Free Headshot Retouching Tips and Q/A: Creator Office Hours

Hey there, y’all. This week on my lil’ Office Hours, I decided to focus on a particular topic that’s been in my inbox a few times. That’s headshot photography. In particular, headshot retouching. Check it out below. I hope this helps photographers get rolling in their headshot photography journey. Please reshare the video far and wide.

Tools mentioned include:

Wacom Intuos Tablet*

Canon R5 C*













*Affiliate link used. Affiliate links allow me to earn a small commission as a content creator if you purchase items using the affiliate link. Thank you for your support.

I Want the Canon RF 100-500mm Lens

A couple of weeks ago I suffered a loss to my photography kit. My old telephoto 400mm lens’ autofocus motors died. This REALLY bugged me as it was right as baseball season was starting. It was also creeping into the warmer weather which is when I focus on wildlife photography. Pissed off and frustrated, I decided to go rent a new lens to handle an upcoming baseball game shoot. I’m glad I did.

When I went to my local camera/rental shop, I checked out the telephoto options and found that an RF mount lens was available. This meant I could use my Canon R5 C* for the long shots instead of my 1DX II*. The wonderful staff suggested the Canon 100-500mm RF telephoto lens and had high praise for it. I trust these guys, so I gave it a shot.

First impressions

WOW this lens is LIGHTWEIGHT. The size of this lens in its widest focal length is pretty compact at 8-inches. The build quality is great. It doesn’t feel cheap and has the Canon “L” designation for professional-grade build quality. It weighs roughly 3-pounds when holding it in your hands alone. Slap the lens onto a Canon mirrorless body and it’s barely noticeable in the short term.

Image quality

The image quality on this lens is UNBELIEVABLE. It’s such a sharp lens. I’m not sure what Canon has done, but the RF mount lenses are always sharp, but I was surprised at how sharp this telephoto lens is. It’s ridiculous. Having image stabilization built in is definitely helpful. When I shot the baseball game, I started out with the lens connected to my monopod. Just a force of habit. When shooting long focal lengths at 300mm or more, I stabilize my camera and lens with a monopod because you’re much more prone to capturing blurred images at those focal lengths. This is because micro jitters from you or your camera are magnified. Since the lens is so light, I boldly decided to try shooting handheld. Maaaaan did it workout perfectly for me. Again, the built-in image stabilization system in the lens helps a lot. The USM autofocus on this lens is snappy in all focal lengths. My only suggestion would be to make sure your mirrorless camera’s autofocus AI is set to “people” and face detection when shooting sports. I didn’t upload the highest resolution version of the pics below, but they’re still pretty stellar in quality.

Concerns

The weight of this lens is great. The size is “good.” When you zoom to a tighter focal length the lens telescopes to 11-inches. Unfortunately. I wish this wasn’t the case. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s something I wish was addressed for the price point. To Canon’s credit, the telescoping functionality can be manipulated to be a smooth, quick motion or your can make it a stiff motion. If you tighten down on the lens for a stiff motion, this will eliminate the inadvertent telescoping issue when you’re just walking around with the lens on your hip or shoulder.

Image credit Canon USA

The other concern is the aperture. At f/4.5-7.1, many would scoff. At f/5.6 is where most shooters would want to top out on aperture. But even at f/7.1 I found something magical happens with this lens. I really can’t explain it. You don’t lose as much light as expected. My friends at the local camera store said that Canon did something really right or really wrong, because they noticed the same performance. The folks at Digital Picture explains this technicality quite well. Over my head, but it definitely works. Let’s just say that f/7.1 at 500mm isn’t really f/7.1. And no, f/4.5 isn’t particularly wide open, but it’s adequate with today’s high ISO performance in cameras. The background compression looks great in all of my images regardless of the aperture.

You can get the 100-500mm RF lens from Canon for $2899, but at the time of writing this, the lens has a discount* going. I need to save up for this lens. I not only want it, I NEED it.


*Affiliate link used. Affiliate links allow me to earn a small commission as a content creator if you purchase items using the affiliate link. Thank you for your support.

