Most artists replicate other artists work as they are learning --especially in photography.

Use some of the following photographers lighting and posing ideas.Also Google headshots ot portrait photography.

Kevyn Major Howard

Greg Gorman Be sure to click on the SoundByte

Richard Avedon

Watch this about Rembrandt lighting.

He is using hot lights and a fill light instead of a reflector, but the concepts are the same.

Beauty lighting AKA butterfly lighting

Remember, you don't always need to use Rembrandt or Beauty lighting, they are just something to try. Usually the key light is somewhere between the side and the front, at eye level or higher-experiment : )

Light meter info

What I'm mostly concerned with is the pose, crop, lighting direction and light quality.

Shoot each pose you choose three ways: tight crop (top of head cut off), standard crop (an inch or two of space over the head down to about the center of the chest), and a looser, about waste up crop. Try a variety of expressions.

It doesn't matter if the victim, I mean subject, is male or female. Before you shoot, scan the frame for stray hairs, crooked necklaces, collars, etc.The near eye needs to be in perfect focus.

You now have at least 12 shots of the four poses (probably more if you vary the expressions). Pick the best shot from each pose and make it a finished 8x10 jpeg. Put them in a folder named "yourlastnameHS". Name the files 1.jpg, 2.jpg, 3.jpg and 4.jpg. Put the "yourlastnameHS" folder in a Photo folder on your server space.

Your assignment will be graded using these criteria:

From Mr. P's Photo Rubric

Vision:
Is you image original, innovative and daring, or just another example of the same old thing? Does it fulfill the requirements for the assignment (see assignment requirements above) ?

Aesthetics:
Have you used the appropriate elements and principles of design that would enhance your photograph or did you just shoot what was in front of the camera? Have you used good composition or did you just place the center of interest in the center because it was easy?

Mechanics:
Camera Techniques: Is the image sharp/in focus? Is the exposure correct? Was the appropriate aperture/shutter speed used (if applicable for your camera), did you find the best angle?

Computer Techniques: Is the image sharp/in focus? Is it resized correctly? Is it color corrected and sharpened?

Presentation: Is the artwork presented in a professional manner as outlined in the assignment?

Good luck