Photography

So…they requested you work at the holiday party. And do something you are not qualified to do.

Just say no, and explain you aren’t really able to do so.

I also have no lighting to use and am hoping that the natural lighting is good on the day of the event

Oh man, prayers for you. This is not the way haha

I've done natural light headshots that I liked, but I got to specify the location and exact time I wanted, in a place I knew the lighting. You'll have none of this.

Conversely, if they'll pay you, rent two octaboxes or bounce umbrellas and a couple speedlights.

set up a camera on a tripod, and you need lighting it's just a fact. that lighting could be from two lamps as long as they're consistent and behind the person with a softer light on their face.

you can work that out in any number of ways, it's best to have a seat or chair set up and light the background, then the subject and meter for their face.

headshots would be about shoulders and up so a 50mm with bokeh would be great, you want to treat it like picture day at school, if the settings and lighting are kept the same then you can just hit the shutter button and funnel them in and out. I wouldn't recommend doing this unless you have a controlled light source and a space where the background won't be changing constantly.

They asked you to work during the holiday party?

Are they paying you holiday wages?

I repeat the sentiments of most of the others in this thread. Do not take the headshots. It is a slippery slope, and the headshots will probably not be as good as either you or they want them to be. Just explain that you don't have experience doing this and are not properly equipped for the task. Plus, it's the holiday party. You're there to freaking party

A few jobs ago, I ended up shooting a few hundred headshots. I have a decent Canon (7D) and the agency had some L glass, quality lights and a backdrop, but I had never shot indoor strobe portraiture before. Learned a few things:

- give yourself time to set up and bring someone you trust (or an intern) to get your settings dialed in.

- shoot tethered, if possible, and have an external monitor so that your coworkers can decide for themselves if something looks good or not.

- take it easy, stay relaxed, make it fun. lots of folks hate this sort of idea when dictated by an employer; if you're relaxed, cracking jokes, offering suggestions, you can make them relax - and you might get them to actually decide they liked a photo of themselves.

There are still a couple of my former coworkers using my headshots on their LinkedIn profiles, and I have always felt some pride at that.

It will be easy

1.Shoot them outside during the day before the party. Assign someone to line them up.

2. Find a wall for the background under cover but facing out toward the the bright sky.

3. Have each person stand at an angle to you and turn their head to face you. They should not back up to the wall...have them stand a foot from the wall. There has to be no direct sun on each person.

4. Your camera should NOT be on Auto ISO. Try ISO 100 first then go higher if its too dark.

5. Take the photos in Program mode. Focus mode should be AF-S or Single. Aim at the eyes. Take the picture look at it, and adjust until it looks right.

Rinse and repeat...

If you do this before the party to practice and to check your settings, you just might have some nice results. They don't expect much...it didn't cost them a thing. So blow them away with the shots.

Thing is, if they're good you'll probably have to do it again and again...

Never do extra work for no pay

That's a capitalism lesson, not a photography one

Yeah no, don’t do this. Anyone offering you advice is coming from a “if i was there I could do it” mentality but the reality is that you’re being forced to learn how to do something with no training and no equipment in a short amount of time. You do a good job and now you’re the camera guy. You do a bad job and everyone will remember you for it.

The only way to win is to not play.

This sounds like clusterfuck waiting to happen. Headshots at a party? Who's going to be suited for what I assume to be a professional headshot. They are setting you up for failure by not just ponying up the money for a professional photographer. Not saying you couldn't learn how to do the job, but on so short notice, with your lack of experience and equipment, it'll end up with subpar results.

Other posters are probably correct, if you have never done this before, this is not the time to experiment. Learn how to light a portrait and practice before you attempt a task where others expect professional results. A great place to start is with this series on lighting by David Hobby, the Strobist.

https://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

Follow Peter Hurley. The undisputed headshot KING.

Yeah, don’t do this. You aren’t qualified and you aren’t being paid

Doomed

Stand on a stool and shoot downward towards them. This brings up the shoulders and looks better. Use a 105mm lens. Have them stand at a 45-degree angle and turn their face towards you. Do not shoot them straight on like a mug shot. It looks stupid and stiff. I've shot hundreds of people like this.

Is it in your job description? As stupid as it sounds, it makes a huge difference

Ask for them to pay to pay for lighting equipment and do not for free. That way you get some equipment out of it and some great experience and portfolio.

I would just say no. It's your holiday party. Enjoy the party. Don't get roped into working. Unless you want to get into headshots. In that case, rent yourself a set of studio lights for the evening, watch a couple of YouTube videos, find a plain wall, and get your feet wet. If they complain, tell them you get what you pay for. They could've hired somebody with headshot experience, but they asked you to do it for free. You'll probably get a handful of keepers to use to get your first actual gig, and then it's all rise from there. In theory, anyway.

Use weird angles and call it artistic and if anyone complains tell them they don’t get it, easy peasy Fuji

Ask your office to purchase a backdrop and a lighting setup for you at the very least. You can get a basic cheap continuous lighting softbox and a backdrop for about $200.

Don't do it.

You might think you're going the extra mile and doing a favor for your employers. But at the end of it, you will have (through no fault of your own) wasted a lot of people's time and NOT gotten the results your employer wanted.

That's what your employer and co-workers will remember... not that you were trying to go the extra mile to help, but that you took on a task you weren't qualified to deliver on and squandered a lot of people's time.

Ask me how I know.

It sounds like you are going to get set up for disappointment. Headshots should be consistent for everyone at the office. But …

At a party, people are getting progressively more drunk.
The indoor office lighting is rarely flattering.
Natural lighting (assuming it is during the day) is always changing adding additional challenges to keep one head shot the same as the next.

There is a YouTube channel with a good guide on “the Slanted Lens”. There are many more guides on YouTube for you to get the information you need.