New G-Series Lens Announced From Sony

Sony continues its push of offering great image quality to hybrid shooters be it photography or video. Today Sony announces a new G-series 24-50mm f/2.8 lens for all of its E-mount, Sony shooters.

Image credit - Sony

Why does this matter?

So a new lens is announced. “What’s the big deal,” you ask? Well first, what’s big about this is the focal range and aperture. This focal range is ideal for both photography and video. Being an f/2.8 lens also offers great performance in low-light scenarios.

Speaking of the f/2.8 aperture, the aperture blades are important. In this new lens, Sony is offering 11 aperture blades. In entry-to-mid-level lenses, you’ll get seven aperture blades in most instances. Sometimes nine blades. These additional blades offer a much nicer looking bokeh effect while shooting wide open as well as helps reduce diffraction.

Lastly, the main reason this is big news is the weight of the lens. Sony states that the new G-series lens will come in at 440g, or 15.5oz for us uncivilized folks. One of the primary selling points of a mirrorless camera is the reduced body size and weight. I always thought this selling point was a bunch of bunk because most pro-grade lenses were freakin’ HEAVY compared to camera bodies, so the total camera package would still be considered heavy. But, I’m no marketing genius, so what do I know?

You can request your new lens from Sony for $1099 with delivery set for sometime in May 2024. Let me know if you decide to order one.

I've Been Shooting More Recently

Hello. Hope all of you are doing well. I've had a little more time to shoot and be more deliberate about what I shoot. Here's something I shot several hours ago, actually. I wanted to create more images that could not only be used as prints, but also as jigsaw puzzles.

So do you like dogs? Like jigsaw puzzles? Grab one of these jigsaw puzzles I’ve created. Recently, I've had some landscape photography ideas I wanted to capture, but the weather and lighting hasn't cooperated with me here. I'll get more images published soon.

I’m also going to spend more time focusing on my stock photography and stock video content via Adobe Stock*. I don’t make a ton of money off of it, but I used to make enough to buy “steak” each month from stock content sales as long as I was putting up enough content based on trends I saw. Anyway, check out my dog Biscuit in the photo below. If you click on it, it will take you to the order page to get it as a puzzle or a print. THANKS for the support. Have a great, peaceful holiday season.

PS: Did y’all listen to my old (personal) podcast? Check it out here.

Image: Ant Pruitt - all rights reserved


*Affiliate link used. Affiliate links allow me to earn a small commission as a content creator if you purchase items using the affiliate link. Thank you for your support.

I Got a Free V-Mount Battery

I recently purchased a replacement v-mount battery for my video camera because my old one was just too big and bulky. I wanted something smaller, but yet powerful enough to allow for a decent amount of time recording footage. So I bought this V99* from ZGCINE. Turns out, it’s a pretty great option. The folks a ZGCINE apparently got wind of my purchase and sent me some other stuff for free.

First, I received this NPF battery charger* that’s ridiculously fast. I spoke about this as my pick of the week on #TWiG recently. It’s affordable and totally worth it if you’re a creator using Sony NPF batteries for your lights, camera or monitors.

Next, ZGCINE sent me their newest v-mount battery option. The V50*. It’s an even smaller form-factor packed with i/o you need as a creator. Click the image below to watch my YouTube video about it.

Image: Ant Pruitt

*Affiliate link used. Affiliate links allow me to earn a small commission as a content creator if you purchase items using the affiliate link. Thank you for your support.

Nikon Z 30 Announced Focusing on Vloggers

Nikon quietly announced a new mirrorless camera aimed at the vloggers of the world. This new Z 30 is an APS-C mirrorless capable of 20MP images at 11 frames per second capture as well as video up to 4K (UHD) up to 30 frames per second. Adorama has the camera available for preorder*. Get the body and kit lens for $846.95. More on the new camera in the video below.

*Affiliate link used. Affiliate links allow me to earn a small commission as a content creator if you purchase items using the affiliate link. Thank you for your support.

New Platypod Extreme On Deck

The squad at Platypod has announced a new product for photographers and content creators. The Platypod Extreme is the next iteration in the Platypod ecosystem as it offers some updates to be more portable, versatile and even easier to use.

