Best Light Modifier For Headshots

There s more to headshots than white backgrounds.

Best light modifier for headshots.

Social media linkedin websites marketing material and more. Whatever you use this is your main light. I can use a medium sized softbox to shoot a great portrait or even a full length shot with just a little light falloff from the shins to the feet. Softboxes are my modifier of choice when i want a soft directional light and i want to be able to control how much of that light is going to fall on my background.

Natural light strobes and constant light. We are using a gray seamless for this shoot just to give it a slightly different look from the typical white background in a peter hurley headshot. It is important to understand what a light modifier is and how it will impact your portrait lighting or headshot photography. This modifier is inexpensive and a great value since this kit comes with a light stand and a shoe mount.

Beautiful headshots can be produced with three lights and a reflector. You will need a key light a background light and a hair light. The light and modifier i use most often in this situation is a canon 600ex rt speedlite and a speedbox 70 from xp photogear. Today business people have needs that extend far beyond traditional business cards.

I shoot hundreds of headshots per year using this simple setup. The most important light in my opinion is the hair light. The only drawback is that you can t tilt it so i cheat and just tilt the hot shoe mount and let some light leak out the bottom of the orb when i have the diffusion panel on the front. With the subject seated which makes shooting volume much easier position your light about arm s length from the subject and angled directly across the face perpendicular to.

Hair especially dark hair soaks up an incredible amount of light and doesn t bounce back much. My standard setup consists of a large soft light source to the left or right of the subject a reflector under the face and another reflector opposite the main light source. Umbrellas softboxes brolly boxes and beauty dishes are all important. At 1 200th of a second f 8 and iso 100 we took each of the following shots on our canon 5d mark iii equipped with the canon 24 70mm f 2 8 mark ii lens.