![](\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/headshots\/andy-peeke\/DSC09510-edit.jpg\")
<\/p>\n- \n
- Profoto B1 flash<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0(B&H<\/em><\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0Amazon<\/em><\/a>)<\/li>\n
- Profoto transmitters for Nikon & Canon (& Sony)<\/li>\n
- Profoto OCF Beauty Dish (24?)<\/a>\u00a0 (B&<\/em>H<\/em><\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0Amazon<\/em><\/a>)<\/li>\n
- a\u00a0tall\u00a0Manfrotto 1004BAC<\/a>\u00a0light-stand<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nFor these photos\u00a0I used a loaner copy of the stellar\u00a0Zeiss Batis 85mm f\/1.8<\/a> \u00a0(B&H<\/em><\/a> \/ Amazon<\/em><\/a>). It\u2019s razor-sharp, as you\u2019d expect from any Zeiss optic. The Batis range of lenses by Zeiss are specifically designed to offer auto-focus with the Sony E-mount cameras. However, I used it in manual focus mode on my\u00a0Sony A7ii\u00a0camera<\/a> (B&H<\/em><\/a> \/ Amazon<\/a><\/em>).\u00a0The Sony and Zeiss combo generally nails the focus perfectly \u2026 but I didn\u2019t want to risk it grabbing an eyebrow, for example. With such shallow depth-of-field you have to be careful if you want precise focusing every time.<\/p>\n
\n\nThere is a specific thought-process, or algorithm if you want to think of it that way, in approaching on-location portraits like these – Checklist for portrait photography on location<\/a>\u00a0(with Anastasiya).<\/p>\n
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Here are the first two test shots:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t![](\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/headshots\/andy-peeke\/DSC09497.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t![](\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/headshots\/andy-peeke\/DSC09498.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/p>\nUsing the Profoto B1 in TTL mode to establish exposure<\/h2>\n
I started with the background – I knew that I wanted that defocused city scene behind him. I also knew that I wanted it bright and ‘airy’. In other words, about a stop up on my camera’s exposure meter reading. Then a test shots to see how Andy would look at that exposure. As anticipated, he was under-exposed. With that, I switched on the off-camera lighting I had set up.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Profoto B1 flash<\/a>\u00a0 with the Profoto OCF Beauty Dish (24?)<\/a>\u00a0 (B&<\/em>H<\/em><\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0Amazon<\/em><\/a>). It is a relatively small softbox, but I had it close to me on my right to me, and fairly close to the camera axis.<\/p>\n
This time I didn’t want dramatic light from my off-camera flash. I wanted as soft and even as I could, with such a small light source.<\/p>\n
I purposely had the Profoto B1 set to TTL flash, so that I could get an establishing first exposure. Surprisingly, it was over-exposed. The Profoto B1 usually nails the TTL flash pretty close to correct for my tastes. But working this close, it was about 2 stops over, guessing by the preview image shown on the LCD – the right-hand image.<\/p>\n
One of the things that I love about the Profoto B1, is that if you like the TTL exposure, you switch the Profoto remote to manual, and the exposure is locked. In this instance, I locked the exposure, and quickly tapped the exposure adjustment button to give me two stops less light … in manual. And the exposure was perfect, as you can see in the two main images.<\/p>\n
That took care of the lighting.<\/p>\n
About the posing – I only had to minimally adjust Andy’s pose since he is an experienced actor and TV presenter, with oodles of personality. (Here is his Instagram<\/a> account.) So he needed little guiding or coaxing other than telling him where to stand, and how to turn towards the camera. Other than that, Andy knows how to switch it on! \u00a0I didn’t want him with his shoulders square to the camera. It works better with his shoulders at an angle to the camera.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Summary<\/h2>\n
Here I wanted to run through some of the thought-process with this specific sequence of photos. Of course, working in a different location with different requirements, and a different subject, the technique might well be different. There are countless ways of getting great portraits or headshots of someone. This is but one such occasion.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nRelated articles<\/h2>\n
- \n
- Checklist for portrait photography on location<\/a>\u00a0(model: Anastasiya)<\/li>\n
- On-location headshots and promotional portraits<\/a>\u00a0 (Jonathan A.)<\/li>\n
- Best softbox for on-location headshot photography<\/a><\/li>\n
- More articles on Headshot Photography<\/a><\/li>\n
- NJ headshots \/ NJ headshot photographer<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On-location headshots With these on-location headshots of actor and TV presenter, Andy Peeke, there is a lot going on despite the apparent simplicity. The photos were done in a very short space of time – we rained out! So I had to work fast and still nail the images as intended. Also, – I wanted Read more inside…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[209,110,31,511,453,5034],"tags":[891,765],"yst_prominent_words":[1116,5074,5052,5044,5049,11800,1115,1021,5073,5051,5043,5053,11799,11798,11796,5048,5041,7642,6574,6573],"class_list":{"0":"post-40472","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headshot-photography","8":"category-off-camera-flash","9":"category-photo-shoot","10":"category-profoto","11":"category-sony","12":"category-zeiss","13":"tag-headshot-photography","14":"tag-nyc-headshot-photography","15":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40472"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40472"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51088,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40472\/revisions\/51088"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40472"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=40472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- On-location headshots and promotional portraits<\/a>\u00a0 (Jonathan A.)<\/li>\n
![](\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/headshots\/andy-peeke\/DSC09499-edit.jpg\")
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