Quote Originally Posted by Anbesol
I work for a studio which has a really kickass boom, and I still prefer free-hand, much easier to work around the subjects. I dont know what you mean about the lighting, moving the camera doesn't move the lights... What lighting would cause a stationary camera? I don't even use the boom to calibrate.
Then you know how it goes: create the set, light the set, determine the shooting angle/distance/focal length, bring in the model, and lock it up. The camera is tethered via firewire to a MAC around which the client sits. After a series of shots, the client and photographer scrutinize the shots and make micro adjustments to the lighting, pose, camera position, etc. Repeatability is paramount.

We've gotten off the topic here and I'm not here to argue the "why" or "how" since I don't shoot portraits myself. I just happen to work with a bunch of great people who do and I'm here to share what I've seen and experienced.

This week I'll be on location for a two day shoot of a massive set. I'll keep notes on how this crew will do get the job done too.