. I had my portable Profoto kit that contains two small stands, two heads, and two power packs. I had a large softbox and my camera bag. Everything can be carried in at once (with a little effort getting in and out of elevators).
I set up in about five minutes, waited for the president to come in, and was done shooting after ten more minutes. Five minutes to break down the gear, and I’m done. This is what I shot…
Now, I’m not going to draw out a fancy diagram for you, but I will tell you this. My picture is captured almost exactly like the tutorial link does it. I eliminate the hair light and the fill card. I use a 70-200 2.8L lens, instead of an 85mm lens. That’s it.