Portrait Lessons - Headshots

When taking headshots, the subject should be cropped no lower than the shoulders.  This is pretty much the criteria that sets a "headshot," but there are a lot of ways to make them look better or worse.  Here are a couple of examples of headshots with some information about them.

The subject does not have to be facing the camera, but the close-up is what is focused on with the headshot.  The low DOF (see this older post for more information on DOF) helps to bring the subject out of the background and more into the main focus of the photo.

A "catch light" is there there is a small light in the eyes of the subject.  This helps to brighten the eyes and draw focus there, when done right.  If the catch light is too large or if there is more than one light (like from more than one light in the room combined with the light from a flash), it can just be distracting.

The angle of the shot also does not have to be right on.  With a headshot, especially with an unobtrusive background, you can angle it quite a bit to add interest.  When there is not a lot going on in a photo, you have to make what is there really stand out.

Hats are something that a lot of people have to deal with when taking photos.  Use a fill-flash or change your exposure to make sure that the shadowed part of the face is still very visible.  Also, make sure to take the photo from a low enough angle that the eyes are visible under the brim of the hat.

An important part of a headshot is sharpness or focus.  Because the photo is going to be so close to the subject, there is little to no room for error here.  Even of nothing else, the eyes should be sharp.  That is a good way to decide if your subject is in perfect focus.