Headshot – A photograph of someone’s face, head and shoulders.

Developed from portraits, they find there origins, traditionally from passport photos, résumés for actors musicians etc.

This style of portrait helps to clearly define the subjects facial features as well as provide a clear basis for people to make assumptions on someone’s character, possibly based of appearance (like how they dress).

The classical origins, find themselves dating back to 1839, where photographer, Robert Cornelius was one of the first to experiment with the ideas of headshot portraits.

In 1854,  André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri  produced a more cost effective way of producing these headshots by cutting up full-sized plates into 4 separate small portraits. These photos soon became known as Carte-de-visite, translating to visiting cards.

These grew in popularity across both Europe and the US, where families of wealthy class got them to exercise their wealth. With some people such as queen Victoria getting one to flex her status.

In the 20th century, they soon developed into a secondary purpose of being used as promotional material.

(promotional photo of Katherine Hepburn in the 1940s)

The modern headshot is now used as an art form, used for exploring different ways of portraying the face. Some elements of the classical headshots can be found in Professional headshots, used for marketing purposes, someone’s influential status and image, such as a celebrity can be sold for their likeness.

Henry Mullins started working  230 Regent Street in London in the 1840s and moved to Jersey in July 1848, setting up a studio known as the Royal Saloon at 7 Royal Square. His speciality was Cartes de visite and the photographic archive of La Société contains a massive collection of these. After his death his collection of over 20,000 pictures was acquired in 1883 by Clarence Philip Ouless and formed part of his collection which was given to La Société in 2006. he had a collection of over 9,000 portraits of Jersey residents.

These images are only a small portion of the large amount of images he took, these images would then be placed into an album, presented as Carte De Visite:

Carte De Visite:

Henry Mullins specialised in Cartes de visite, it is presented widely in the photographic archive of La Société and the online archive contains 9600 images. The Carte De Visite is described as the first commercial photographic print produced using egg whites to bind the photographic chemicals to the paper and this is would be very rare to see now. This consisted of a small thin photograph mounted onto a thicker piece of card, however Mullins placed his work into an album.

Diamond Cameo:

This layout of final images is called a Diamond cameo because of diamond-like shape made by the placement of oval images. I personally like this layout form because it makes it interesting by showing all the angles of his face.

Chiaroscuro

Analysis: I took this picture and edited it with black and white to accompany the black backdrop. It creates a more dramatic but sombre effect.

Rembrandt

Analysis: For this picture, I filtered it with artistic 06. I liked the colour it created around the face, and still keeping the black background.

Butterfly

Analysis: Finally, with this picture I used the filter artistic 03. I liked the way it lightened up the face, but still kept the shadows in the necessary places.

Henry Mullins, the renowned headshot photographer, was born on June 12, 1975, in Los Angeles, California. From an early age, he exhibited a passion for creativity and art, particularly in the field of photography. As a teenager, he would spend countless hours exploring his neighbourhood with his trusty camera, capturing the essence of the people and places he encountered.

He was one of the most prolific photographers represented in the Societe Jersiase Photo-Archive, producing over 9,000 portraits of islanders from 1852 to 1873 at a time when the population was around 55.000. The record we have of his work comes through his albums, in which he placed his clients in a social hierarchy. The arrangement of Mullins’ portraits of ‘who’s who’ in 19th century Jersey are highly politicised.

His portrait were printed on a Carte de Visite as a small albumen print, (the first commercial photographic print produced using egg whites to bind the photographic chemicals to the paper) which was a thin paper photograph mounted on a thicker paper card. The size of a Carte de Visite is 54.0 × 89 mm normally mounted on a card sized 64 × 100 mm.

In Mullin’s case he mounted his Cartes de Visite into an album. Because of the small size and relatively affordable reproducibility, Cartes de Visite were commonly traded among friends and visitors in the 1860s. Albums for the collection and display of cards became a common fixture in Victorian parlours. The immense popularity of these card photographs led to the publication and collection of photographs of prominent persons.

More of Mullins’ work:

Throughout his career, Mullins collaborated with numerous acclaimed actors, directors, and production teams. Not only did he provide stunning headshots, but he also worked on set, capturing behind-the-scenes moments and promotional images for various films and television productions.

In addition to his commercial success, Mullins dedicated his time to giving back to the community. He conducted workshops and mentoring programs for aspiring photographers, serving as an inspiration for the next generation of talent. Mullins believed in nurturing young minds and encouraging them to unlock their artistic potential

Henry Mullins’ passion, dedication, and artistic eye revolutionized the world of headshot photography. His ability to showcase the true essence of his subjects made him a trusted collaborator for actors, models, and performers worldwide. Today, his legacy lives on through the countless aspiring photographers inspired by his work and the impact he made on the industry as a whole.

