Eight-year old Abby is a competitive dancer. She needed some professional head shots that she could submit with her dance competition applications and I was more than happy to oblige!
(Click on the images to see larger versions.)
Now, it’s an understatement to suggest that this girl loves to dance. And she’s one fireball of energy. Needless to say, we had a ton of fun creating these images! Abby dances with the Portland Dance Center in Beaverton, Oregon. She performs in a variety of genres from classical ballet to contemporary jazz.
These images of Abby were not created in a traditional studio. We were in Abby’s basement! While creating head shot images in a studio setting is probably the easiest and most efficient approach, I am quite accustomed to photographing in a variety of styles on location.
In this case I brought a background stand, a white backdrop, a reflector, a studio strobe, a large octabox and a Nikon Speedlight. Abby was lit with a single light (the studio strobe and octabox) from camera right. The octabox serves to create a large light source that results in soft shadows on the subject.
I asked Abby’s mom to stand with a large reflector to camera left, which also lightened up the soft shadows created by the octabox. Finally, I placed a small speedlight (another term for flash) on the floor behind Abby. I aimed the speedlight directly at the background to make sure it would go completely white in the final portraits.
Whether you are an eight year old dancer or a 60 year old retired businessman, I can help you create the perfect head shot to meet your needs! Contact me for more information!
