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Lesson Info

Inspiration at Work

Now we'll dive into inspiration where comes from how it happens so let's go through this process suing cue the inspiration section together I should person the right but up here we are okay, we'll back up for a second, teo that first slide inspiration at work inspiration at work so I had to go to an l a county bugbear and I didn't want to go I didn't want to go but my girls six year old son he was six at the time I want to go so I had to go so I go when I'm thinking like, okay, I'll go, we'll be in there being their flag may be like, you know, fifteen minutes and then we can leave some things I want to do also, but we walked in to the bug fair and right away he's having a ball, you know, all kinds of bugs and torrential ous and all kind of great stuff and he's having a ball and four moment intrigued also some regressing that a childhood and how I felt being a little boy that age, so I'm like enjoying him enjoy himself at this boat fare and their kids everywhere it's kind of crazy looki...

ng my watch, okay uh we'll be out of there so we're walking around going through different sections and then we walk into this room whether elliot had a book fair where I don't want to be a way we walk into this one room and all of a sudden it's a room the size of this room and it's filled with butterflies everywhere and you know I've seen but if I was like a box to seem butterflies all your life but I walk in I'm seeing the colors for the first time I'm seeing the shapes for the first time I'm taking those for the first time in my life of all the different colors in nature and the shapes and I walked in there I felt something all of a sudden I don't want to leave this room and trying to drag me out the room to the other sections but I'm stuck in this room so as we leave and go to the other parts of this exhibit my head is here so the end I will go back here again that comeback I take these pictures because now I have an idea nothing's gonna happen my head is spinning with ideas now remember I didn't want to go here first they dragged me to the l a county book fair and that I got when I walked in this room and something happened something happened I walked in there and I felt something so this is probably a couple years ago I had this experience my parents just had their their fiftieth wedding anniversary so we go to see my family and we're there and for the first time I noticed that my mother has butterflies all of the house I never noticed that before like maybe that was the inspiration from childhood I see my mother clicking butterflies everywhere. I never thought about that until a couple weeks ago and maybe that's the connection as I walked in this room and felt something seen these butterflies I felt something so then I take pictures of the butterflies because my ideas are trying in my head that happens at the moment that walked in there like oh, I have a great idea and then you walk out I don't later on you'll lose it forever so I walk out, go back to their own take more pictures of the butterflies and then I go home and I call my team I call the hair the makeup guys I have an idea I have an idea for a story let's shoot a butterfly story I want to grow into a butterfly it's like matthew what the heck you talking out turned girl to a butterfly like I had this great idea that like okay, what does that mean? Turn a girl into a butterfly so I'm telling my idea but I had the experience I go here, I had the experience of being in the room and feeling something my team does not have that something express it give them the feeling so I go online and download pictures of butterflies and send the e mails of the pictures we start talking all of us talking together that have turned this girl into a butterfly so then I'm gonna find the right girl the perfect girl to turn into my butterfly and my first idea was her her entire face into a butterfly but they're my team hit me refine my vision and then it became something else then it turned into the story so here's my inspiration going from taking the idea into action so said sketching out thie idea I went to the internet to download pictures of butterflies and sent this to my team I printed it out so as I shoot I have these pictures on set as we're shooting are the pictures there and I make it bars can use these pictures to do the examples of this I went online downloaded pictures, print them out so I had my visuals right beside me as I'm sure the idea the visuals right beside me is a doing hair and makeup I had no idea how it would affect the hair and makeup at the time it was a big deal by having this on the set as we shot so then he could take what I printed and paint right there on the spot remember I don't want to go this thing I don't want go to the book fair but I walked in and found inspiration I walked in and found inspiration I called right away get my team excited it's gonna feel my excitement and then it came to life this is samuel paul here painting on my favorite models yuki matsumura and the hairstyles had the idea of doing the hair she had the idea turned the hair into the shape of a butterfly that was not in my mind at all that came from the hairstyle alice she turned the butterfly themed into the shape of a butterfly incredible the team brings it to life the team brings it to life my hair stars model makeup artists these guys are the masters they helped refine the vision and together we worked together to get we work together together we work as a team together each achieves mohr together each achieves mohr so santa paula had the idea of doing her eyes just as the colors on lee on the butterfly without the shape just the colors that came from him. We put these ideas together and make it come together it's for a wonderful, powerful shot. Incredible! Now I'm seeing my inspiration come to life my inspiration now as an image as we find by the team refined by the team colors on lee of the butterfly with the shape of the hair is the butterfly inspired by real life butterflies the color the shape all I wanted