Moving through New York City with a ton of photography gear is far from easy. Lugging all the camera gear, lenses, flashes, soft-boxes, backdrops, stands, and miscellaneous odds and ends is far from a fun time. Through the last few years of trial and error taking headshots in NYC, I think I've found the perfect somewhat manageable setup that gets me the results I need.
New York City Headshot Photographer: 1 New York City itself: 0
The most important piece is my backdrop system for headshots. This part depends on my clients desires when it comes to the color behind them in the photographs. My easiest go-to backdrop is a 5' x 7' Collapsible Background that you can pick up from B&H Photo for not too much money. They make a few variations of this setup and some come with stands that hold it in place. I've always just utilized a wall and it's never done me wrong.
My second backdrop system is a bit more complex. I purchased this setup when I had to take 75 headshots for Education First this past October in New Mexico. The Westcott X-Drop Backdrop Kit was a life saver for these bigger shoots. The system has it's own stand system that each color backdrop clips on very simply. It is light and easy to setup with a little bag that holds the whole system. I was able to have my headshot setup wherever I wanted in the hotel we worked in. This helped me be very flexible when I needed to move things around quickly with no limitations (other than height).
Then we move on to the lights I use for these New York City Headshots. First up is my trusty Octa Softbox that is my main light. I set this up to my right and about a foot or so higher than the head of the person that I'm photographing. I angle it slightly down to get the shadows on the opposite side of the face that I like.
Finally, I use a grid style softbox to help add a little bit of a rim light to my headshots. This helps give a little pop of detail around their right shoulder and behind their hair. I feel like it gives a little bit of an edge to stand out from all the other New York City Headshots that you see used on Linked-In while job hunting. This little touch really goes a long way to help stand out from that NYC crowd.
Whether you need a quick head shot for your NYC dating profile, or a high end headshot to add to your Linked In profile to help land that dream New York City job, I can help you accomplish all your headshot needs. Reach out today to get the ball rolling on a photoshoot!