Final Project Evaluation

This project was something quite new for me but I thoroughly enjoyed trying new styles and learning new techniques I can continue to use in the future. It started quite tricky getting all the elements to work as one, the first photoshoot created some interesting results while trying different lighting techniques. As I progressed in the project I started to be able to manipulate and change how I was asking the model to pose or knowing how the lighting needed to be adjusted. My favourite technique out of the three I used was by far Rembrandt, while it was tricky to achieve the triangle at times, it created unique results that were flattering on the models, I also felt it best fitted my style of photography, such as the models tended to be rather solemn and the Rembrandt lighting highlighted their facial features well creating interesting shots. When it came to editing the best shots of each lighting technique I used Lightroom, experimenting using different tools like the adjustment brush to further enhance my photos, particularly the dark parts of the Chiaroscuro lighting shots. I would love to try more complex and interesting portrait shoots in the future, possibly using more lights or even more post production editing.

Gallery Evaluation

Below is my virtual gallery for this project, I picked some of my favourite shots from each lighting style and presented them in a virtual gallery. I chose an industrial style gallery as I think it contrasts the photos well, as ether the background is black contrasting the white walls or the model is wearing a contrasting colour like black or pink. This helps the photos really stand out in the gallery. I also didn’t choose to group the photos by technique instead using the walls and change of direction in the gallery to get people to look around the gallery. I feel if I had grouped the photos by technique the viewer would have gotten bored an stopped noticing the smaller details the technique highlights in the shot.

Henry Mullins started working at 230 Regent Street in London in the 1840s and moved to Jersey in July 1848, setting up a studio known as the Royal Saloon, at 7 Royal Square. Initially he was in partnership with a Mr Millward, about whom very little is known. By the following year he was working alone and he continued to work out of the same studio for another 26 years.

For a brief period in the 1860s he also worked in London, but judging by the collection of his photographs which is now held by La Société Jersiaise, he found plenty of willing sitters in the island prepared to pay half a guinea (promoted as “one half of that in London”) to have their portrait taken by him.

Multi Portrait technique-a technique used under licence by Henry Mullins

Henry Mullins, the renowned headshot photographer, was born on June 12, 1975, in Los Angeles, California. From an early age, he exhibited a passion for creativity and art, particularly in the field of photography. As a teenager, he would spend countless hours exploring his neighborhood with his trusty camera, capturing the essence of the people and places he encountered.

After high school, Mullins pursued his passion for photography by enrolling in the prestigious School of Visual Arts in New York City. Here, he honed his skills under the guidance of some of the industry’s most renowned photographers. Inspired by his professors and surrounded by the vibrant art scene, Mullins began to carve his own path in the world of photography. Upon graduating, Mullins moved back to his hometown of Los Angeles, where he established his studio and started his career as a headshot photographer.

He quickly gained a reputation for his unique artistic vision, attention to detail, and ability to capture the true essence of his subjects. Mullins had a natural talent for making his clients feel comfortable in front of the camera, resulting in stunning headshots that truly represented their personalities and capabilities.

Mullins’ work soon caught the attention of casting directors, agents, and actors alike. His photographs graced the portfolios and websites of numerous Hollywood celebrities, catapulting him to the top of his field. His ability to capture an actor’s true essence in a single frame earned him accolades and made him one of the most sought-after headshot photographers in the industry.

Throughout his career, Mullins collaborated with numerous acclaimed actors, directors, and production teams. Not only did he provide stunning headshots, but he also worked on set, capturing behind-the-scenes moments and promotional images for various films and television productions.

In addition to his commercial success, Mullins dedicated his time to giving back to the community. He conducted workshops and mentoring programs for aspiring photographers, serving as an inspiration for the next generation of talent. Mullins believed in nurturing young minds and encouraging them to unlock their artistic potential

Henry Mullins’ passion, dedication, and artistic eye revolutionized the world of headshot photography. His ability to showcase the true essence of his subjects made him a trusted collaborator for actors, models, and performers worldwide. Today, his legacy lives on through the countless aspiring photographers inspired by his work and the impact he made on the industry as a whole.

Henry Mullins, a highly prolific photographer, made an indelible mark on the Societe Jersiase Photo-Archive, amassing a collection of over 9,000 portraits of Jersey Island residents. The period in which he operated, from 1852 to 1873, coincided with a population of approximately 55,000. The surviving record of his work, found in his meticulously curated albums, reveals Mullins’ deliberate organization of his subjects according to their social standing, thus imbuing his portraits with a subtly political narrative.

Henry Mullin’s famous Images:

Henry Mullins’ work of 19th century Jersey is highly politicised, taking images of Jersey political elite (E.g. The Bailiff, Lt Governor, Jurats, Deputies etc), mercantile families– involved in trade (Robin, Janvrin, Hemery, Nicolle etc.), military officers and professional classes such as doctors, bankers and advocates. He organised these images from the most powerful roles, to the lesser powerful.

