Mammoth
Chapter06

Setup Guides

Setup guide 04 · Photographers · ~6 min

Headshot Studio

Key light on a boom, close and overhead. A second boom for the hairlight. AC power only. A mirror before the camera. A ~6-minute recipe for Photographers.

Standards

Power

AC only

High-volume headshots need consistent power and quick recycle. No battery swaps mid-line.

Light height

Adjusted per person

Move the key and fill for each height. Being close to the light is the whole look.

Aperture

Photographer’s call

Convention says f/5.6 for full focus. Bill shoots wide open: more light, eyes sharp, chest falls off.

Cables

Custom length, no clutter, no tripping hazards

The room

Ask before you arrive

Dark rooms, backlit stages, and windows behind the subject are a fight. Say so up front.

Kit

  • Key light on a boom arm, as close to the subject and as overhead as possible
  • Second boom for the hairlight
  • AC-powered strobes only, with custom-length AC cables
  • Flat-base stands, no tripod legs
  • A table for the camera to set down
  • Prep table: mirror, lint roller, brush
  • Instant preview monitor to select and show people their photos
  • At conferences: a monitor running a slideshow to pull people over
  • SpotMy self-spotting QR code

Steps

  1. Get the room right before the day

    Ask about the scene and the room light on the planning call. Backlit rooms and LED walls need proper, even light or the photos will not be as good as they could be. Tell the client the constraint.

  2. Tell guests to dress for it

    Promote the headshots in the pre-event emails so people show up ready.

  3. Boom the key light

    Close and overhead. Set the hairlight on the second boom. Clean cable runs on both, taped.

  4. Build the prep table

    Mirror, lint roller, brush, in the path to the camera. People fix themselves before they sit.

  5. Preview monitor and slideshow

    Preview monitor where you and the guest can both see it. At a conference, the slideshow monitor faces the aisle.

  6. Meter for the first person, then adjust for every person

    Raise or lower the key and fill for each height. Keep them close to the light.

  7. Show them, pick together, send

    Select on the preview monitor, then the SpotMy QR code gets it to their phone before they walk away.

What goes wrong

  • Battery lights that fade mid-line.
  • One light height for every human.
  • No mirror, so half the photos have a collar problem.
  • Agreeing to a backlit room without saying what it costs the photos.