My first try at a Peter Hurley ;)
model in for a portfolio shoot , just got a chance to try a couple of PH's, managed 5 mins of shooting then went back to what the client wanted lol
any tips, critiques and stuff?
More Posts in: Headshot Photography
Dean Wilson
Vintage Lens
Another visit to our garden using a vintage lens (Canon FD 50mm f/1.4) on my Canon R5. NOTE: With this lens the minimum focusing distance is 18" at which point you have 1/4" depth of field.
1
Last: May 30, 2026
Quinn Kananack
Austin, Texas Blue Hour
Was down in Austin for a bit on a work trip. I've always heard how beautiful the skyline is from the river.
Was a little let down by the clouds, but what can I do!
Ian Hayward
Two from Tenerife
My two favourite images from my recent night time adventure in Tenerife. Foregrounds and skies were shot separately and blended in PS.
John Desjarlais
Any interest in this group?
Hi all, I was looking for such a group but see that although there are many members there hasn’t been a single post. Is there interest out there in getting this group going?
1
Last: May 28, 2026
Dean Wilson
Vintage Lenses
I thought I would try out my 50 year old lenses: Canon FD 50mm f/1.5 SSC and Canon FD 28mm f/2.8 on my Canon R5 with the use of the appropriate adapter.
6
Last: May 27, 2026
8 Comments
Im my opinion eyes are too white...
ok thanks.. interesting i did very little to the eyes just took a small yellow area out with desaturation but as i said ok :)
Hurley's background is typically solid white. I can see some vignette that you can easily get rid of in post.
yes will watch the background lighting next time :)
But be careful not to over expose it and have spill/flare into your lens.
My technique, and I'm not sure if it's the best, is to watch your highlights on the back of the camera or on computer if you're tethering. I expose the background so it's just barely over exposing around the subject. And then I fix the rest in post. Cause it's easy to fix the white at the corners, but time consuming around the subject. Not sure if I make sense. LOL
i was using a single light behind the model but was 18" off the floor (too low)... usually i would light evenly from both sides, level with the subjects head, but was very limited on time as head shots were not a shoot requirement... just wanted to try it after seeing PH's DVD tutorial, will definitely be shooting more of this style for my clients :)
Hi Al,
Great first try. A couple of things I would like to mention to improve the nex time:
1. The face doesn't match her body exposure and color -wise. Which can have 2 reasons: 1. Retouching. 2. The light is aimed or angled to high.
2. The expression can be better.. It doesn't come across as engaging to me as it could've been.
3. On the camera-right side, there's some gaps in the hair which are distracting and one of Peter's pet pieves.
4. The is no squinch going on.
I don't mind the background that much. A lot of people think Peter's shots are characterized by the background, but it's actually the expression he gets out of people that he's famous for.
Sidenote: If you want to learn more about headshots, please join the HeadshotCrew.com. I'm one of the mentors there and together with Peter Hurley we coach people all over the world in becoming better headshot photographers. We are closing in on 10K people who've already joined! You can start a free month trial or sign up for 2 months and receive Peter's book for free.. Might be something interesting for you!
Thanks loads Maurice
lots to take back from that
yes was trying to explain a "squinch"... yes... well i tried :D
thanks again I will persevere ... maybe with someone that actually wants a head shot next time might help too ;) lol
I will definitely look up Headshotcrew.com