I've decided. What I want to be is a professional superhero head shot photographer. Superheroes need head shots too, when applying for vigilante positions, you know.Here we have the alter egos of several of my (non-photography job) co-workers at http://www.savenature.org/
where we battle insect ignorance, inspire wee children to care about the environment, clean up bug poo and yes, Save Nature by preserving vital habitat. And that's just by day.
The afternoon of March 13th marks the alignment of the seven intergalactic bug moons, and thus these superheroes will come together for their once-a-light-year Bowl-a-thon, called BOWL-THE-PLANET. Dear ordinary mortals, lend your support to these legendary super humans and sponsor your idol now! All sponsorships will go to these mighty beings' conservation efforts.
How does one go about setting up a super hero photo studio? I'm glad you asked. The black back drop was bought from JoAnn Fabrics. I scrutinized many fabrics before deciding upon this. It is no ordinary cloth. In another life, it would've been used to make heavy wrinkle-free winter trousers. However, its matte surface, dense knit and synthetic composition makes it perfect for a backdrop as it absorbs light and creates a fabulously dark black hole black.
Lighting. I borrowed a very bright 4-bulb lamp to light from the left. No diffuser material over the light - I wanted a strong blast of light, to give drama to the superheroes. On the right, a single bulb, white-umbrellaed (ie, diffused) light, to use as a "fill light". This prevents the right side from being totally in shadow. If the fill light wasn't there, the shadows on the faces would be much darker; we'd lose a lot of right-side information. It was otherwise a day-light-lit room; enough ambient light that these 2 lamps were enough.
Superhero friends out there, if you need year head shot done, just let me know.