Advice on simple headshots

Cheers, I'm feeling a little more confident about it now.

I'm going to have a tripod with me, but will probably shoot handheld for ease and speed.

I was worried about the glasses and reflections but actually hadn't realised that my test subject was wearing some! lol
 
yeah, second photo is very soft.

I would put it in aperture priority, f/8 and set auto ISO to have a shutter speed twice your focal length.
 
If you use the tripod, and really I would, turn the IS mode off. Aim for a shutter speed at least as long as your focal length e.g. no 1/10 shots at 135mm. You can work between f/5.6 and f/8 and limit the auto ISO if need be. The good news is it looks like the light is pretty flattering. It's all about controlling the light in the environment and take on board what others have said about the chin being visible. You're pretty close to nailing it, practice, practice, practice. Good luck.
 
I did something similar for an office of 40 people. I just set my exposure manually (white wall in the background was causing metering issues that your door should resolve). My biggest problem: Tall people. We had a few giants that forced me to recompose the shot, and I had to get a couple to slouch a bit because my tripod was too short! Not ideal, but just keep in mind! Don't let the women see their shots, especially if they are already ugly. You won't have time to do 450 people otherwise!

Most of all, remember that this is a fun exercise for you, and that the company will not care how the shots go after maybe 2 days of having them on the site (all the shots on everyone's security cards are nearly worn away and no one gives a toss here).
 
Devrij said:
My biggest problem: Tall people. We had a few giants that forced me to recompose the shot, and I had to get a couple to slouch a bit because my tripod was too short!
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That's why I'm not using a tripod, we have such a range of heights it'll be quicker for me to do it handheld.

Devrij said:
Don't let the women see their shots, especially if they are already ugly. You won't have time to do 450 people otherwise!
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Definitely not letting anyone see them, as you say not got the time and I could do with out a load of people asking me to take a dozen pics until there's one they like.

Devrij said:
Most of all, remember that this is a fun exercise for you,
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Fun? Not so sure about that, I hate taking pics of people, I don't like having to interact with a load of people I don't know and I don't like the pressure of knowing they need to be reasonable photos...fun this is not going to be!!! lol
 
^^ get people ordered by height and then just keep cranking the tripod!



The f/8 is so you can guarantee the whole head is in focus and you don't have to worry about focus errors. These shots you don't want wafer thin DoF
 
Well, I had the first session today and was really surprised to find myself enjoying it!

I got about 45 people done (I have no doubt next 2 sessions will be busier.. They better be, everyone needs to have the taken... Lol) and am pleased with the way the pics came out.

The hints and tips from here have helped a lot and gave me much more confidence doing it. Think I might be a bit disappointed when I do the last session on Friday, though I will have to do extras at some point to pick up anybody who is missed this week!
 
Yeah turns out you were right, I really was dreading it but after the first couple of people I actually found it relatively simple and started to enjoy it!

And even better I got some decent shots and most people were happy with them (there was plenty of time to show them if they asked as not a huge number of people turned up!)
 
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