>>2905260>>2905283In those test shots, I was setting up to do the Dylan Patrick cinematic headshot technique. I'll explain.
It's all about having that super blurred background, sort of like you saw on the right hand test image.
So forget the model for a moment. I'm just exposing for the background and trying different compositions to see what background works best.
pic related: I'm using a 135mm prime, ISO 100, 1/3200 sec @ f/2.0
Now here's where Dylan Patrick's technique comes in.
First I got my shot exposed for the background, and then I light my model to match the background exposure. I come from real estate photography and we do the same thing inside rooms with bright windows: we expose for the brightest object (the windows) and use speedlites to light the room to match.
The real trick is getting around my camera's limit of 1/200 shutter speed so I can shoot at 1/3200 sec. To do that, I put my speedlites into High Speed Sync mode (Nikon calls it Auto FP, Canon calls it HSS).
That's the technique in a nutshell.