to turn a girl into a butterfly I had no idea I was gonna do that but my team helped refine it make it a stronger story so in my coverage of this I shudder for eyes closed her eyes open I shot it full I shot tight I shot it vertical a sharp horizontal I'm not sure what he use it at first sight to shoot it first for who then I shot it horizontally all that I'm getting coverage as I shoot trying to find the perfect shot I'm using it any five lynne's amusing one hundred mackerel linds I'm getting coverage I'm pulling back on going close I'm cropping I'm getting different sections I shot wagons shot just the butterfly or just this part or pull back mohr pullback mohr I cover it all but I sure remember use until I get to editing in light room will capture one where I find be shots but there are a lot of other great shots I had the hardest time trying to define and edit the right shots there's something great moments throughout this day and nobody want to stop nobody wanted stop we were having such a great time shooting this and even now I could go back and shoot this all over again and shoot other versions of butterflies so this l a county fair happens once a year, every year now I go because you never know where the expression comes from, you never know where it comes from, but this story has happened over and over again in my career. Things happen when you're not expecting to happen, we're not looking for them to happen. Having the right team is so important having the right talented team of hair make up stylist, producer, assistant all those things help refine your vision and break to life. In the beginning, I didn't have a team I defined the team, even moving from new york. I was very established and going to l a it was brand new, so everybody on this team I found through morrow may help. I found the makeup artist, the model, the hair by searching first that way and being very selective in interviewing in fine people looking for a girl. We had great skin looking for a great make it ours we could paint and had a delicate hand, the four great hairstyles who could make something out of nothing, texture, shine, all of that is very important and having the right team and as I find the team, I keep it very close. I'm very loyal to my team, my assistance, very loyal to my assistance there, one family, we are one family, if I go on location for a two week job, I will make sure that I hire these guys to be on there with me we're one big family and they're part of your revolution and now we have years and years of work together already and great times because this is also very special as you're shooting all these jobs all these assignments all this personal work you adding to your story so now I always shoot pictures behind the scenes as we're working on stuff and for me I love this picture that the world sees but I really love my behind the scenes pictures of everybody working to make the shots happen I love the process for me and for my team we love this we love this process so on every job I'm shooting behind the scenes because I love this stuff as well I love this this is my show I love the actual image that's used because this is the process the creative process if you remember everything that went into it the pictures in the book fair I love that because when it first happened it gave me the idea going online downloading the pictures funny all this I had no idea what I down with the pictures that he want this toe work from I had no idea the morning the shoot how he would make it come together he had his ideas worked out his coles worked out and together we made it magic and me watching him do this on her face in the moment was magical, I wished I had videotaped it toe watch him paint this on her face and the color, then wipe it all off into another one who did that all day is incredible when you're pulling think you're doing all of this personal work, you're pulling your came together, make up hair who pays them or do a very good question, so when I'm doing my personal way with my team, who pays them all, they're getting paid know we're doing all this for the love of the process, we're doing this all for the love of the process because we all love to create, but when I get jobs, who I hire now, my team like I'm very loyal to my team, but what they have ideas that they want to shoot, they call me, I'm there, I love the creative process and, you know, it's funny, the big jobs weren't being paid a lot of money, they're great, but I love this we're not getting paid because we're creating it's just us and this leads to so much work I have a job coming up at the end of the month, the job came from who the job came up going the wrong way, the job I have coming up the end of the month came from my makeup bars look, I'm going too fast now sama paul referring me to a client client sold my work in his portfolio is it who's that that's how I got the job so I get them work they get me work that's how it works that's how it works and when you work with this stuff together as a team you see each person go together and take off it's a great feeling my first shoots of tyra will like this they were test let's just get to you they're working like this the same way my first shoots of hottie clue the same way this is how it happens we're all waiting and we're all artist as photographer I feel you are honest I feel I'm the artist and I like that process of creating special and different and we do want to go home. We kept shooting over and over again doing other pictures and other designs and we were all exhausted in the day but we had so much fun doing this and that was personal work it's a great feeling questions for move on question from a brand eighty seven uh I lived on I live on a fixed income what is the minimal must have gear to start working in beauty photography? I don't even have a dslr yet oh, the minimal gear to start doing beauty, a basic camera one or two lenses if I'm doing just beauty the one lens that's a must for me in thirty five format is the hundred macro that's my go to lends the hundred macro if there's a second lens that's a must be the