Simple Headshot: Two Lights and a Backdrop

“In areas with high concentrations of actors, dancers, and other performers, headshots are the bread and butter for many photographers.  You can easily create a professional-looking studio portrait like the one shown here with minimal lighting.  For this quick example, I placed a Canon 580 EX II on a stand high and to the camera-left rear of the subject, zoomed at 105mm and aimed down directly at her head.  The flash’s power was set to 1/32.”...more  from Ed Verosky at About Photography