Tonight I did a quick, like I mean 5 minutes quick, head shot of Mercer Island podiatrist Dr. Mak Abulhosn. The image was sandwiched into a huge group family session and I ultimately would like to do a portrait with Mak that was more environmental, but that is not the point of the post.
Several weeks ago I attended a lighting seminar conducted by David Hobby, purveyor of endless photography resources, shameless pimper of light and proprietor of the cottage industry branded as Strobist.com. During the seminar he espoused the virtues of clamshell-styled lighting with the virtues being flattering and even light while still maintaining dimensionality due to the lower light being down one to 3 stops.
I think that this look is exceptional for clean and professional head shots.
From the Strobist seminar in Seattle, here is a clamshell set-up shot by Ted Leung