eighty five I used the sony eight nine hundred in the eighty five is a calls ice linds extremely sharp our amazing linens those two lenses are my go to lenses thie any five calls eyes one point four lands and two point eight hundred macro limbs those might go to lenses that use most of the time from my work I have everyone lends out there but those are the ones that are my workhorse lenses and eighty five and one hundred macro that was a good question thank you very much in terms of you go back to that even go further into that question even light wise okay. When I first started shooting I was so broke back when as a kid I was so broke I only afford one light fort one light it was a hot light at the time which I would not use for beauty because it's too hot. But my first my first three covers of my career I shot with that light back in the eighties he was like a two dollar light maybe it's like foreign books now but it was a, um a low dp hot light that's my first light a low lw yel low dp hot light that was my first light ever so now I have a light I want but I still shoot a lot my job's a shelf one light ah lot of my job to show from one light sometimes too so tomorrow when I'm doing beauty we will shoot with one light they lie different ways use one light ah lot is a matter of fact I believe you shouldn't buy another light into you master the one question the butterfly for your loved one the butterfly project was shot with one light eat all of these images or shot off one light every single one one light, one light it's the idea the concept that's the hero you have a preferred modifier that you put on that life isn't beating dishes you have heard modifier I love I love I love lights of course I'm a light fanatic had my favorites and I'm always playing in tweaking with them I'm always adding something uh I love the idea of doing a lot of things from one light the beauticians with my favorite lights I love having the beauty dish but to say just beauticians really give you all the information because there's a white pretty dish is a simple beauty dish they're different if you put on top of it you should it bear there are different ways to shoot for beauty dish so I've explored all those ways also that same beauty dish I haven't want to stand at this height looks very different than having it here those two inches makes a big difference so having that light here and having it here makes a big difference and I learned that from being assistant and testing the light I used to hate it as assistant because you're having to measure the distance of the light measure the height ensuring it here then shouldn't hear then shouldn't hear but when you see that in front of you and see the difference in all those different heights, you see what you like by testing your like you learn to see what you like not what somebody else likes what you like and you define your vision that way by testing the light find out the distance the height that you like because what he likes could be very different what you like you don't have to put your funk the thumbprint your fingerprint on your work even in the lighting it's a lot of fun doing it and tweaking around and having a class that he did also from one light how do you change it? We'll do that tomorrow other questions now when you go and work with the clan know that that's what your personal work when you work with the client do they have specific things they want you to follow specific the way of how blessed good question when you work with clients they have specific ideas that they want absolutely yes they do as for the beauty of it because you're you're shooting their vision and putting your thread between it they're hiring you for your take on it all right so it's your interpretation of that they give you guidelines and advertising they're more strict guidelines and interest very loose but yes they are giving you their input and what they like what they don't like then sometimes you're you're sa gentle mix of you tiny tweak more of your way what you like that's the creative for the world and we love it because you have a room full of creatives you have you know hair make up stylist photographer one in then hear the client's creative director art director photo editor all these people giving their version and together you come together you make magic hopefully other questions I have a question from my green tea is really good okay summer de gonzalez would like to know um does matthew typically shoot literally from his inspirations or abstract lee for example the butterflies did you go into it wanting to literally turn her into a butterfly or was it more of an abstract more abstract more abstract for sure and a lot my ideas are more that way than literal collateral is boring sometimes to me it's better when it's more like you know uh the idea, the flavor they figure out what it is where the expression comes from so even from looking at a movie, I'm not taking a movie and doing it exactly how the movie is I'm giving my version of that movie or sometimes just the title of the movie well given that title and turn it into my version that's a good question and thank you for that question no more questions now we have so many question from jura is do you pay the models for your personal work? I know you said that you don't pay your teammates, but how about the model I don't I don't for four I'm very clear about that with the crew because the models as well as the hair and make up I'm the one hiring hair, makeup and models I'm the one giving them assignments also the thing that's great about this and a lot of them say this now but tired it in the very beginning because we get together we shoot this world that's our own ideas and that's what gets us work and launches careers tyra and I would shoot together for free each other all the time all the time all the time with yuki I shot you cuisine times and when my clients is sony not turn her on to sony so now so he hires air all the time that's how it works if I get a job for for ole and like, I know this guy who has great skin, you must see this girl that's how it