Image: Platypod

I’ve used the Platypod and Platypod Ultra (the smaller one) quite regularly in my workflow. Whether for mounting my camera against a tree to capture hummingbird photography, to shoot low-angle landscapes, or mount a floor light for a photoshoot, the Platypod product line has been ridiculously useful. The new Extreme has me interested as it now has the pegs integrated with the platform. No more of me carrying a pouch with the pegs in it for a field shoot. Good thought, team.

You can find out more about the product and see the successful campaign on Kickstarter. Yes, they’ve already met their crowd-funding goal. There’s a reason for that.

a GREAT Autofocus Explanation With Rudy Winston of Canon and Steve Brazill

So my man Steve Brazill is not only an amazing photographer but also a great podcast host. He hosts a show called Behind The Shot which features great images and the photographers explaining the thought process of the image captured. This particular episode is a bit different. Brazill is joined by Canon’s Technical Advisor Mr. Rudy Winston and he does a ridiculously THOROUGH explanation of the way Canon’s autofocus system works in its new mirrorless cameras. But don’t worry, this explanation is applicable to most cameras today. Not just the Canon system. Definitely worth a watch. Check it out below.

Black Friday Discounts for Photographers

So it’s holiday shopping season and time for #BlackFriday deals. I just got an email from my friends at Lensrentals* which I think is a pretty good deal for photographers and content creators. I’m sure some of you are working shoots and projects for the holidays. So now is a good time to take advantage of the discounts offered. If you’re not working on a project during the holidays, no worries. You can still get the discount for items delivered by February 25, 2022.

The deals

So if you’d like to rent some gear, head over to the site here* and add the items to your cart. Then at checkout, enter code LRBF2021. That code will get you 20% off your order.

If you’re looking to BUY items from Lensrentals*, you can take advantage of their new “Keeper” program and get 10% off your order with code KPRBF2021. The Keeper program is pretty cool because items are discounted since they’re used. And in my experience, the gear I rent from Lensrentals* is always in GREAT shape regardless of how old the gear is.

I’ve been eyeballing a particular Sigma lens* to use with my Pocket Cinema Camera 6K. I’ve used it before for portrait work, but never for video. Part of me just wants to go ahead and buy it. We’ll see. That’s the beauty of renting first. Anyway, check out the deals. Let me know what you end up ordering.

Image credit: Lensrentals

*Affiliate link used. Affiliate links allow me to earn a small commission as a content creator if you purchase items using the affiliate link. Thank you for your support.

Nikon Z9 Mirrorless Camera Announced

Nikon has announced it’s latest pro camera body in the form of a full-frame mirroless Z9. This company has been (unfairly) negatively mentioned quite a bit in the photography community regarding its history with the mirrorless line of cameras. I recently chatted with Seth Miranda on my show about these grumbles and gripes from the community. But anyway, the Z9 is looking to be a bold statement from Nikon.

Image: Adorama

Tech specs of note

The camera is a mirrorless body, but a “shutter-less” body as well. Well, a mechanical shutter, that is. There is an enclosure over the sensor, but this isn’t a mechanism used during capturing images. Does this mean an improvement in sensor readout and rolling shutter? In addition to 45 megapixels, you’ll get:

  • 8K/30p capture and 4K-from-8K, with ProRes 422 HQ

  • 8K/60p, 12-bit 8K N-Raw and 4K ProRes RAW (coming soon with a software update)

  • Dual CFExpress type B card slots

  • 30 frames per second capture

  • 120 frames per second capture (at a 11 megapixels)

  • Improved autofocus and tracking

  • Tilting rear LCD. It’s interesting looking. . . .

Image: Adorama

All of these specs look great and pretty much expected for a flagship device. I appreciate the fact that the dual card slots are identical. Not just an “ultra fast” slot and a “fast” slot the way other manufacturers are doing it. The squad Chris and Jordan at DP Review did a great video checking out a pre-production Z9 out and about in Seattle. I’m putting there video below. Be sure you click like and subscribe on their channel. You can pre-order the Z9 for $5496 over on Adorama.* Again, this seems like everything you’d expect in a pro body, but with really competitive pricing.

**Affiliate link used. Affiliate links allow me to earn a small commission as a content creator if you purchase items using the affiliate link. Thank you for your support.