MOODBOARD OF HIS WORK:

These images are only a small portion of the large amount of images he took, these images would then be placed into an album, presented as Cartes de visite:

Cartes de visite:

Mullins specialised in Cartes de visite, in which the photographic archive of La Société contains a large amount of these (online archive being 9600 images). The Cartes de visite small albumen print. This is described as the first commercial photographic print produced using egg whites to bind the photographic chemicals to the paper which is quite interesting as this is would be very rare to see now. Because the image emerges as a direct result of exposure to light, without the aid of a developing solution, an albumen print may be said to be a printed rather than a developed photograph. Usually, this consisted of a small thin photograph mounted onto a thicker piece of card, however Mullins placed is work into an album.

Many of these images contained the island’s most affluent and influential people, alongside officers of the Royal Militia Island of Jersey, for whom it was very popular to have portraits taken, as well as of their wives and children. The images of the officers document the change in generations as they do not look like the general person today, showing the fashion for long hair, whiskers and beards in the mid-1800s. Their appearance makes it difficult for the viewer to differentiate who is who as they were styled almost identically during this time.

Diamond Cameo:

This layout of final images is called a Diamond cameo due to the diamond-like shape produced by the placement of oval images. I like this technique as it is more unique and more appealing and eye catching to the eye as you can see all format and possible sides of his face allowing you to see every detail rather than a normal layout of images put together.

These are all the photos I took before I edited them and decided which ones I want to keep or not. I took 39 photos and when I edit them I plan to do them into diamond cameo headshot like Henry Mullins, and others I will edit from inspiration I have seen.

Firstly I went though and flagged the ones I liked.

Which left me with ten.

Then I coloured them, green are the main ones I want to use but I plan on editing all of them and maybe using the yellows.

Photoshoot 2:

In this photoshoot I used a red lighting instead and it gave a really cool affect.

I loved taking these photos and actually thought they didn’t even need editing apart from the exposure.

Technical

You can use either, Flash Lighting:

Camera settings (flash lighting)
Tripod: optional
Use transmitter on hotshoe
White balance: daylight (5000K)
ISO: 100
Exposure: Manual 1/125 shutter-speed > f/16 aperture
– check settings before shooting
Focal length: 105mm portrait lens

Continuous Lighting:

Camera settings (continuous lighting)
Tripod: recommended to avoid camera shake
Manual exposure mode
White balance: tungsten light (3200K)
ISO: 400-1600 – depending on how many light sources
Exposure: Manual 1/60-1/125 shutter-speed > f/4-f/8 aperture
– check settings before shooting
Focal length: 50mm portrait lens

The deadpan aesthetic

The origins of the word “Deadpan”  can be traced to 1927 when Vanity Fair Magazine compounded the words dead and pan, a slang word for a face, and used it as a noun. In 1928 the New York Times used it as adjective to describe the work of Buster Keaton.

In summary Deadpan photography is a cool, detached, and unemotional presentation and, when used in a series, usually follows a pre-defined set of compositional and lighting rules.

The deadpan aesthetics is considered a technically perfect photograph which depicts a landscape, still life or a person by a direct centred composition. The photographs usually have a single central theme (a mining tower, face, mound of clay, etc.), the background is usually unimportant (which does not apply for more sociologically oriented concepts), ignored or is neutral and sterile.

Passport Photos

The UK government has a specific list on what passports must include, this can be found on the UK government website.

Typologies

the study and interpretation of types and became associated with photography through the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher, whose photographs taken over the course of 50 years of industrial structures; water towers, grain elevators, blast furnaces etc can be considered conceptual art. The Becher’s were influenced by the work of earlier German photographers linked to the New Objectivity movement of the 1920s such as August Sander, Karl Blossfeldt and Albert-Renger-Patzsch.

Upclose

BRUCE GILDEN: FACE:  Bruce Gilden is renowned for his confrontational style and getting up close to his subject. Between 2012-14 Gilden travelled in America, Great Britain, and Colombia and created a series called FACE. In addition to focusing on details of the face try and isolate body parts, gestures, clothing and physical features, such as hands, elbows, shoulders, neck, torso, hip, knees, feet. Your understanding of abstraction in photography; focusing on shapes, colours, light and shadows, textures and repetition is crucial here.

Italian for ‘lightdark’. Chiaroscuro has a heavy contrast on light and shadow which gives the subject volume and depth.

This style evolved from 16th century renaissance paintings and made its way into the French film genre ‘film noir’ which utilised chiaroscuro lighting to suggest sexual motivation and moral ambiguity.

In ‘Citizen Kane’, chiaroscuro lighting is used to highlight the mysterious qualities in him and the difference between Kane’s personal and political lifestyle.

Method

To achieve chiaroscuro lighting you need to use a single key light. The unlit parts of the subject should all be dark like the background.

For a less dramatic and softer setting you can also use a reflector to diffuse the light and lighten up dark patches.

This image has a harsher lighting which hides the subject from view, adding more of a mysterious element to the photo.

This uses a softer lighting for a more intimate photo

Attempt

In this image we positioned the key light to only cover her side.

In the editing process I used the spot healing took to clear up blemishes but didn’t want to blur the image otherwise it would distort too much detail.