Want to get great close-up, commercial shots with the Canon R5 and the Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM lens? The following advice will help you create the most professional headshots and show you how to interact with your clients for stunning, natural results.
In the field of portrait photography, portraits are a sub-genre of their own. I went to school for macro photography to supplement my wedding photography with Peter Hurley in New York. Ideally, you want to capture your subject’s personality and uniqueness in a single frame. The key to getting great close-up photos is the equipment you use. This is how I create captivating headshots using Canon R5 the camera is paired with my camera Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM lens.
Canon R5 and 100mm lens: The perfect combination
I’ve been using the Canon R5 for over two years and it’s a great choice for portraits and close-ups, partly due to the resolution size, direct connection into Lightroom or Capture One, image quality excellence and ease of use. When combined with my 100mm macro lens, the combination of the two becomes a powerful tool for close-up photography.
Learn about the RF 100mm lens
Before delving into the intricacies of portrait photography, let’s first explore why 100mm is a great choice for this type of portrait. Designed specifically for Canon full frame mirrorless cameras, the RF version lens has a wide f/2.8 aperture, allowing for beautiful background blur (bokeh) while also delivering impressive sharpness.
The 100mm focal length is ideal for close-up photography (Peter Hurley actually told me that the best focal length is 92mm!) but ironically, Canon doesn’t produce a 92mm lens, which gives compression great while also keeping you close enough to your subjects to interact with them. .
Master the shot
Creating compelling close-up shots goes beyond button presses and dial settings. It involves understanding composition techniques and interacting with customers on their level to elicit the reactions and facial expressions you want for different looks. For example, a great portrait session should have moments of humor, intrigue, candor, quizzical looks, and simple, straightforward, professional headshots that can be used on LinkedIn. Ideally, you need to change your clothes several times for different social situations. I recommend using a tripod to keep your height steady, with my recommendation being Manfrotto MT055CXPro4.
The R5’s high-resolution sensor allows for cropping in your editing software without affecting image quality, giving you the flexibility to experiment with composition while shooting. Don’t be afraid to add a little more around the edge of the frame than you usually need. You can then crop later. The articulating touchscreen on the R5 lets you view settings and compose shots without having to bend down in some situations.
When framing a close-up photo, I tend to use the rule of thirds. The position of the eyes along the upper horizontal line will draw attention to the most expressive part of the face. Don’t be afraid to cut into the hairline if the hair is not a prominent feature or if the person is shaved or bald. Leaving space on the right or left will create space for copied text if the subject of the photo is an article or a newspaper editorial. I do this regularly when shooting player cards for Olympic swimming teams and Commonwealth Games athletes.
Use Autofocus for precision
The Canon R5’s autofocus system is a game-changer for macro photography, and it rarely misses its target. Gone are the days where if you wanted to shoot at 2.8 or lower to get a bokeh effect, you’d miss and lose focus.
It’s important to take advantage of eye-tracking autofocus, which locks on to your subject’s eyes for precise focus. This is especially important in close-up photography, where the eyes are the focal point and convey much of the subject’s emotion. The Canon R5’s advanced autofocus system ensures that you can always focus precisely on the eyes, resulting in expressive and engaging close-up shots.
Illuminate the subject
Light plays a key role in close-up photography, and the impressive dynamic range of the Canon R5 combined with the 100mm lens allows for impressive results in a variety of lighting conditions. However I choose to use it Canon EL-1 speedlight2 Canon 600EX-RT speed lights, and 3 in numbers MagMod MagBox Pro 36″ strip softbox in a triangular shape creating a great highlight for the eyes. I know Peter Hurley uses a Flex kit, but for me, having a versatile kit like the Speedlite means I can use them for weddings, events and close-ups. Plus, I know my gear well enough to be able to set it up and know what settings currently work well enough to take photos every time. Spending more money on additional kit to carry is not cost effective for me and there would be more kit to carry.
Post-processing and fine-tuning
Typically my process is to send all the unedited images to the client, let them choose the ones they like, and then they just pay for those instead of me editing everything just for the sake of it. find that they only want three or four of those images in a session.
Post-processing is the final step in turning a client’s vision into reality. I tend to try my best to get it into camera whenever possible, meaning minimal editing wherever possible, although clients often have their own ideas about this and most Most don’t seem to realize that we can see when a portrait is taken. over-edited. Think of those terrible Instagram filters that literally blur everything out.
I use Adobe Lightroom Classic (tethering works on most Canon cameras except the R6 Mark II—I recently discovered this while testing a new Canon firmware build) or your favorite editing software to fine-tune exposure, color balance, and contrast. Pay special attention to your client’s eyes as they are the focus of close-up photos. Enhance details without overdoing it (there’s nothing worse than artifacts from over-sharpening an image), ensuring a natural and realistic portrait of your subject.
Conclusion
For my macro photography, the combination of the Canon R5 and 100mm lens is my dynamic duo. I tried using the 70-200mm lens and decided on this combination because of the minimal complexity needed to get good photos, allowing me to focus on taking impressive close-ups and attractive character.
Whether you’re photographing individuals for professional portfolios, capturing close-ups of actors, or simply aiming to create timeless portraits, the Canon R5 and 100mm RF lenses will deliver. The perfect combination to dazzle customers with stunning close-up photos that pop off the page. . As you begin your portrait photography journey, remember that technical proficiency, creative composition, and a deep understanding of your equipment are just the first steps to achieving timeless images.