happens and those jobs pay very well, it's all about the relationship it's all about relationships and everything it's all about relationships. I have a question from k g w who would like to know how much time you spend shooting each look and how do you manage to fit so many very looks in oh that's a very good question I like that one. How much time do I spend shooting each? Look, I don't have a set time, but when I feel I have it, I move on now with digital is very easy to shoot one look and shoot it a thousand frames on this one look, which you'll lose the model, you'll lose her because you can't shoot a thousand frames doesn't mean you should you want to be energy. Oh, so since I get the shot, I move on to the next shot it's better as a matter of fact, if I'm doing a lot of shots, I want to get it fast possible, so I don't lose that energy if she's seen there under those lights for a long time she's going to tired once she's tired, she's going forever once she is tired and worn out from you shooting ah thousand frames she's gone forever I don't want to lose her I would the energy up for the entire crew so shoot it when I feel I have it and then I move on that's a very good question because I learned that the hard way I learned that the hard way I had a shoot of a big celebrity um I won't say his name was a huge celebrity when the most famous basketball players so I'm shooting this er well known athlete and he hires me to shoot um the family and I'm there I had the entire day everything I want so I want two feet I wanna make sure I give them their money's worth so I shot them all day long but I wore them out and later on I I saw him again and he mentioned to me how he said I felt you had the shoot you had the shots in the first two hours I'm like I did buy what I want make sure I gave you your money's worth he's like I want the talent I don't need all the time if you have it that's it there's a big lessons for me they're paying you for your talent it's not about a time it's not about the time it's about the talent make issue I don't wear them out and you get better pictures that way by how you time your shooting you get it once you have it move on get your shot get the coverage of the shot and then move on that's a very good question thank you very much for that from the internet once you finish one of your personal projects what is what you normally do it is another great question another great question so shooting all this work for personal work you shooting all this work for personal work the wise paying you for it what do you do with it what do you do if your personal work that's your soul your inspiration has to get you work well here's the story of this picture so we've done this inspiration I go to this bug fair that didn't want to go to I go and find my inspiration I call the team we get together we shoot it find the images then what then I enter the most amazing photo contests around the world I take my personal work and I put it in the top photo contest around the world now as a kid when I was a hobby for me as always entering contests and then as I became a professional I stopped entering contests and they were my buddies was in always counts all the time he's like oh you should always still do it because you know this is a time when you have the best editors in the world looking at pictures so the first thing I do is I look to find the best contest in the world and the next thing I do is find out who the judges are the best judges are the top uh gallery curator sze editors of the top magazines in the world not enter those contests you want to put you work, you work out there for the most talented creatives in the world to see inter contests so I entered a contest in europe with this picture what happened? I didn't win by placed and then they print the picture in the magazine of all food place and who won? I'm like, oh wow, so that was great for me because I'm getting recognition of being seen by always enters and curious and from around the world like wow, how amazing then I get a call from so I get an email from a magazine and the magazine is a magazine in europe that I used to read when I was in art school they want to a story on me I'm like, oh my god, I used to let this magazine so they don't arkle on me I saw the pictures and for the article they do they do an interview it's italian magazine so the interviews online I thought all the question online through a through e mail and send it back it's in the pictures for the story you know that e mail back like matthew we love you just so much why uses the cover of the magazine oh my god I won't be on this cover this magazine that you still reading in school all the time and they have a cover I've got a story on my work in the magazine now remember I don't wanna go to the book fair so I now have this cover the magazine in europe a story of my work like wow so I placed the contest I get a cover in a story how amazing a year later I get another email from a gallery in brescia italy wanted me to have a show my first european exhibit so I have exhibit now in brescia italy showing my work being represented in brescia italy wow I don't want this book fair but now I have you know I've placed the contest I've got amazing cover an article of my work and now I have a gallery show in brescia italy amazing you know where brush really wass but they fly me over for the opening we have this great opening is fantastic like wow brushes amazing next year another gallery calls from verona italy and I have a class at a gallery show in verona italy this is all from one piece of personal work that's how it happens that's how it happens when you put your heart and soul into the work that you love people identify with that people. I didn't have your personal work in the beginning. My career. I used to only show work that I thought would get work, show your personal work that your thumbprint over it has you woven through all the work, your inspiration. Nobody can copy your inspiration. What makes you feel alive, that's, how it works, that's. A great question, thank you for that question so much.